How much is 20-25$ dollars per hour considered to be in the USA?

[-]

whoamIdoIevenknow@reddit

Depends on where you live and your education level.

[-]

jvc1011@reddit

100% depends on where you live. $20/hr is fast food minimum wage here in Los Angeles.

[-]

jvc1011@reddit

But if you live in Iowa, that’s a lot of money.

Different rules for different costs of living.

[-]

SailTheWorldWithMe@reddit

Hell, depends where in Iowa. Ottumnwa or Keokuk, sure. Iowa City or Des Moines? Forgot about it.

[-]

I’m sure. That said, the COL in Iowa City is lower than it is here at any rate.

Abject-Recipe1359@reddit

Wow. Midwestern mind blown.

Traditional_Trust418@reddit

I just started a job that pays $20 an hour and it's the highest paying job I've ever had. Most customer as service jobs pay significantly less than that in Idaho/Wyoming/Montana/Utah where I've had those types of jobs.

[-]

sighs deeply in alabamian

[-]

awakenDeepBlue@reddit

I wish minimum wage would automatically increase with inflation.

[-]

GR1F3@reddit

20 an hour in a lot of areas in California is not even enough to live off of renting a single bedroom out of someone's house and still cover groceries and all that. The economy here is terribly imbalanced. Where I live, I make about 80-87k a year (depends on OT) and I would struggle to afford a studio apartment by myself. If I wanted to live in or within 20 mins of the city where I actually work (I live a little over an hour away from my work) I would have to make over 100k to be able to comfortably afford a studio apartment in an area that isn't a slum 😂

Tomj_Oad@reddit

Minimum wage in Texas is 7.25 iirc. Many places 20 dollars an hour is a living wage. But some places, like Midland/Odessa are boomtowns and things will be much higher.

Yep, NYC or California, it's barely above the poverty line.

In rural areas, you'll live like a king.

[-]

Consistent-Shame-171@reddit

In most of California it is far below the poverty line. Even for a single person with no kids.

[-]

Reduak@reddit

That was my point. There may be rural places in California, but California isn't a rural state. It's tax policy, property taxes and gasoline costs are driven by its urban areas. That drives the costs that businesses which drives up prices.

[-]

pawsplay36@reddit

No, you won't. You won't go into "utility debt" during the winter months, that is all.

[-]

Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit

The "where you live" is crucial. Take my little backwater state of Arkansas. Many places in the state $20 an hour is a fortune. Where I live, and anywhere you would actually want to live, you can't live on it

[-]

Global_Mud_7473@reddit

Literally nowhere in Arkansas is $20 “a fortune”, I think you have a poor understanding of people in rural areas.

[-]

Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit

I AM rural. I've always been rural.

[-]

FearDaTusk@reddit

NWA here, my buds kid's first job at Panda Express started at $18/hr.

More money in an area makes it more expensive to live and more expensive to hire employees in general.

It’s one of those natural rules of economics that has few exceptions.

[-]

sparkpaw@reddit

The few exceptions being the glorious advent of remote work that, while many companies are withdrawing from, has already done its damage on many small rural communities with people building their massive mountainside mansions while working a lucrative tech job and not supporting the small, rural community they are now a part of.

If you can’t tell, I’m not a fan of that. Places that used to be “a shit commute and too far from anywhere” in northern Georgia are now “close enough for the two days I need to go in office” for many people that the rent and sale prices have practically evened out, no thanks to the AI price fixing shit companies are doing.

Totally legal, all of that.

I’ve no idea how the people who’ve lived in those communities for decades are surviving.

[-]

Suppafly@reddit

has already done its damage on many small rural communities with people building their massive mountainside mansions while working a lucrative tech job and not supporting the small, rural community they are now a part of.

Other than making poor folk sad, what damage does this do? If anything it brings in disproportionately higher tax revenue. How does a rich tech worker support their community less than a poor fast food worker?

[-]

sparkpaw@reddit

A rich tech worker is NOT usually supporting their local community in the ways that matter is my point. They don’t often shop local, they frequently shop online and get deliveries or go into the city to their expensive stores- assuming they aren’t furnishing things from outside the country in the first place.

They don’t support local businesses, the tax you refer to is not so incredibly great that it helps the individuals in the county more than it does just help the county overall with a small bump. They also are not bringing more jobs, and as mentioned, they are raising the rates of rent and sales prices in the area by basically the concept of gentrification. One rich person has a mansion, now someone else wants to live there too, suddenly all of the mountains have a ton of mansions and the people who lived there for thirty years can’t afford it now.

Just look at the changes in the past decade in the San Antonio/Austin “Hill Country” area if you need any data.

[-]

Suppafly@reddit

the tax you refer to is not so incredibly great that it helps the individuals in the county more than it does just help the county overall with a small bump.

How is the county having more money, not helping people? How do you think roads and schools and libraries get paid for?

They also are not bringing more jobs

How is it the worker's responsibility to bring jobs to a community?

they are raising the rates of rent and sales prices in the area by basically the concept of gentrification

How? If they are buying up mansions, they aren't effecting the local rental and sales prices for normal people?

suddenly all of the mountains have a ton of mansions and the people who lived there for thirty years can’t afford it now.

You mean the people that lived there before sold their land and moved and now no one else can live there? That's zero sum, they couldn't live there before either.

Your comments aren't a meaningful critique of gentrification, it's just a bunch of salt about some people are poorer than others.

[-]

rethinkingat59@reddit

As a sales person based out of Atlanta due to the airport with no company office in the state I lived in and worked remotely in distant suburbs outside the metro area for 3 decades. It was with 4 different companies but I was intentionally looking for jobs with no office in Atlanta.

My last place was a 50 acre farm 40 miles from the city limits.

I had to travel about 30 weeks a year but did a lot of two night trips to the Texas area and the east coast so I had a lot of time on the farm.

Great work if you can find it.

[-]

DidjaSeeItKid@reddit

That's how the economy works. "They" didn't "work out" anything.

[-]

MidtownFrown@reddit

You don't think "they" don't know they don't have to pay high wages in certain areas?

[-]

DontTouchTheWalrus@reddit

If you’re in college or plan to go I recommend you take an economics class. You’ll learn how markets actually work.

