Comparing US and German salaries, I found US averages 30% higher. However, considering living costs, healthcare, and education, the standard seems similar despite salary differences. Perplexed by a registered nurse’s income, typically 33k€, being 85-130k$ in the US, I question if this is normal? Are nurses that wealthy? In Germany, such earnings are seen in mid-level management/senior director or exceptional freelancers. Seeking clarity on this wage gap.
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NY as in the state, or the city? $85k salary in the City of New York is average, it’s incredibly expensive to live there. CoL in the state is higher than average too.
A lot of it depends on the level of experience too.
85-130k USD is considered a comfortable salary but not even close to rich in NY
Nursing, and Healthcare in general for the most part, pays much better here than most of Europe.
That said, NYC is particularly expensive and they feel that as much as anyone, that’s not rich there, though it can be comfortable. Moreso in other parts of the state.
There are likely many tradeoffs and lifestyle differences that make a difference.
Have a look and maybe you will have a better sense of things https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Germany&city1=Frankfurt&country2=United+States&city2=New+York%2C+NY
I don’t live in NYC, but I am engaged to a nurse who makes 90K. It’s standard at her hospital but we live out in the suburbs so it’s cheaper.
I can’t speak to nurses specifically, but salaries between the US and Europe are often very divergent.
I’ve had employees doing the same job in both places and the US employees were often making double or triple what those in the UK/EU were, even when the Europeans were more senior.
However, when I would talk with my employees in Europe, they considered the salaries fine and were living comfortably. Our management there said the salaries were normal/competitive for the industry.
I am not sure why there is such a disparity.
From what I’ve heard from nurse friends, the highest salary is actually in the SF Bay Area. It is not uncommon for nurses to make over $200k here.
Considering Manhattan and the boroughs is usually more expensive than Any of the major cities here! I would say no
Keep in mind it’s salary pre-tax. If you’re living in NYC, you’ll will be taxed by the city, by the state, and by the federal government. A $100,000 salary leaves you with only $68,843 after taxes. In the US, you also have to pay for health insurance, co-payments, and deductibles. In NY, the average cost of health insurance is about $9,000 per year. Also in the US, pensions are no longer common, so you will want to contribute a few hundred bucks per month to a private retirement account. That leaves you around $55,000, or about $4,600 in spending money per month.
Cost of living is extraordinarily high in NYC. Median apartment rent is $3,000 per month. You can find really crummy ones for cheaper. The farther you go from the city, the lower rents get, but it also means your commute is longer. Average grocery bill in NYC is $486 a month. With additional necessities like transportation and utilities, let’s say that adds up to $600 a month in basic necessities. You’re left with $1,000 a month to save or spend on yourself.
Is $1,000 a month a lot of money? Ultimately, it’s subjective. Your expenses and taxes will generally be lower the farther you get from NYC, but frankly all of the northeast is expensive relative to places New Yorkers are moving to (Texas, Florida, etc.). Salaries are lower in those places, but given that nurses are in high demand, I’m confident you can find a high paying nursing job in a place with a lower cost of living.
But the question then becomes, would you be happy living in a place with a lower cost of living, like Covington, Ohio, making more money but where you’re farther away from your friends, family, and culture? Again, it’s subjective. I personally know someone who lives in NYC who barely makes ends meet but is very happy due to all the cultural venues there. Many people also start out working in NYC, meet their future spouse, marry, and ultimately move to a lower cost of living city. But if you’re strictly going after the money, and if you don’t mind living in less “developed” places, you might want to explore other parts of the country.
Final note: from one European to another, if you are young, I definitely think it’s worth working and living in the US for a while. It is a playground for young ambitious people with an education and marketable skills. The possibilities are endless, in my opinion. If you burn out due to the work culture, you can always return to Germany with your savings and settle down there. I know Europeans who do this. Make your money in America. Settle down in Europe.
Registered nurses are highly skilled and highly in demand. I can’t imagine they’re working for anywhere near as little as 35k anywhere in the US unless they’re part-time or something. That would be poverty. Twice that much wouldn’t make them rich even in cheaper places than NYC.
That salary doesn’t make you anywhere close to rich in NYC.
A registered nurse in my state makes a little bit more than twice the median income (about 215 %) for the state. While that’s pretty good, I would not say it’s rich.
Keep in mind that because US health care is very expensive for consumers, it is more profitable for suppliers. Healthcare workers in the US, especially more highly credentialed ones, are paid more highly than their European counterparts, because the government does not regulate prices.
85k in NYC is working class
The other option would be to just not live in New York. Nurses are in demand everywhere. Being in demand = high salaries.
I don’t think any nurse is rich. My boyfriend is an ER nurse and he’s not poor but he definitely has to budget. New York prices are also hugely inflated. 100k is an amazing salary where I’m from but I’ve had folks who live in NY and make more than that act like they’re poor and living in a shoebox.
It depends enormously on their exact level of qualifications and specific job.
I know RNs (2-year degree) in a rural area making half that, I know a BSN (4-year degree) who is an operating room nurse for an organ transplant unit who makes well over $200k a year in Philadelphia (way cheaper to live than NYC).
That said the second one has a lot of restrictions on her job – she has to schedule vacations like a year in advance. Plenty of money and time to do them, it just has to be planned far in advance (no randomly taking off for the weekend with a day’s notice whenever she feels like it, which I can do as a software engineer and would find irritating if I were in a position that didn’t let me! But it’s because they have very specific requirements for staffing).
In NYC? That’s a good wage, but it’snot enough to buy property.
Upstate, in cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse? Yes, much more likely to afford an apartment by yourself or own a home.
I’m guessing the statistic you saw for salary is for NY State. $85K is a great salary for someone in Troy or Rochester, not so great if you’re in Brooklyn.
Still, now you see why health care providers want to come to the US.
I live in a fairly low cost of living area (Cleveland, Oh – it’s not as cheap to live in desirable parts of Cleveland as it is to live in many rural areas, but it’s definitely cheap among urban/suburban areas) and I know RNs who make in the $100,000-$125,000 range, more if they work a lot of overtime. Nursing is a well paid profession in the US.