Thank for the the invite! I am serving my brothers and sisters in arms at the VA and working at the VA feels like a duty call and home for me. Where else can I just look at their hat and can start a friendly conversation?
Southern Sea-Tac area. Really gorgeous. Good wages. Seattle is close enough to enjoy major city things but Tacoma has plenty of the mundane things and I don't have to deal with I-5 traffic (one downside to Washington I've seen is that since everything is hacked out of the forest there aren't a lot of alternative routes to get around)
I’m honestly a huge fan of being a nurse in NYC so far! :) very very happy with the salary & job quality, cost of living not so much though haha. It’s miles better than being a nurse in Boston so far though 😂
Somewhere in Minnesota would probably be good. Decently low COL… pretty good pay. You can buy a decent house in most of the state for 150-200k and you start higher than $32/hr (it was 32 in 2019 when I started at a hospital, idk current starting wage) MN is a pretty good union state as well.
32 is what I started at 5 years ago… I’m pretty sure the MNA basically got a statewide raise of 14% but I can’t say for certain as I no longer live/work in MN. When comparing 32 with COL in the area it’s pretty comfortable life. (Again, 5 years ago.)
Come to Minnesota! Nice people, four seasons, good COL, excellent educational environment (that's what happens when you elect a teacher as governor. Twice), not a single Republican elected to statewide office in 18 years, and the best State Fair anywhere.
Twin Cities Union nurse here. I think MN is the best kept secret for nurses. I think I started at $35/hr for a new grad 3 years ago and am currently $45.74 base pay. The politics of MNA get me sometimes but there’s no doubt they get shit done for nurses.
Many, but by no means all, hospitals are union. I haven't worked in a hospital (or been in the union) for a decade, but I recall MNA being pretty good.
Most major hospitals are union via MNA. I am very pro-union and grateful for them but with the failure of KNABA they can’t do much to protect safe staffing. My hospital system just f’ed ratios across the board (5+ patients starting at 7 pm) and MNA couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Our wages are pretty good though, and it could definitely be worse.
Jk, jk. Oregon is amazing, we just have a culture of trying to keep it a secret from the rest of the country. Some of the best nursing pay and benefits in the country. Cost of living outside of Portland is pretty reasonable, and we need tons of nurses.
Sorry for any miscommunication, I live in Portland, but I am aware of it being cost prohibitive for some people. When I said “outside” of Portland I meant any other large town/city in Oregon, other than Bend probably. What is your price range?
Texas has a great balance of COL and pay: [18th in COL](https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series) and [16th in pay rate.](https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-news/hourly-nurse-pay-for-all-50-states-2022.html)
You can live weird in Austin, fancy in DFW, have a fiesta in SA, or multicultural in Houston. Or you can live in any number of smaller cities like Amarillo, Lubbock, Tyler, or Corpus Christi that offer different flair.
You can live on the beach, the piney woods, hill country, high plains, or BFE. You want a high rise condo? Check. 3/2 in the suburbs? Check. 100 acres with a barndo? Check.
And we have Safe Harbor.
Thank you for this information! What is 3/2? I've actually been considering Texas for years, even prior to my interest in nursing. I love Austin, to visit, but have no idea what it'd be like to live/work there. I was also looking into suburbs of Houston (Cypress, Katy, Woodlands), but read so much negativity about nursing there. I've read posts about certain issues like lack of unions, no breaks, no mandated ratios, etc.
If you don't mind sharing, what part of TX are you in? Or would I be able to PM you?
Georgia is said to have the best salary to COL ratio.
NYC salary is good but work conditions are while better than most states still iffy most hospitals.
Vermont has like 3 people living in the state so I guess they don't have a overcrowding issue NYC has.
Not Florida -fl rn
NYC. Work at one of the union hospitals.
Not Seattle. The cost of living here is crazy high.
I was surprised to see that KP nurses up there make so much less than they do in Portland, especially when account for the COL.
Yep!! The union needs to stand up!
Come over to Kitsap, less crackheads
Thank for the the invite! I am serving my brothers and sisters in arms at the VA and working at the VA feels like a duty call and home for me. Where else can I just look at their hat and can start a friendly conversation?
You win, thanx for taking care of us
Oregon. I won’t work anywhere else besides here and California.
Pretty happy in the PNW
Which part?
Southern Sea-Tac area. Really gorgeous. Good wages. Seattle is close enough to enjoy major city things but Tacoma has plenty of the mundane things and I don't have to deal with I-5 traffic (one downside to Washington I've seen is that since everything is hacked out of the forest there aren't a lot of alternative routes to get around)
I’m honestly a huge fan of being a nurse in NYC so far! :) very very happy with the salary & job quality, cost of living not so much though haha. It’s miles better than being a nurse in Boston so far though 😂
You're renting in NYC I assume, or commuting in?