Of course more affordable places pay less. If they paid more they’d become less affordable.

[-]

DidjaSeeItKid@reddit

As Don Draper said "there is no 'they.'"

[-]

sleepytipi@reddit

The trick is to stop looking at all the glamorous places to live and to start looking at big cities in cheap states, that have plenty of affordable backwoods in the surrounding area. That way you can get affordable rent/ mortgages, peace and quiet, angle towards a city job for better pay, and still be within a reasonable distance for a night out to enjoy what cities have to offer without being stuck in one.

[-]

Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit

Yeah. We live way out from Fayetteville. Almost in OK. We bought during the bust in 2007. We have 7 acres with the crappy house, and another 43 down the road. We drive everywhere.

[-]

sleepytipi@reddit

Yeah, the drive is definitely the downside. Even if we didn't have to drive so far, like a hub for PT into the city or rail to go elsewhere would be life-changing.

and anywhere you would actually want to live

Alabama has no minimum wage, so the federal minimum wage applies here. It's $7.25 an hour and hasn't changed in over a decade

[-]

chelclc16@reddit

$7.25 in Oklahoma, too

[-]

AcrobaticAd4464@reddit

It’s still $7.25 in SC too. And it’s been $7.25 since 2007 because I was working for $6.85 at the time and it drug my hourly pay. It wasn’t enough to live alone then either.

[-]

sparklyjoy@reddit

Same in Texas, except I think Austin has a local minimum wage, maybe some other places do as well

[-]

11.50 here.

[-]

Only-Candy1092@reddit

Yup. $20 in rural america is pretty solid, but often requires higher education/experience requirements.

In more urban areas, that $20-25 is easier to get, but doesnt stress nearly as far.

[-]

whoamIdoIevenknow@reddit

In a rural area, I'd think you'd really need a car. If you live in a city with decent public transportation you save all that money on a payment, insurance, gas and maintenance. A monthly CTA pass in Chicago is $75.

[-]

Only-Candy1092@reddit

Thats also part of it.

[-]

sparklyjoy@reddit

It really REALLY depends on local cost of living.

[-]

Suppafly@reddit

Damn I should retire in ohio

But then you'd have to live in Ohio..

[-]

Brief-First@reddit

I'm in Ohio (Columbus) as well. I make $26 and live comfortably as well. I have a 3 bedroom townhouse ( rent is 1k a month) a new to me low mileage car (2021Rav 4 with 40k miles), pets and a little bit of savings.

[-]

iwantawaffle99@reddit

Your rent makes me want to move to Ohio immediately (I'll just stay here and cry instead). I haven't seen rent 1k or less since I lived in Louisiana 10 years and 4 states ago... and that was only a 1 bedroom.

[-]

Lower_Neck_1432@reddit

It's even cheaper outside Columbus. If you want to commute, and say, live in Delaware.

[-]

Dermengenan@reddit

I was going to comment, $20/ hr is what most people I know make. We all live okay, not super well off though.

Iannelli@reddit

Ahh there it is. I can understand the bad blood but Northeast Ohio is a hidden gem in every sense of the word. Same with Southeast Ohio.

[-]

I would probably be struggling a bit

Where are you paying 2k a month in rent?

Most people don't even make that. How do people survive than?

[-]

FezzesnPonds@reddit

When average rent for a 1 bedroom is over $3k/mo, yeah, $52k/yr before taxes is rough.

[-]

Open-Neighborhood459@reddit

Where are you renting a 1 bedroom for 3k?

[-]

guess214356789@reddit

Absolutely. Some places in Illinois are the same.

Yea but that’s was a program. OP sounds like they are just going to hop on a plane, show up and walk in the door and ask for a job. That’s not how that shit works.

[-]

sparklyjoy@reddit

Because OP was asking about a specific salary, I assumed there was a job already being offered

[-]

ITrCool@reddit

Gotcha. Yeah it would all variably depend on where you will be working, cost of living in that area, and the visa requirements. Some states/cities are much lower than others.

Case in point for me:

I lived in Kansas City for six years. What I paid in rent for a 1-bedroom apartment there I can pay to rent a nice 3-bedroom home where I am at now (a smaller city in another state). My salary stretches much better here.

So you’ll probably want to check average cost of living figures and statistics for the area you may end up working in and figure that into the salary you mentioned.

[-]

DosZappos@reddit

I think it’s safe to assume they would have a job lined up before coming, which is very common

[-]

Intelligent_Dress889@reddit (OP)

I think it’s safe to assume they would have a job lined up before coming

Yes, you're right, i wrote that range of wage per hour bc that's what some friends of mine have told me they earnt whent they worked there or what they promised to them (bc they are going to go in the future)

[-]

alcarcalimo1950@reddit

Just be very careful if you get a J-1 visa that you ask around about any potential employer and figure out how they treat their J-1 workers. A lot of J-1 workers are taken advantage of. The employer promises housing, a nice wage, and then they get here and “housing” means you have 5 people living in a one bedroom house or apartment, and the wage is significantly less than you anticipated.

This may be fine. You may just be excited to have the opportunity to work in the US. But technically, some of the things that happen to J-1 workers are illegal, but since the visa is so short and you don’t really know your rights, you just get stuck in a bad situation for a couple months.

Incorrect. Mar a Lago hires more J1 visa workers than almost any other business.

[-]

SnooChipmunks2079@reddit

The president likes Eastern Europeans. Even married a couple. I doubt there's much change.

[-]

2bad-2care@reddit

That’s probably changed during the current administration, though.

Believe it or not- straight to jail.

[-]

sundial11sxm@reddit

But amusement parks, etc so take summer workers from Europe, so it can be possible.

[-]

Khajiit4lyfe@reddit

Yeah like I said, maybe they do have a special permit for working. But you cannot just take a trip over here and get a job. You either need a social security number or a work permit to work here legally.

[-]

26point2miles@reddit

You can't work here without authorization. You won't have it unless you have a green card or citizenship, or a specific immigrant visa that allows work.

It doesn't sound like you do, so making any money will be illegal. And you won't be paying any taxes either.

May I ask where you're from? That will impact his easily you will get a work visa unfortunately. I'm not sure how much you've been following recent/current events in the US but it's a very hard time for immigrants trying to get work visas, or any visa for that matter.

