Nursing Salary in SC (Columbia, Aiken: sales, house, high school)

[mag0427]

Hello. Looking to move to Aiken SC and can find some help with salary information but thought I'd ask the community directly. We are coming from NJ and am interested to find how the nursing salary compares. We've already made up our minds, we love SC and are looking forward to the lifestyle change, but would be nice to actually have a more concrete idea on salary for me. Thanks in advance.

[settlepa]

We are moving to SC from NY area and my wife is a nurse, just depends on experience, etc. just like anywhere else. Base pay for RN is 20.00 for a new grad that I can tell you and goes up from there.

[emab]

Hi I also an moving from NJ and having a hard time finding salary info for a RN/BSN? Any info would be helpfull!!
Thanks

[mbnybor]

I'm not a nurse but am a CST. (or tech). I was making $26/hr in NJ/NY. I intereviewd and was offered a job at Waccamaw Community Hospital. I had to re negotiate two times for them to bring the offer to $17/hr. I passed. The women I spoke to there and at Grand Strand said the same as the poster above...RNs start around $20.

Robyn

[hrbib21]

Many of the hospitals give signing bonuses, too. I know this because I worked at a cancer center and we had nurses leaving and going to the hospitals for that very reason.

The fact is, wages are lower here and so is the cost of living. For example, if my house were in NJ I'd be paying about $4500/year in property taxes. My tax bill was $569 for this year and that will go down by up to 50% next tax bill (state sales tax went up 1% to compensate). So you have to look at it in relative terms. Sure, you'll make less but it will also cost you less to live here. Coming here and expecting to make what you made up north is completely unrealistic.

[mbnybor]

Originally Posted by hrbib21

The fact is, wages are lower here and so is the cost of living. For example, if my house were in NJ I'd be paying about $4500/year in property taxes. My tax bill was $569 for this year and that will go down by up to 50% next tax bill (state sales tax went up 1% to compensate). .

How long have you been gone from NJ?
We moved last April and our taxes would have been nearly 12k this year.
My COL isn't as low as the low salary would have one think.
My taxes here are $1100/yr.
Car ins. $1600/yr(two new SUVs)
Milk and gas are the same as in NJ(I was back just last month).
Perhaps it is because I am in MB, not the surrounding areas.
I/we are looking outward due to congestion.

To the OP, check out travelling nursing opportunities. I have a few sites if you want to send me a PM.
They offer much better salaries, bonuses, housing stipend(since you live in the area). The only downside would be if you had an hour or hour and half commute. I used to drive 70 minutes one way to go to work up north, so that's not a minus in my book.

Robyn

[waccamatt]

They must pay RN's better in the Columbia area because I know an RN wit a few years experience who makes about $60K a year. Maybe it has a lot to do with the size of the hospital, too.

[jamrasc]

I think it depends where you work too. My sister is an LPN and does home health care on the weekend night shift. She makes $20/hour. She's been a nurse since she got out of high school, so 10 years now.