Job Comparisons... Eugene vs Tucson (Phoenix, Green Valley: sales, rent, house)

[Artemiche69]

I have been dying to live in the desert my entire life (spent my summers in Palm Springs growing up but don't want to live in California) and finally have an opportunity to do so. Problem is I have super strong job/life security in Eugene where I live and some fears around whether or not I would be taking a major quality of life hit when I got to Tucson. But I'm tellin' ya... after living here in the cold, gray, wet, moldy pnw for 16 years I'm almost willing to be near homeless to get out.

I'm a 51yo female and currently work for a small company making $20 hour as an office manager (not full charge). I still want to and will likely need to work for at least 10-15 more years. So I am curious.... do similar office jobs at that pay level even exist in Tucson?

My skills are entirely OJT. I do have an associates degree, but it's not related to my field. My biggest fear is that I'll go back to earning $13 an hour for work I've been doing 20 years. That fear comes from the apparent high affordability of housing there and my assumption that it is low for a reason..... no jobs or low paying jobs.

What say you good people of Tucson? Is my dream of living simple under the sun going to be REALLY simple?? LOL.... Thanks for your time and advice <3

[tijlover]

My recommendation is for you to stick it out in Eugene, and retire here. I'm guessing you probably have SADD and are tired of living in a cloudbelt. I moved to Phoenix in 1993 as I couldn't take the cloudiness anymore. I found Phoenix with low paying jobs and high cost of living, so after 3 years, I moved to Las Vegas and did very well there, but I knew when I retired I'd be moving back to Arizona, and Tucson was my first choice, quick access to Mexico beating out Phoenix.

What would make a difference, is if you own your house up there and that you could sell it with enough leftover to buy something here and have a nest egg to fall back on, or afford to find a lower paying job.

I worked as a CNA both in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and just by moving to Las Vegas I made $2.50 more an hour for the same work. There's someone in my 55+ community that works as a CNA and she only makes $11 an hour compared to my $15 an hour before I left Las Vegas. Before I left Las Vegas, there were LTC/Rehab facilities offering $16 to start. What does that tell you?

[grmi66]

The joke out here for decades is half your pay is in sunshine.

I'd look on Indeed for jobs in your skill set just to get a better idea of the pay rate. Before I moved to Tucson I was a manager for a small caregiving company. In Phoenix where most of our employees were, the going rate was $14-$15/hour for caregivers. Moved to Tucson and poked around similar companies down here and they pay $12.

[NORTY FLATZ]

Originally Posted by Artemiche69

I have been dying to live in the desert my entire life (spent my summers in Palm Springs growing up but don't want to live in California) and finally have an opportunity to do so. Problem is I have super strong job/life security in Eugene where I live and some fears around whether or not I would be taking a major quality of life hit when I got to Tucson. But I'm tellin' ya... after living here in the cold, gray, wet, moldy pnw for 16 years I'm almost willing to be near homeless to get out.

I'm a 51yo female and currently work for a small company making $20 hour as an office manager (not full charge). I still want to and will likely need to work for at least 10-15 more years. So I am curious.... do similar office jobs at that pay level even exist in Tucson?

My skills are entirely OJT. I do have an associates degree, but it's not related to my field. My biggest fear is that I'll go back to earning $13 an hour for work I've been doing 20 years. That fear comes from the apparent high affordability of housing there and my assumption that it is low for a reason..... no jobs or low paying jobs.

What say you good people of Tucson? Is my dream of living simple under the sun going to be REALLY simple?? LOL.... Thanks for your time and advice <3

Here's a strategy....

Rent your place in Eugene, move to Tucson, and try it out for a couple years. If it's something you love, then sell the Eugene property. Or, better yet, rent it forever. This will buttress your reduction in income from the Az market.

Great first post, btw!

[steiconi]

If you do move here, invest in a humidifier and good moisturizer. The sunshine is lovely, but the dry air is hell on your skin.

[bkolodzi]

I used to live in Eugene and other places in the Willamette valley and moved to Green Valley 7 years ago while I was still working. My job was work from home, so that helped, but I wish I had made the move long ago. My state income tax dropped by about 50%. Yes, there is sales tax here, but you can avoid a lot of it by not buying a bunch of stuff or buying from craigslist in cash. My wife had been an Oregon resident for 30+ years and was very concerned about moving to the desert. It did not take her long to get used to waking up to sunshine most days, and she loves it here. Yes, the summers are hot, and we all adjust to that by doing things early in the morning and spending much of the rest of the time in our air-conditioned homes, cars, stores, restaurants, etc. I got so tired of the cold, gray and rain, I thought I was going to lose it!!! When you mentioned that you had been dying to live in the desert for much of you life, that really hit home for me, because I had that same dream. Now I am truly living my dream. I vote for finding a way to make the move. You may make a few dollars less an hour, but in my opinion, your quality of life will go way up. Speaking of retirement, if you move here now, you will not need to move again for retirement!!! I have made a Green Valley AZ youtube channel just for people like you who are looking for more information about the area. Green Valley is about 25 miles south of Tucson. Please have a look and see if this helps you make a decision: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8U...e_polymer=true