If you can get a work visa, awesome. $25 won't go far in many places though but it's doable if you're in the right area and you find a roommate.

[-]

Intelligent_Dress889@reddit (OP)

that's one of the problems, i'm from Colombia, and we are well known for not having an easy or fast visa process, that's why this are plans for like 1 or 2 years, i'm still in the discerning process

[-]

AdjectiveMcNoun@reddit

2 major questions. What industry do you work in? Where in the US do you want to go, or does it matter?

I do understand that you want to do everything legally. That is becoming more difficult here unfortunately.

It took several years and tens of thousands of dollars to get my husband's visa and greencard stuff done. He was here initially on a Fulbright scholarship, then an H1B visa, then eventually got his green card. Many people thought marrying a US citizen would just grant him a greencard or citizenship but it doesn't. He is from Egypt, an Islamic country so that held its own set of challenges.

[-]

Intelligent_Dress889@reddit (OP)

My friends' jobs (from what they've told me) are working in warehouses and packing. They haven't told me in which part of the USA is their work located bc we have talked about this very very recently, one of my friends' mom is living there and has a greencard, I think it could make everything much easier.

[-]

AdjectiveMcNoun@reddit

If you have people you can stay with or be roommates with, that will be much easier. If they are somewhere with a high cost of living you won't be able to live without help.

For example in LA the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is $2,100–$2,700 per month.

In NYC, the average rent is $3195 per month, with prices, especially in Manhattan, often exceeding $4,000–$5,000 for one-bedroom apartments. Of course there are cheaper areas, but these are just showing you examples.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma the average rent is only about $1000 per month.

[-]

AdjectiveMcNoun@reddit

If you have people you can stay with or be roommates with, that will be much easier. If they are somewhere with a high cost of living you won't be able to live without help.

For example in LA the average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is $2,100–$2,700 per month.

In NYC, the average rent is $3195 per month, with prices, especially in Manhattan, often exceeding $4,000–$5,000 for one-bedroom apartments. Of course there are cheaper areas, but these are just showing you examples.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma the average rent is only about $1000 per month.

You would likely need a car in many places , like OK.here isn't really a good public transit system to speak of

You have to remember its expensive to live here in the U.S $20-25/hr would just barely take care of your own living expenses.

For you to break even you would need to live super frugal like live with many roommates, meal prep like heck, & carpool, public transport for work because housing, food & transportation is the biggest costs in America.

[-]

DidAnyoneFeedTheDog@reddit

Find a tourist area that hires foreign summer help. There are lots of them. Most come with housing because it's seasonal. Pay will differ based on the job. Most are service industry so you could make really good money over a summer.

[-]

PrometheanEngineer@reddit

In about 80% of the country (land wise) it's great

But the middle class is still fleeing.

Because they are the ones paying for everything.

[-]

RsonW@reddit

Ehh…

We have one of the most aggressively progressive income tax rates in the country and tons of working millionaires and billionaires.

As a middle-class earner in California, I'm telling you that my annual income taxes paid to the Franchise Tax Board are about a quarter of what I pay to the Internal Revenue Service.

[-]

[-]

SheepherderAware4766@reddit

In Louisiana that's just barely solo homeowner + cheap community college money.

[-]

Merman_Pops@reddit

I moved from Oklahoma to California and got a $40k pay increase but my disposable income didn’t change. It was eye opening at how much more expensive everything is.

[-]

iloveyourlittlehat@reddit

Would you go back?

[-]

Avbitten@reddit

poverty in hcol areas and barely middle class in lcol areas

[-]

schoolydee@reddit

usa is vast it depends where. usually tourist do not do rural so that may be tough to get if you do.

Yeah, it’s a fun realization when you actually made more money as a part-time college student than after you completed your undergrad degree and spent 6 years getting two advanced degrees on top of it.

“Delayed gratification” it’s called, and yet the fact that medical students and residents have 3-5x the rate of anxiety, depression, sui ideation, and sui vs age-matched peers is either totally ignored or downplayed by governing bodies and the general public 🫠

[-]

That’s not really relevant to the question

[-]

meowmix778@reddit

It is.

If you're working an entry-level office job for \~52k that's a solid rate. If you're being hired in as a senior accountant, that 52k is a bad rate.

In LaGrange Georgia (mid-sized city in a rural area) thats what Im getting paid as a Law Clerk studying for the Bar.

In Atlanta Georgia (maybe obviosuly the largest city in the State and most populated by far), my wife made the same working at a Benihana doing takeout orders.

So, as others have said, it depends on where you are. I would say for the majority of the country geographically, $20/hour is sufficient for one person to live on with comfort, E.G. greater than the living wage. Its enough to afford rent, a payment on a new car, groceries, leisure, and still save some for after. However, for a large portion of the Country by population, $20/hour is probably barely enough to live on paycheck to paycheck, and for some members of our population, it is not enough.

[-]

HarlotHistory@reddit

Depending on where you go, and whether your job supplies housing. it may not be worth it. Even then jobs that supply housing usually pay less

In Upstate NY where I live, $20/hr at 40 hours a week is around $800. After income taxes, take home pay would probably be around $650/wk, leaving you with $2600/mo. You may be taxed depending on your country of origin and your state

Where I live, for a studio apartment (an apartment that is one combined kitchen-living room-bedroom, plus a bathroom. Usually small) is going to cost around $1,100 a month. We do not have any hostels and short term rentals are usually more expensive unless you can find a shady room rental

If utilities are not included, you might end up paying $200-$300 a month for gas/electric/water. Internet is like $65/month. Phone plan at minimum $50

You’ll need transportation to and from work. The (crappy) bus system near me is $2/ride, but fares cap at $75/month so it’s free after that. The bus system is bad, so a 20 min car ride might take 2hours

Barely above minimum wage. Not enough to live on.

[-]

27Aces@reddit

https://zipsage.com/international

This actually tells you the conversion and buying power - might help find places you would fit best.

[-]

OperationStraight808@reddit

low

[-]

DataBooking@reddit

Texas, it's alright. You're not going to live the best but you'll be alright as a single person. Some place like LA or New York? You're in abstract poverty and probably living with 3 other people to make ends meet.

