What are good work wages to you, or acceptable in your area?
By socorban
@socorban (650)
United States
April 12, 2007 9:39pm CST
Im just curious what people think is a decent work wage for simply living in their area?
This curious question arose when i was talking to a pastor friend of mine in the phillipenes, who i bought a lap top for his church power point presentations. Things got curious when he asked me how i could afford a 600$ laptop. We got into wage discussions and appearently, he is a teacher over there in school aside from preaching and he makes between 2 and 300 U.S.D. a month!
I dont think i could tolerate making that much in a week much less surviving an entire moth off that, heck i couldnt even pay my utilities in my house with that. I realize major geographic factors play here, and the cost of living is much less there, yet things like laptops are the same there as here.
I personally live on the east cost in USA. I dont think i could live off of less than 1200$ a month and thats just survival, no new shoes or goodies monthly, gladly ive learned ways to make a good amount more than that outside of a 9 to 5 job so i can have my own house and other items.
Some people in my state of PA who live near the Jesrey or NY border will actually get jobs in Jersey or NY cuase the pay scale is higher, but so is the cost of living so they live in PA living costs but luckily get Jersey or NY wages. Lucky jerks, im smack dab in the middle so that out of the question.
What would be livable in your area, in the states and outside of them? Maybe not what you make unless your comfortable sharing it, but what would you need just to get by??
3 people like this
4 responses
@dramaqn (1990)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Hey, you have really started a good discussion here. I live in your neighboring state of OHIO, so I feel you on everything you are saying. The question you put out there is so interesting because there is a great difference in the pay depending on the cost of living. I'm sure Ohio is about the same as PA. I use to live in Akron and could be comfortable with making $8-$9 bucks an hour. However, I moved to a suburb so that my kids could have a better living enviorment. That being said, making that $8-$9 an hour is now pushing the envelope on being comfortable. In Akron I could rent a nice 4 bedroom house for about $600-$750 a month, but out here in wadsworth I'd be lucky to find a 3 bedroom apt for that much. The houses out here rent for about $900-$1500 a month, and that's if you can find one that will let you have a pet and or smoke. I could purchase a nice home in Akron for $85,000 but here for that price I will get something that "will do" for the time being. So, like you said, living off of $1200 a month is just that "surviving". And with me having a growing, begging teenager I can barely do that now. Which is why I've been trying to venture off into something online. I truly need the extra income.
3 people like this
@socorban (650)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Yea our states are pretty close, whats odd is renting for you is obsurd there, thats alot for apartments, however even crappy houses here average 100k to start with.
I couldnt imagine tryin to survive with kids at 1200 a month, that would be next to impossible. Whats worse is inflation rising at roughly 2.5% each year we are getting the choke hold tightend on us all over the US.
How is even a single home owner gonna be able to even survive off of 1200 a month in a few years much less a single mom or dad. Things are gettin iffy. The middle clas is vansishing and its becoming rich or poor it seems.
2 people like this
@dramaqn (1990)
• United States
14 Apr 07
Yes, our economy is getting all wacked out. It's sad isn't it? What will "We the People" do to overcome so much hardship and distress in our society? The U.S. is becoming so controversial when it comes to how we survive it's getting scary.
1 person likes this
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
13 Apr 07
Hey, we may be neighbors!!! Middle of PA huh?
I lived in SoCal for a number of years. The job I have now pays $11.00 but I get to work from home 3 days a week. I can have as much overtime as I want so that isn't a big deal. The same job in SoCal would pay about $17.00 an hour but there wouldn't be as much overtime available.
In PA nurses can make about $16.00 - $20.00 an hour, in SoCal, up to $30.00 an hour. Sure the cost of living is higher there but there is no snow to shovel and none of this dreadful freezing rain!!!
2 people like this
@socorban (650)
• United States
13 Apr 07
What area do you live in? For example, I will use Mcdonalds as a referance, i think its liek 6 sumthin here in PA, though ive never worked there i was told that what is is roughly, now in New Jersey at a Mcdonalds, it 8.25 to start, Hmmmm A micky D's worker in New jersey can get as much as some specialty employess of companies here in PA. Thats odd.
Im just glad im at a job that pays a nice chunk over that amount.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
22 Oct 07
I absolutely agree with you, $1,200 just covers bills and now barely covers food (your topic is 7 months old, so the cost of food and gas have gone up again). Take care
