Within 30 minutes of Phoenix (apartments, to rent, health insurance)

[KLR87]

Hello,

My husband and I are from Pennsylvania and considering moving to the Phoenix area in 2018. We were set on the Carolinas for the past two years, but due to the fact that he'd take a 30K pay cut and I still have student loan debt, we are thinking it may not be wise. The cost of living in the Carolinas is not cheaper than what we have going on in PA either and we don't want to be scraping pennies.

We are checking out Arizona and my husband would like to work in Phoenix. He is in law enforcement and I am in health care. We don't want to live in the city though. We'd like to live in suburbia within a half hour of Phoenix. We are looking for the usual: low crime rate, low or fair cost of living (we are going to rent an apartment), and close to basic amenities such as shopping malls, restaurants, etc. We like the idea that we are under 5 1/2 hours to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, White Mountain, the beach, and San Diego. It just seems like there's a lot to do and we are so sick of snow and cold weather. We have no kids and nothing tying us down and just want an adventure.

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by KLR87

We'd like to live in suburbia within a half hour of Phoenix.

You're in luck; besides suburbs, even most of the city of Phoenix proper is "suburbia", especially by east coast standards. Some of our suburbs are actually in Phoenix. The area is huge, so without knowing where "in Phoenix" your husband will be working, it could be an hour or more from wherever someone tells you to live.

Also, what is the dollar translation for "low cost of living"?

[goolsbyjazz]

Hmmm, are you sure things will be that much less expensive out here? Also, please come and visit us...during the summer to get a feel for things. It's beautiful weather here now but summers have a way of flushing out those who love it and those who don't like it so much.

[KurtAZ]

^^What 43N87W said...this whole valley is suburbia with some very small areas of concentrated downtowns. Law Enforcement shouldn't be difficult...about $45k to start. Health Care is going to vary with your license. If you are an RN, figure $50k+ starting. Which suburbia you settle into is going to depend on where your jobs are unless you purposely opt for longer commutes.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Hmmm, are you sure things will be that much less expensive out here? Also, please come and visit us...during the summer to get a feel for things. It's beautiful weather here now but summers have a way of flushing out those who love it and those who don't like it so much.

I moved from Phoenix Metro to Raleigh, NC in 2012. I can say with some assurance that our cost of living increased quite a bit when we moved.

There are exceptions. Health insurance would be more in Phoenix than in Raleigh. (It's too much everywhere!) Our auto insurance decreased a little (primarily because Phoenix has so many uninsured drivers). Gasoline and pork are less expensive here.

We're retired, so it's hard to me to give details, but from what I can determine, GENERALLY salaries ARE higher in The Triangle than in Phoenix. Again, exceptions apply, particularly with teachers (NC should be embarrassed at the salaries paid to teachers!)

From looking at other threads started by the OP, she is an occupational therapist. They want to live within a 30 minute commute from work, but feeling like they are in a small town or framland. That would be very difficult in the Triangle (or Charlotte, where the OP also considered) and, IMHO, even more difficult in Phoenix Metro (unless the employers were already on the outskirts of the metro area).

I'll add this: Durham is advertising heavily for police applicants, both experienced an inexperienced. If one is working in Durham, there are areas within a 30 minute drive that would feel like the OP wants AND she will have her choice of medical facilities in Durham, or possibly Chapel Hill. The homes out in that area are less expensive - but the school systems are notorious for their poor ratings (which may or may not be fair). The OP should seriously consider this option.

[KurtAZ]

Well...if it were a toss up between NC or AZ...I would probably head to NC. Unless you absolutely LOVE the desert. Low humidity, horrible water quality, 5 months of 100+ heat, rising cost of living...and brown EVERYTHING. I would take access to a coast as well as mountains, greenery, 4 mild seasons... Raleigh is on our short list if we ever get the opportunity to move.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

You're in luck; besides suburbs, even most of the city of Phoenix proper is "suburbia", especially by east coast standards. Some of our suburbs are actually in Phoenix. The area is huge, so without knowing where "in Phoenix" your husband will be working, it could be an hour or more from wherever someone tells you to live.

Also, what is the dollar translation for "low cost of living"?

I'm not really sure, actually. I just know that in the Carolinas where we were looking, my hubby would take a 30k paycut and the apartments down there were as much to more than the apartments up here. As I said earlier, I have a lot of student loan debt so his salary needs to be able to cover all of our bills and we figured it out the other day and we'd be in the negative. I just want the salary to be comparable with the cost of living. I don't really know how to articurate low cost of living. I guess it depends what type of work you do. Law enforcement pay is a hit or miss depending on the state you're in.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Hmmm, are you sure things will be that much less expensive out here? Also, please come and visit us...during the summer to get a feel for things. It's beautiful weather here now but summers have a way of flushing out those who love it and those who don't like it so much.

We are actually going to be coming out this April! I know that the weather during the summer can be extremely hot, but I think I'd rather deal with that than with the winters here where it's in the teens and we're getting all these storms. It would be nice to find a state where it gets mild weather year round, but I'd rather deal with the heat than extreme cold, lol. Plus, our summers can suck and we get nasty humidity here in southern PA. And no, I'm not so sure that it's much less expensive in AZ, but his pay out there would be comparable to what he makes here and the apartments that we checked out online are comparable to what we pay now.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

^^What 43N87W said...this whole valley is suburbia with some very small areas of concentrated downtowns. Law Enforcement shouldn't be difficult...about $45k to start. Health Care is going to vary with your license. If you are an RN, figure $50k+ starting. Which suburbia you settle into is going to depend on where your jobs are unless you purposely opt for longer commutes.

He would be coming in as a lateral transfer and from what we read on their page (he emailed them and is waiting to hear back for confirmation), it looks like he'd start in the 60's. He'll have 8 years on by then. And I am an occupational therapy assistant.

Yeah, I'm not sure where in Phoenix he would work so I know a lot depends on that, but I'm trying to get a list of a handful of good towns to reside in so that when we do find out where he'll be, we kind of have an idea of what's around.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Well...if it were a toss up between NC or AZ...I would probably head to NC. Unless you absolutely LOVE the desert. Low humidity, horrible water quality, 5 months of 100+ heat, rising cost of living...and brown EVERYTHING. I would take access to a coast as well as mountains, greenery, 4 mild seasons... Raleigh is on our short list if we ever get the opportunity to move.

A little OT - but I'll warn you: The summer humidity is a misery in the Triangle. DH hates it and complains bitterly. Frankly, if I were to get hit by a bus, I think he'd move back to the Valley for this reason alone (plus the better pool players who will gamble). The night driving is a bit of a problem here as well, which is something to consider as one ages.

The cold winters and snow/ice were a shock to my system for the first two years. Now, I just stay home and read a book. But otherwise, you couldn't get me outta here.