[-]

Potential-Drawing745@reddit

And in Mississippi, you could do pretty well.

[-]

Senior-Cantaloupe-69@reddit

I mean this with much kindness. I understand, from traveling abroad, the size of America is hard to comprehend. Heck, I am older and still can’t wrap my head around how big Texas is.

[-]

ryamanalinda@reddit

I live in a lcol state in one of the lcol areas. I live in an area that "no one" wants to live but basically live there because that is what they can afford. I was able to buy a house on 2018 before the market went back up for 35000 that needed no work. 2 bedroom and a finished attic with an unfinished basement. I have no kids and didn't have to worry about the school district. Is it the best place? No. But it is not as bad as people think it is. I make about 20 dollars per hour. My extra money goes to support 4 cats and a dog.

[-]

Agreeable-Willow2506@reddit

Hate people coming here for $20 an hour to ship it back home

[-]

Pit-Viper-13@reddit

You are going to have some difficulty with that. $20-$25 an hour is not uncommon for some jobs in lower cost of living areas, and be fast food wages in high cost of living areas.

What jobs are you looking at? What marketable skills do you have? I imagine you aren't coming all the way here just to bag groceries.

[-]

JulianILoveYou@reddit

really depends on where you live and how old you are. 25/hr is around the median salary in the US.

in your case, i think you would struggle to save more than a small fraction of it. if you're working full time, that's 2500-ish after taxes. rent and basic living expenses will consume half of that. food and transportation, another few hundred, random misc expenses, another 100. and by the end you're left with a couple hundred bucks a month if you're smart about saving money.

now it should be said, there are ways to cut that down. if you can find a good deal on a place to live, eat cheaply, and walk/transit to work. but there are too many factors for us to tell you if this is feasible. it would be hard, for sure.

[-]

DinahKarwrek@reddit

I'm at like 24 but I'm on housing assistance and nearly can pay my bills. Colorado.

[-]

Seth_Littrells_alt@reddit

Depends heavily on where you live.

I didn’t say it wasn’t low. I said “only renting a room” would depend on where and how you want to live.

Let’s say you’re bringing home $2900/month working 40ish hours per week. You rent this place, which is an independent unit, leaving you $1617, because you don’t have to post any utilities or insurance on the property.

You live off rice, beans (not canned, dried that you make yourself), tortillas, rotisserie chicken (which is usually a loss leader and cheaper than a raw whole chicken) cheese, and the cheapest fruits and vegetables you can buy. You drink water only. Your weekly groceries will cost approximately $100 (That’s what I eat and that’s what I pay, including delivery, because I’m a disabled veteran living on my VA disability). So, $1617-400=$1217.

I looked up the bus fare in Porterville, and all day passes are $3.00. They have monthly passes but I can’t find the price (I didn’t look very hard). That’s $93/month for a month containing 31 days IF You’re going somewhere every single day, and not just to work and back home. $1217-93=$1127.

You budget $75-100/week for entertainment. Maybe you’re dining out with friends and/or going to a movie. $1127-400=$727.00.

Emergency? Budget $100/week. $727-400=$327. If you DON’T have an emergency that’s awesome because you take that money home with you.

But let’s say at the end of the summer (3 months) you’ve used your entire emergency fund. You bring home $327x3=$981. You bring home nearly a grand. Depending on what country you live in, that might be a good amount of money.

After I pay my rent, I have $1347 for THE ENTIRE MONTH. I have a car payment, renters and car insurance, and utilities (including internet). I ALSO take excellent care of a 102 lbs service dog who has his own insurance. I live in Santa Clarita Valley. It’s fucking awful. It’s fucking hard. At the end of the month I’m starving and grateful I have a potato or two and plain tortillas. I live in my own apartment because my disabilities make it impossible to live with roommates. I have a car instead of a fund for emergencies.

Don’t try to argue poverty living with one of the poors. We do it. We’re not okay, but we do it.

[-]

illegal_miles@reddit

Yeah, that’s kind of the key that a lot of people ignore - how are you expecting to live?

If you are hoping to rent your own apartment, drive a car, and live comfortably that’s tough to do on $20 an hour in most of California.

But if you’re just here for a few months to work and save as much money as you can to bring home and you don’t care much about comfort and luxuries you can likely find someone renting a shared room out for a few hundred dollars a month.

Survive off sacks of beans, rice, potatoes, onions, and tortillas.

Take the bus or carpool with people already going your way.

It won’t be fun but that’s pretty much how a ton of agricultural workers live. Work your ass off, don’t buy anything you don’t absolutely need, eat very simply, and live in a house where you have basically no personal space. Hell, I’ve known guys working for dairies where you don’t even have your own bed. You “hot rack” like you would on a submarine - you work nights, he works days.

[-]

ImCompletelyAverage@reddit

Depends what part of Alabama and what sort of neighborhood you want to live in.

[-]

Open-Neighborhood459@reddit

I'm in California and that is definitely enough to live

[-]

capndiln@reddit

You are a liar spreading propaganda in this thread. Your comments and posts are hidden from the public. You have no credibility and are clearly just a MAGA shill with no ability for reflection or critical thinking.

The homeless live in California with no income. If being alive is the maximum you can achieve, you should stay quiet when grown-ups talk.

[-]

TillikumWasFramed@reddit

It's low but it's survivable. Really depends on the city. HCOL it's barely surviving.

[-]

draizetrain@reddit

That’s pretty good in SC. Obviously somebody is gonn come tell me in wrong because they make over 100k a year. But I don’t know many people at all that make more than 50k. I’ve got a bachelors and have been working since I was 16. Highest I ever made was 43 and that job laid off the entire department. I’m doing my best to find another job that pays $25 minimum and it’s tough

[-]

TheOfficialKramer@reddit

Yes that is a good wage, especially starting out.

[-]

PleaseDontBanMe82@reddit

Are you expecting to pay bills while here? If so, thats enough to live, but you won't be saving anything.

If you're bills are paid while you're here, then you'll save a lot.

[-]

sheep_duck@reddit

In California, 20 dollars is basically minimum wage in a lot of places. But you have to adjust for cost of living.

