Well, here in the Ohio Valley she could buy a nice starter home for around $60,000 or rent a very nice apartment for around $500/month including utilities. Cost of living is very low- I cook a lot and our weekly food budget, including a six-pack or bottle of wine for my husband and I, is $100. This is for food and dry goods for 3 people. Her bill would be much lower, though. Nurses at Trinity are earning a starting salary of $45-50K, depending on what type of nurse you are. They were offering a $5000 signing bonus, but I don’t know if that’s still happening. Wife of friend just got a nursing job in Cleveland- $75K as a research nurse right out of college, $10K signing bonus. She and her husband live in a nice suburb with a lower cost of living than other Cleveland burbs. The friend I wrote about in my previous post was offered a job in LA. The signing bonus was enough for moving expenses & apartment down payment. The increased salary in LA was enough to compensate for cost of living. Don’t know what you’re talking about with cost of living v. salary.
I live in NYC and its impossible for anyone unless you make over 100k or better.
Some of you guys have no clue whatsoever what goes on in other parts of the nation.