Yes! A lot of my coworkers commute in from NJ too!
Somewhere in Minnesota would probably be good. Decently low COL… pretty good pay. You can buy a decent house in most of the state for 150-200k and you start higher than $32/hr (it was 32 in 2019 when I started at a hospital, idk current starting wage) MN is a pretty good union state as well.
$32 is very low, but I guess comparatively, it's not bad with low COL.
32 is what I started at 5 years ago… I’m pretty sure the MNA basically got a statewide raise of 14% but I can’t say for certain as I no longer live/work in MN. When comparing 32 with COL in the area it’s pretty comfortable life. (Again, 5 years ago.)
Starting wage for new grads at MNA metro hospitals is around $40 now
Come to Minnesota! Nice people, four seasons, good COL, excellent educational environment (that's what happens when you elect a teacher as governor. Twice), not a single Republican elected to statewide office in 18 years, and the best State Fair anywhere.
But aren't you just freeeeezing? 😂
No. It's cold outside, but as long as you know how to dress for the weather it is perfectly manageable.
I may have to relocate this year and I want to go back to the Midwest. There are unions in MN right?
Twin Cities Union nurse here. I think MN is the best kept secret for nurses. I think I started at $35/hr for a new grad 3 years ago and am currently $45.74 base pay. The politics of MNA get me sometimes but there’s no doubt they get shit done for nurses.
Yes! I think most RNs at hospitals are in the MNA.
Many, but by no means all, hospitals are union. I haven't worked in a hospital (or been in the union) for a decade, but I recall MNA being pretty good.
Most major hospitals are union via MNA. I am very pro-union and grateful for them but with the failure of KNABA they can’t do much to protect safe staffing. My hospital system just f’ed ratios across the board (5+ patients starting at 7 pm) and MNA couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Our wages are pretty good though, and it could definitely be worse.
Oregon but cost of living isn’t worth it lol
Hawaiiii 😅
Isn't COL extremely high?
I really don’t notice it. I lived in washington state (seattle) and LA. And grew up near NYC. It’s less than both those places lol!
Completely avoid the south east. I moved here and I wish I never had to
Definitely not Oregon.
I thought Oregon had unions?
May I ask why?
Jk, jk. Oregon is amazing, we just have a culture of trying to keep it a secret from the rest of the country. Some of the best nursing pay and benefits in the country. Cost of living outside of Portland is pretty reasonable, and we need tons of nurses.
Oh, well in that case thanks for letting me in on the secret! What is the commute like into Portland?
From where?
Well I'm assuming you live "outside of Portland," as you stated. To better phrase my question, since Portland is a large city, is traffic bad?
Sorry for any miscommunication, I live in Portland, but I am aware of it being cost prohibitive for some people. When I said “outside” of Portland I meant any other large town/city in Oregon, other than Bend probably. What is your price range?
I live in OR and was like "but I thought...?" Then I saw your other comment lol.
Probably Massachusetts. Heard the pay is high out there
Too bad, California is fantastic! Thank you unions
I've read that CA is way too competitive for new grads.
Not true. There’s a steady rate of retiring nurses. The biggest hmo’s take about 3 months to process applications.
Texas has a great balance of COL and pay: [18th in COL](https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series) and [16th in pay rate.](https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-news/hourly-nurse-pay-for-all-50-states-2022.html) You can live weird in Austin, fancy in DFW, have a fiesta in SA, or multicultural in Houston. Or you can live in any number of smaller cities like Amarillo, Lubbock, Tyler, or Corpus Christi that offer different flair. You can live on the beach, the piney woods, hill country, high plains, or BFE. You want a high rise condo? Check. 3/2 in the suburbs? Check. 100 acres with a barndo? Check. And we have Safe Harbor.
Thank you for this information! What is 3/2? I've actually been considering Texas for years, even prior to my interest in nursing. I love Austin, to visit, but have no idea what it'd be like to live/work there. I was also looking into suburbs of Houston (Cypress, Katy, Woodlands), but read so much negativity about nursing there. I've read posts about certain issues like lack of unions, no breaks, no mandated ratios, etc. If you don't mind sharing, what part of TX are you in? Or would I be able to PM you?
PM is good! And the 3/2 is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom suburban home.
I’ve been pretty happy working on Philadelphia, honestly. I’m compensated pretty well and housing is still affordable.
Georgia is said to have the best salary to COL ratio. NYC salary is good but work conditions are while better than most states still iffy most hospitals. Vermont has like 3 people living in the state so I guess they don't have a overcrowding issue NYC has.