[-]

Eat--The--Rich--@reddit

Living wage is about $35 in my city. Absolute minimum you could survive on is like $25

[-]

mburucuja@reddit

Make sure you look at how much you’d be spending on housing, food, transportation, etc. It’s not super common to be able to find an affordable place to rent for 2-4m and it’s not worth furnishing an apartment for that short of a stay, so you’ll likely end up in a more expensive furnished short-term rental situation like an AirBNB which can get very expensive.

Location also matters for transportation. Only the biggest cities here have good public transportation, so you’ll need a car (or a lot of money to spend on Ubers) in many areas. Car rentals are very expensive if you’re under 25, and gas and insurance are also expensive. In some mid-sized cities you may be able to survive without a car, but will have to pick your neighborhood very carefully and may have to pay a lot more for housing to be walking distance from your job or on one of a few decent bus lines. Make sure you look at actual walking directions too, not just distance or driving directions - there aren’t always sidewalks, and it can be dangerous or illegal to walk along or cross some highways.

Food costs are also SO much higher in the US than in many countries with lower wages. You might be able to get by on $50/week in a cheap area with access to a good store and a fair amount of budgeting/planning. If you don’t have a way to get to a good store or are in a more expensive area, you’ll pay a lot more though.

You’ll also have to think about health insurance here. Hopefully you never need to use it, but a simple urgent care visit for a sprained ankle or strep throat or something could easily be $300-600+. An ER visit can be $1000-2000+. A two night hospital stay is likely going to be $15000-20000+.

You also can’t just request a work visa for the kinds of jobs that hire people for a summer with minimal education/experience. You’ll likely need to go through some sort of structured program to get the visa you need, which will have a cost to it. With the state of ICE right now, do not risk coming in on the wrong visa.

[-]

Amockdfw89@reddit

Like 99% of questions asked here the answer is

Depends, personally my boyfriend made $18 when we lived in middle Georgia. So a pretty cheap place. I definitely wouldn’t live on it but since we were living with parents for free he was able to save up a lot of money and we were able to take some vacations be bought himself a drone. However at that point he did not have a car payment if he had a car payment he would have had to pick between having a disposable income or having savings he wouldn’t have had both.

So I can say if your bills are low it’s livable. If your bills aren’t low it’s rough. I definitely wouldn’t recommend anticipating you’re gonna save money doing it if you have to pay for flights to the United States, deposit on accommodations and things like that. If it’s a job that offers food and room and board for free, then yeah you can for sure save some money. But living on it. Middle Georgia is a cheap are and if he had to pay a car payment and rent my boyfriend would’ve had do have driven a barely drivable car and have 3 roommates.

However obviously at $25 an hour the situation would’ve been a little different but still not much money. Health insurance is also a large expense he didn’t have because his parents have government jobs that give kids health insurance far into their 20s if they’re in school. So the three largest expenses we didn’t have in a cheap area and could afford some nice things but also made sacrifices. He doesn’t pay for subscriptions really, he doesn’t buy himself clothes, or watches or anything we never ate at expensive restaurants and tried to not eat out at all. I kept our grocery bills to $115 a week.

[-]

embarrassedalien@reddit

Well, the federal minimum wage is 7.25.

[-]

therin_88@reddit

Pretty good lower middle class salary in NC. Close to $50k/year. Two people making that would have no problem buying a home and raising children.

[-]

1PumpkinKiing@reddit

It's about 3-4x my monthly disability check, or around 1.5-2x the local minimum wage.

Gloomy-Parsley-3317@reddit

It's honestly nothing personal, but I hate you.

Oh it's not chump change. It's A LOT! But I live in Massachusetts.

I grew up warming water on the stove to take a bath. Worked since I was 12. I STILL cut my own hair. I buy clothes used. We don't eat out. We save money. We had to support my parents. But we've worked our whole lives (60 now) and have some comfort. We give up other things so we can have 3 hours of a housekeeper a week.

But here in Massachusetts you pay people fairly. Electric bills are 800 a month. Rents are 2500. You can't expect people to work hard and not even take care of their bills.

I am not saying it's chump change but I don't want someone coming over to the US and getting taken advantage of just because they come from a much poorer country.

[-]

New-Process-52@reddit

Yes

[-]

NoDoOversInLife@reddit

The current Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. THAT should be your expectation until you arrive and scope out the job market in the area you choose to stay.

California has one of the highest State mandated minimum wage rates, increasing to $16.90/hr (unless your in one of the specific jobs in Silicon Valley (CA), which begins at $18.45 - $20 OR work in the fastfood industry** in which the current wage is $20 - $25/hr

**This applies to large corporate employers. "Mom n Pop joints with a handful of employees match the State rate

[-]

Live-Door3408@reddit

It’s decent if you’re unskilled and somewhere like the south, Midwest or rural west but not great if you’re in San Francisco and have a degree or trade certificate

[-]

WonderfulVariation93@reddit

It is about average; however, that means across all careers, ages…

I'm assuming you would apply for a J-1 Visa, which allows foreign students to work for 3 months, and then explore the US for up to 1 month afterwards. It works as an exchange program, and is one of the easier work visas to acquire, at least to my knowledge.

I work for seasonal businesses, such as lodges in National Parks during the summer or some people do ski resorts in the winter. These businesses tend to hire J-1 workers through agencies, and they will help with the sponsorship process. While it's more expensive, it's a much easier path to get a visa and know that the company you're working for has been vetted. The other benefit of the arrangement is that the company is required to house and feed you, so you don't have to worry about those logistics and expenses. While you can find companies that will sponsor you without an agency, it's not very likely to happen.

While it's possible to find places that will pay $20-$25, they can be very difficult to find, unless you're going to some remote place in Alaska. You'll probably find most roles will pay around $15-$18, unless you're in a tipped position, which is where the real money is at. But, with most of your expenses being paid for, or it's provided very cheaply, you can very easily save a considerable amount with whatever job you get.

I'd encourage you to reach out to an agency in your home country and try to find an employer through them. The jobs won't be glamorous (housekeeping, restaurant jobs, grounds crew) but it'll be in some beautiful places, since majority of these jobs are inside National Parks. It's a great way to meet new people from all over the world and to explore places that people pay thousands to visit for a short time.

