U.S. employment wages

[thetreble 19]

Usually the $$ is going to be more in the bigger cities

Unless, of course, you live in NJ

It seems to me that the tri-state area has pretty high wages, although I don't want to make comparisons between Canada and the US because I was living in Ottawa where wages are pretty decent as well. However, my cost of living pretty much quadrupled to the point where it costs 5.99/lb for grapes, on average $10,000-13,000 a year in property taxes, and over $1000 to rent a studio or small one bedroom apartment. I'm also taxed on my paycheque just as much as I was in Canada, but yet my husband currently pays $320/month for health benefits that aren't even that great.

In my previous job we had 5 standard holidays a year and 5 sick days. That was it. Now that I'm a state worker, there are obviously a lot more perks so I will not complain.

However, people in the NYC metro area, as far as I have seen and experienced myself, work like complete dogs. My husband puts in 60+ hours a week, and myself about 50. After all that work, we still can't afford to buy a house in even the most dangerous areas of New Jersey so we are looking to move to PA, but keep our NJ jobs because wages we have seen in PA are substantially lower than what we are making now. (for me, 10 grand lower!) I currently work in a GREAT town, however, I can't find a house for under $500,000.

Needless to say, all our friends here in New Jersey are almost 30 still living with their parents (us included!)

[sly_wolf 199]

Yes, kids living with their parents longer has in general become much more common these days.

I also remember many years ago that the predictions for the future were that we would be working less hours because of better technology etc .... NOT!

Making ends meet has become much more of a challenge even though we have many more 2 career households.

Sly

[Texanadian 10]

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearchClass10.cfm

Plug in some min and max prices for the house you're looking for. Pretty shocking to somebody like myself who is used to Vancouver (aka California) house prices.

Hard to say how wages are in Houston. The city runs the gummet from min wage to engineered oil workers. Lots of Fortune 500 companies here. There are over 40 universities and colleges in the city. But for middle income average person, it's roughly the same.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Texanadian

[sly_wolf 199]

Very nice homes with good prices.

Sly

[raphael7546 0]

Wages here suck !! The minimum wage is something like $ 5.85 hr.

My friends would die if I told them I was looking for work here and the most they are willing to pay is 9.00 pr hr for something I was doing for 15.87 hr.

[Cdn_Ali 11]

Wow - amazing prices in Houston. I'm also used to Vancouver/Whistler real estate prices...(ie) totally out of my budget. I guess a lower wage is OK if the cost of living is less. Not much we can really do about it at the end of the day.

[lincoln81 0]

I am used to Vancouver prices too which are also WAY out of my budget. In Missouri housing prices are really cheap so I'm excited about that. What I pay for an aparment here will get Zach an I an apartment twice as big and twice as nice in MO. I'm sure I'll be making less than here (hopefully not), but I bet MO has a low cost of living compared to most of the US.

Must be frustrating to take a big pay cut though for those of you who have.

[Reba 2]

yeah, the other day at work I was bored and saw an ad on MSNBC for a 7 day trip to London and Edinburgh for only $1179 per person, air and hotel included. I almost cried, because there was a time when I would have been able to say "holy #######, let's go!" and I could have paid for it right then.

Now I can't even consider it without saving my pennies for about 2 years and sacrificing movie nights out.

[thetreble 19]

yeah, the other day at work I was bored and saw an ad on MSNBC for a 7 day trip to London and Edinburgh for only $1179 per person, air and hotel included. I almost cried, because there was a time when I would have been able to say "holy #######, let's go!" and I could have paid for it right then.

Now I can't even consider it without saving my pennies for about 2 years and sacrificing movie nights out.

It's funny you say that. I know I'm saving for a house and all, but we can't afford to do anything out of the ordinary. My husband and I couldn't really go on a honeymoon since at the time I couldn't leave the US without AP and we didn't have the money for it any way. We can't get enough time off of work to go anywhere, and when we do, after we pay our car payment, car insurance, etc. we can't afford it any way. haha

I also wanted to point out that stuff like car insurance is really expensive in places like California, New York and new jersey. All in all, I live in a bad state for almost every cost in my life. haha

[EandL 0]

I was shocked when I started researching the wages for teachers here in Washington. The pay is substantially lower than what teachers get paid in B.C. Also, the working conditions are much better for teachers in B.C. I am thankful to be able to commute across the border so I could keep my job. I am making more money working part time in B.C. than I would make working full time in Washington! I do like the lower housing costs and prices here, though. I feel for all of you who had to leave your good paying jobs behind.

[SpiritAlight 1]

Wow!

What an eye opener.

I have been wondering that after all is said and done it is cheaper to live in say, Montreal/Toronto/Vancouver than any big city in the U.S.

Taxes may be lower in the States, but there are more of them....some "hidden", some blatant.

Healthcare and other biggies too; I believe people are more comfortable in Canada....when it comes out in the wash.

Now reading what I thought would be the opposite - that the value of a work position is less in the U.S. - is mind-boggling.

I will be researching this some more.

There are many sites with salaries posted for various types of jobs (in various cities) and for services (i.e. graphic design and other trades).

The U.S.A....land of opportunity?

I do see how being an entrepreneur can work better here in the U.S.

It has always been...

Any whacky idea can get money thrown at it and become HUGE!

Yup.

Time to dream big and raise my rates for whatever I decide to engage in.

Ha!

[Flames9_RN 358]

People say that canada's taxes are high because of medicall coverage, But what about USA's military spending? I guess I could look up the #'s, but i'm out the door for a run!!

[badspellor 0]

Don't forget that within the last few years the US dollar has gone from being worth over $1.60 Canadian to being practically on par. A lot of our assumptions on pay being better in the states after taxes are based on old thinking when their currency was worth more. The story is a lot different now. Think about this, forgetting about raises and taxes for the moment. If you had a job in the states making $50k/year back in 2003 and deposited your money in Canadian funds, you would have been depositing $75k/year CAD into your account. Now, it's the same - 50k US is 50k CAD (approximately). It's like you just got what turned into a $25k/year cut in pay after 5 years.

[raymaga 25]

I have only ever worked part-time since moving to the U.S. from Canada, but the one thing that I find horrifying is the difference in vacation time.

In Canada, it's common to get 2 weeks vacation when you first start a job, but after a few years (3 to 5) you are bumped to 3 weeks, and by 10 years, you're usually getting 4 weeks vacation.

Here, I'm amazed at how many people have been in very long term jobs (10 to 20 years) and still only get 2 weeks vacation.

[SpiritAlight 1]

Yup.

In many European countries, workers get 6 weeks standard.

Life is good for people who realize that work is over-rated.