Cost Of Living And Your Rad Tech Job Search

What is cost of living? It is the average price you pay in an area for the basic essentials: shelter, clothing, food, gas, etc. Intuitively, everyone understands cost of living: it's more expensive to live in New York than New Mexico, Chicago than Cheyenne. What people often forget to do is factor in cost of living when doing a job search. Recognizing how much cost of living will affect you is key to maximizing your income. The cost of living is especially nice since it includes everything that is a drain on your income, like the cost of food or real estate. In economic times such as these, it pays to know how much you are spending and where your dollars are going. 

Even though x-ray technicians are well paid, the same x-ray technician salary is worth twice as much in an area where the cost of living is half. That means you can buy twice as many cups of Starbucks coffee, or a house that's twice as larger, or a car that's twice as good. Imagine that! Now, of course, you would have less say over where you lived, but there are many quality cities, like Houston, Texas or Charlotte, North Carolina, with low cost of living but still have many opportunities and things to do. These cities also have vibrant healthcare sectors, which means there are plenty of job opportunities for radiographic technologists. 

Want to find out more? Check out this Cost of Living Calculator on CNN/Money. You'll be shocked at how much you can save in a low cost city!