Best of luck, if you want to look into seasonal work more, check out r/SeasonalWork

[-]

Wooden-Astronaut8763@reddit

This strongly depends on where you live in the United States and what type of work.

I will say that it would be a good decent wage in a place like Alabama, Mississippi, or Kentucky. However, these are often not considered the most desirable places to live for most Americans.

reluctantmugglewrite@reddit

It depends on where this is and how much your rent will end up costing. If you dont mind, could you tell me which states or cities?

You can save a lot this way if a lot of things are covered. My friend from australia did a summer camp work program in the US for the same wages and saved a lot of money because they covered his room and board.

I make that now in a midwestern city and I am also saving an amount of money that would be a lot in my parent’s home country. It means I dont always go out with friends or have streaming subscriptions but its good and allows me to build a savings account.

[-]

Queen-gryla@reddit

Barely a living wage in Dallas, TX.

[-]

TheJokersChild@reddit

It's becoming less and less. That used to be damn good money up until about 20 years ago, but buying power has shrunken, federal minimum wage has remained stagnant ($7.25 since 2009) and housing costs have ballooned. You have to really plan your budget on that kind of income now. In California, $20 is minimum wage for fast-food workers, and even that's low. A lot depends on the cost of living in the local area.

[-]

Parking_Abalone_1232@reddit

It's considered to be $20-$25/hour.

[-]

Illustrious_Code_347@reddit

That's poor in America, everywhere. In some places in America, it will be very poor. In some places very very poor. In some places just regular poor. But it's poor no matter what.

Put it this way: You will never be able to buy property. I can't really say, "You can't raise a family," because many people do raise families... But they would be destitute, by American standards at least (which are actually very good, all things considered, so it balances out for some).

[-]

DocLego@reddit

It depends.

Federal minimum wage is a pathetic $7.25/hour, and has been for the last 17 years. Many states have higher minimums.

For a temp job, if you can get one? Anywhere from that $7.25 to $20 an hour, depending on where you are and exactly what you're doing.

Calaveras-Metal@reddit

It's a sticky point. Because it's basically the minimum that you could earn and support yourself. But a lot of places pay less.

The cost of living is such that $25 an hour even full time will only barely cover rent, bills and groceries.

So it may seem like you could earn a lot of money compared to where you live now. But you probably have a lower cost of living there.

[-]

Hikikomori_Otaku@reddit

Not enough to live alone in any major metro that I am aware of.

[-]

ElijahNSRose@reddit

In Kansas where living is cheap that's skilled labor wages. Think 5 years experience or specific degree required kind of jobs.

You’ve gotta find a program that will let you do that. And get the Visa. I’m not sure that’s available and there’s a lot of cost to stay here and temporary arrangements while you’re making that money.

I do knew of programs in New Zealand for example that will let American students and young adults come over and work in a limited capacity with limited benefits and it makes sense for them. But I doubt they’re sending any money back to the United States because it sure as hell isn’t cheap getting to New Zealand… or living there.

I suppose there might be jobs in places that have seasonal labor that can get you the visa. Good luck.

[-]

liggyfig@reddit

Minimum wage in Seattle, WA, USA is about $25/hr...but it's soooo hard to live and thrive.

[-]

calicoskiies@reddit

That’s low wage where I am.

[-]

SuchADolorousFellow@reddit

Even in a LCOL area, you have to consider your other necessary bills. If you’re living with someone and not paying too much for food, you’d be able to pocket a decent portion of that money But if you’re moving here by yourself for those 3 months, you’d won’t be able to keep most of that money, so it’s pointless

[-]

fflip8@reddit

If you have free/cheap housing it's fine. $25 an hour can get you pretty far. If you try to get your own apartment, like a one bedroom or studio, you're likely going to be very sad trying to make your bills unless you're in a cheap city or rural area. Most cities in the US are expensive nowadays. Wages and prices in the US do not include taxes either, so you should expect to earn less and pay more than what's on paper. Even rentals tend to tack on additional fees to the advertised rent, such as amenity or utility fees. To be comfortable in the US $25/hour is like the bare minimum assuming you work 40 hours a week.

Geeseinfection@reddit

In NJ, that’s practically nothing. I make $22 and my partner makes $25 an hour. We are just barely getting by.

[-]

toastedvacuum@reddit

So just to be clear. You wanna come to the United States just so you can work and then send all your money back home to your country?

[-]

Jaythiest@reddit

50k/yr is barely middle class now right?

I used to have a condo, wife and I had 2 cars, and I had any console game I wanted whenever I wanted left over money and I was earning $37k/yr. Health insurance for us both. And I paid taxes.

ComparisonOk9944@reddit

I see the clarifications, but are you sure you would get that work visa?

[-]

Alarming_Bug6081@reddit

For a reference point, I live in a rural state, and my son was just accepted to a vocational program to get emt / firefighter certifications. So I looked it up, and the starting pay for a basic EMT / firefighter 1 in most towns in my state is about $28/ hour (and there is ample overtime available).

[-]

ghost_suburbia@reddit

There are a lot of replies looking for context or saying it depends. OP, how are you getting the work visa? If it is one of those summer jobs where foreign students get a J-1 visa, then they also will likely offer shared accommodation. If so, try to get room and board cost estimates. From there, it is up to you if you can pocket enough left over funds to meet your needs.

[-]

Remarkable_Course897@reddit

unfortunately you can't just "get a work visa"

Getting a work visa is not an easy thing outside of agriculture, tech, science, and academia, and those are becoming more difficult.

It honestly depends on the area.

In North West Nevada, it's about average to a little while above average pay, but in order to live off that, you'll need ~2-3 roommates to start being comfortable. As well as own you car outright, no payments.

[-]

famousanonamos@reddit

Absolutely location dependent. I live in Northern California and $20 is the minimum wage for fast food workers. It would be decent money if they gave their employees full-time hours, which they don't. I met a guy that worked at a gas station in Vegas yesterday who said since moving from Southern California to Nevada and working a gas station job, he was able to buy a house. He said he went from paying $2,000 a month for a studio apartment to having a $900 mortgage.

