My wife and I are moving for sure the only question is when. I am a student, but I have enough certifications, and experience to get a job when we move. The only question is whether we can afford to live when we get there. I currently make about 40k, and my wife works part time at a bar. I am curious, since the cost of living is higher is pay for jobs higher than other places with a lower cost of living? Are there any movers who have came from other states who can share their experience? We are from Ohio.
When I moved from CT to NH in the late 90s there was a tool online that compared salaries.
I just searched and found a comparable tool
http://www.bestplaces.net/col/You put in the city you live in now and the city you are looking to move to then punch in a salary and it tells you the comparable amount you'd need to make in the new city.
For instance I picked Wallingford, CT and Manchester, NH and left the default of $50,000 for the CT salary. It came back saying you can live equally on $44,208 a year in Manchester.
Comparing Cleveland, OH to Manchester, NH with the same $50,000 starting salary came back with $68,236 as the salary you'd need to make in NH. They also point out the biggest factor when they compare. In the case of OH and NH, the factor is housing. NH houses are going for 255% more then houses in OH.