Cost of living questionsThis is basically a two part question regarding the cost of living in two areas. First, I had an interview with a company located in southern Arizona (south of Tucson). It went well and they told me if they were interested in taking it to the next step they would send me paperwork to fill out to check my background etc. I got that the next week and sent it back. Never heard anything after that. I called them and the HR rep stated they were thinking of going with a more senior person but they might have something for me...she needed to get back to me the next week. She called me this week and said they decided not to go with the more senior person and wanted to know if I was still interested in the position. I called her back and left a voice message (e-mailed as well) stating my interested...haven't heard anything from her but I am assuming I will be made an offer soon. I've looked at the different salary websites and although I know they aren't completely accurate, I'm thinking upper 40s to low 50s would be about right for the position. For this area (southern AZ), would this be a decent salary? I know where I live it would be, but I'm uncertain about the cost of living there. I also have an interview for a job in Denver. The job is entry level with a range in the upper 40s to low 50s. I realize there is no way I could afford living in the downtown area. They would pay for the expenses of taking the train in though. Im not sure how far the train goes out, but at that salary range, would I be "scraping by" in the outlying areas? You need to do some research on the differences in the cost of living between where you live now and living in Tucson and the cost of living in Denver and it's environs. Call the local Chamber of Commerce in both places and ask for cost of living data. They should be happy to send you pertinent information on tax rates, cost of utilities, housing costs, and lots more. You also need to do some research on what it currently costs to live where you are. One simple way to do that is to figure out what your average monthly expenses are. Whip out the old check book and see what it costs you to live over the last several months, come up with a monthly average and take that average times 12 to come up with the minimum annual income you require to make ends meet, pay the bills, and maintain your present standard of living. Add about $10K to that "can't go below" amount" to come up with a salary range in which you need to be. Adjust that range based on the percentage difference in the cost of living between where you are an Tucson and where you are and Denver. By doing that you should have a decent idea of the salary range you need to be in for both locations to get along financially. You may never have to disclose those ranges, but YOU need to know what they are in order to make more informed decisions about any salary offers that come your way. Make sense? Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert
South of Tuscon is Sonora Mexico. $50K US is great money in Nogales.
It's not that far south. It's maybe 30 to 40 mins south....there are developments down that way. | |
|
Career Tips
|