[-]

As everyone else said, it's very dependent on where you live. That wage will be great in LCOL areas BUT most jobs in LCOL are reflected on that and finding a job that pays that much is going to be hard depending on your education level and experience. Most places okay with hiring seasonal, which is what you would be doing, would be lower wage retail or food service which is most place don't pay over $20 an hour.

Just looking by me, I live in a MCOL area, most jobs without education/experience are hiring at $15-17/hour.

Some things to take into consideration is living arrangement. Rent is expensive so your best bet would be to find a roommate but that might be hard for only a few months. Even then, you'll probably be spending at least $700 a month if not more just on rent and utilities. Depending on how many roommates you have, rent and utility expenses. For reference, by me, the cheapest 1 bedroom apartment is $1,100 not including utilities. The cheapest 2 bedroom I saw is $1,800 without utilities. If you even had 1 roommate at that rate, you would be spending $900 a month just on rent.

Also, what about transportation? If you plan on relying on public transportation, you would need to be in a city or well populated suburb which will also be more MCOL to HCOL. By me, there is no public transportation.

Lastly, what about health insurance? Do you plan on just not having it? If so, what if something happens and you need to go to the ER or Urgent Care?

Running $20 an hour at 40 hours a week (full-time) you would be taking home just shy of $1,300/fortnight.

[-]

RikkiLostMyNumber@reddit

You can't live on that where I live (New England) unless all you do it work and sleep in your tiny apartment. No car. Limited food. No extras at all. No health care. I would not advise it here.

[-]

Euphoric_Ease4554@reddit

You will need to find roommates or possibly rent a room in someone’s house to be able to save. Also public transportation or walking because it’s much cheaper than a car.

[-]

SUCKITGRANDPA@reddit

What lifestyle are you envisioning while you’re here, and where? And is socking away as much money as possible the goal? You need to do as lot of research about the specific area before up decide.

In a coastal city, subletting a room in kind of a shithole apartment with roommates, eating beans and rice, and not doing anything fun, it could be worth it if the job offers you a lot of overtime at 1.5x (which afaik work visas probably won’t, but marine they would). Basically if you want to have a shitty life for a few months, you could still have some money left assuming you live close enough to the office to walk to take public transit, and don’t have any medical issues while you’re here.

If you’re in the suburbs in the south, you’ll probably do okay with that money if you live fairly frugally.

[-]

bradmajors69@reddit

It's roughly minimum wage in Seattle and San Francisco, and living on that in an expensive area would be a struggle.

But in there are also many less expensive parts of the USA where that would be considered a decent or good/livable wage.

[-]

Doone7@reddit

I get paid 21 an hour, live in a rural area, and still wouldn't be able to afford to live on my own comfortably. Shit is expensive these days.

[-]

MustacheSupernova@reddit

$20-25/hr is considered like 2 steps above minimum wage in most states. In the poorer southern states, $25/hr is considered damn good pay.

But in NY, that’s what you make working the register at Costco, or TJ Maxx.

[-]

Moist-Pea-8034@reddit

Dude you’re not going to qualify for a work visa and especially for the jobs that are $20-25/hour

[-]

Different areas have vastly different costs of living. In my state minimum wage is 12.77, so I would consider 20-25 insane, like I've looked at a few places that pay that and it is hard work, where im at you'd have to be working really hard to earn that.

[-]

jf737@reddit

$23/hr is just short of 48k per year. Full time, 40 hours. Before taxes.

Depends where you are. I wouldn’t want to try and live in the Bay Area or Boston or places like that on 48k. But there’s more places than not where that’s an on living.

[-]

tetrasodium@reddit

Minimum wage in Florida is 15$/hr. Afaik McDonald's starting pay is like 16.90$/hr & Costco starts at 20$/hr then generally moves to 21 after the first year of so

WHERE will you be making 25/hr though? It matters a lot to look closer thsm just state and looking at the metro area in general

[-]

South_Bumblebee7892@reddit

You have to keep in mind that that $20-$25 is gross pay, not net. You'll have taxes, medical insurance, whatever else deducted out of that.

[-]

peanutnozone@reddit

You’d be drowning in Maryland

[-]

ophaus@reddit

In big cities, that's minimum wage territory. In cheaper places, it's a bit better.

[-]

Tree_Weasel@reddit

I live in San Antonio, TX and $25 am hour would be a good wage here and fairly high. But among large US cities we have some of the lowest cost of living.

75 miles up the road in Austin, TX and $25/hour is expected in a lot of places, and wages in general are higher becose the cost of everything is higher.

My cousin makes $18.50/hour at the grocery store in Austin. In San Antonio, the same job at the same grocery chain (HEB) pays $16.00/hour.

[-]

EryktheDead@reddit

Depend on your costs in the US. A lot of 25 an hour could be eaten up just finding a place to love.

[-]

Dpg2304@reddit

My mortgage is $4000/month. $25/hour wouldn't get me very far. But, I'm older, have a family, etc.

Even at $25 ($52,000/yr) you’d need at least 2x that to afford a house, car, utilities, etc.

[-]

CaterpillarKey6288@reddit

My state the min wage is still $7.25.

[-]

F350Gord@reddit

Fresh out of high school wage, anywhere in North America.

[-]

Untoastedtoast11@reddit

Some places is basically minimum wage other places it’s 3x minimum wage.

In a major city, not much. You might manage a two bedroom apartment with three roommates in a lousy neighborhood.

Where I live in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, 80 miles (130 km) from the nearest major city, quite a bit.

I can break even on about $15 an hour, and I live alone in my own house on half an acre of land. The catch is nothing is nearby. A few businesses in the small town a mile away. Grocery store is around 4 miles (6.5 km). Nearest shopping area is 8 miles (13 km). Nearest mall is 15 miles (24 km), and on the other side of a mountain. Nearest city with more than 10,000 people is 25 miles away (40 km).

So there are tradeoffs. Be near where amenities and people are, but have to sell organs for it. Or be able to live cheap, but have to undertake a journey to get anywhere.

[-]

itsmyhotsauce@reddit

Minimum wage where I live (Boston. MA), which means living far away or having multiple roommates to afford rent at that level.

