Question for people who have moved from High Cost of Living Areas to Low Cost Places
 

Hi everyone,

I am seriously considering moving from San Diego to South Carolina because all my extended family lives there and my immediate family is moving there at the end of the month.

I want to be near my family and it's just a bonus that all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents live there too.

I've looked at places for rent and they are so cheap compared to what I pay now, but I'm wondering if it's possible to get comparable pay at a job in the new place or not?

It's a bit of a struggle for me here, I only make $14/hr at my job, but I work for a healthcare company and have free medical/dental insurance. But with my take home pay I'm pretty much paying rent, my utilities, and what I need to survive (food).

Would it be difficult for me to move there and ask for the same rate of pay at a similar job since the cost of living is so much lower?

Thanks for the input.

Buck

Check out indeed.com in that area and see how much your job pays there.

My sis moved from AZ to North Carolina and started in health care services at $12/hr if I recall correctly. If you're experienced and they need you, they'll probably start you higher than the normal 9 or so. Have you did a job search to see the rates they are offering?

How the **** do you survive in California on $14 an hour?

Depending on your skillset, I can't imagine you'd have too much trouble finding a $30k a year job.

I would look at job sites and see what the listings are showing for salary ranges.

What part of South Carolina?

And the answer is probably that corresponding pay ranges will be lower, but that's not always the case. It may depend on your field of work.

Well the free medical really helps...thats like $100 a month saved right there.

But yeah, I have a roommate now. I'm looking at places there. They cost the same price I pay here (half the rent) for 2 bedrooms there.

I will look into that job website I guess.

Myrtle Beach / Conway

I would expect the pay is going to correspond pretty much with the local living expenses. Being that you have no skill set and tend to make bad life choices anyway I would expect to continue to live paycheck to paycheck and purchase a few lottery tickets every week. Maybe you'll get lucky and you will some day own your own ghey bar. :D

$14 per hour. Are you not eating? How the hell do you live in SD on that wage?

I'm struggling, but it's doable.

If you were able to live there on that, you'll have no problem in a lower cost of living area and probably could even get a small place of your own for the rent you pay now. If you have experience and a salary of that now, you'd ask for at least that even when moving to a new place. They can always say no. But at that rate per hour, it'd be very likely they'd offer that to you instead of hassling over a few dollars per hour if you can nail an interview and show your skill set.

This is not meant to sound dickish, but do you have some sort of life plan to get you where you aren't living paycheck to paycheck? It seems from the outside looking in that you're stuck in a field destined to keep you at the lower end of the wage scale.

Yes, I actually have a very desirable job and I've been moving my way up through the company at a pretty good pace. There's no question in my mind within a year, if I stay, I will have been promoted and be making at least $3 more per hour. Not that that is amazing or anything, but it would be a nice cushion.

But on the other hand if I could keep my same wage, and lower the cost of living, I wouldn't be so financially stressed all the time. And I could be near my family.

Obama