[-]

MarionberryPlus8474@reddit

This used to be a decent middle-income wage or salary in much of the US but in most areas now (especially in cities) you would need to live with at least one roommate. If you are from a low-cost country then it might be that living in a small apartment with roommates for a few months and going home with a few or several thousand dollars will allow you to live very well. Lots of people do this, or at least they used to. I recommend looking at rents where you are considering visiting, and other costs like transportation, they will probably be much higher than you’re used to.

Be aware our government (and much of the people) are extremely hostile to foreign workers now, and are likely to treat those here to work as criminals, even if they are here legally. If you come here legally, carry your proof with you at all times. Sorry we’ve come to this, but alas, here we are.

[-]

Due-Garage4146@reddit

In 2026? I would say really low. Maybe 20 years ago it was OK. People with degree and education make a lot more. I don’t have any type of skill or education. I do light blue collar work and only have a GED but where I work the starting pay is $45 an hour. With overtime we all make a little over $100K but still not enough to buy a house. I have a townhome that I own yes. But with the cost of living, $100K today is like making less than $40K 20 years ago. Now the people that I service that have education and degrees, especially those IT guys they’re making well over $250k to $300K a year easy. They have the nice homes. $25 an hour is close to what my teenager makes as a security guard. It would be tough in this economy in 2026.

[-]

RandiCandy@reddit

If you know where youll be then I would use this site:

https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator

Really depends on where you live. Some areas you’ll struggle to support yourself

That leaves you $42,608 per year, or $3,550 per month.

A bachelor apartment (meaning a single room with just a hot plate to cook on instead of a stove, and an en-suite bathroom) in Los Angeles costs about $1,100 a month in most okay-but-not-great neighborhoods.

You’ll need to pay for health insurance. The price for that would be somewhere around $350-$400 per month.

You’ll have to pay for electric, maybe gas, cell phone, and Internet, so add another $200 a month for that.

Now we’re already at $1,850 a month left of your pay. You’ll need a way to get around. If you find a place that is public transit-friendly, it costs $18 a week, or about $80 per month. If you need a car then that really blows your budget because you’ll need insurance, gasoline, and repairs.

You’ll need to buy food, of course, and clothing, and incidentals like soap and such. Assume you’ll spend $200 a week on things like that if you never eat out, never go have a drink at the bar, etc.

You see how the money just flows out?

I’m not saying it’s impossible. But it won’t be a nice life, not in LA.

Also don’t forget you can’t just show up and move in and start working. You’ll need a work permit. And that’s neither easy nor cheap.

[-]

Word2DWise@reddit

It's slightly below the median. The current median individual income for full time employees in the US is 60K per year. If you divide that by the the number of work hours in one year (2080), you come up to $28.9 (rounded up) per hour. So based on that math, $20-$25 is below the 50th percentile.

[-]

Pinwurm@reddit

It's a living wage in a place like Oklahoma.

Depends on where you live. In my area $25 is probably about the average, a completely respectable wage but you can absolutely do better.

Apart_Insect_8859@reddit

$20-25 is right about in the middle. In most places in the US, it would be considered a livable wage for one person, though you would need to budget for luxuries. It would be difficult, but possible, to have a spouse and one kid at this wage if you were very very careful and frugal with your money and kind of poor.

It would be considered high for a job that does not require a degree or experience. Retail, hospitality, and fast food jobs tend to be in the $10-15 an hour range. This level of wage would be enviable for those in lower classes, because it would mean you only need one job, instead of two.

In the white collar world, $20-25 is typical for entry-level career jobs, or for lower skill positions that might not need a 4 year degree. So, think your first job out of college on a professional career track, or about what someone like an experienced administrative assistant or simple bookkeeper would make. A lot of "technician" roles, like Pharmacy Technicians or IT Technicians, make in this range.

It is very common for married spouses to both have wages in this range in order to live comfortably and afford a house, retirement, kids, etc.

[-]

nononomayoo@reddit

Its not enough for californians and if ur not going to CA idk who would hire u and pay u that much. Wat job experience do u have?

[-]

Ok-Energy-9785@reddit

Depends on where you live and your lifestyle

[-]

Rose_E_Rotten@reddit

Walmart starts at $15. Dollar Tree starts at $9. This is common for retail or fast food restaurants. Unless you get unlucky and find a place that starts at the federal minimum which is $7.25.

$20 is management or college degree type job. At least in my area of Wisconsin.

[-]

Languid_Potato338@reddit

As others have said, it depends on the location. It also depends on whether the employer is covering your room and board as part of the employment and availability of various things in the area if they don't. (I'm also not going to speak to the likelihood of finding jobs at that pay rate - I'm just going to assume that there is one and they can hire someone without a green card or standard work visa for it.)

I worked as a summer camp counselor, and we had foreign counselors working with us every year. (Granted, we were DEFINITELY not making $20-25 per hour lol.) The camp provided 3 meals a day and a bed - it was in a little platform tent or cabin without electricity but still. You didn't have to pay for rent, transportation, or meals; you just had to pay for any snacks you wanted for your breaks, hygiene supplies, and optional outings on your days off. Some counselors took basically the whole pay back to their home country where it was worth more. If you're university aged, outdoorsy, and good with kids, this might be a good option to look into. The pay is usually not great, but the benefits of having room and board covered and someone to pick you up from the airport aren't negligible. Some camps are also more bougie than others and have nicer staff accomodation, and pay can vary quite a bit.

If you have to pay housing, transportation, and meals, it's going to be harder to save a significant amount even in low cost of living areas.

I know the right wing media makes it seem like everyone is here illegally working and getting all kinds of free shit but it’s more complicated than that.

Born_blonde@reddit

If work doesn’t matter- are you considering working at a summer camp? While it can be tough work, and the pay isn’t $20 an hour, it can give you anywhere from $4k-8k in 10-12 weeks, and may camps will offer room, board, and food, so you walk out with nearly 100% of that income.

Coming from someone who used to work at a summer camp with many international staff.

[-]

Intelligent_Dress889@reddit (OP)

How can i apply to one of those?

[-]

Acrobatic-Safe-2608@reddit

About 3 fiddy

[-]

sleepygreendoor@reddit

I make $26 an hour and can only survive because I get significant overtime. If I just did 40 hours a week, I would either need a raise or a second job.

[-]

Suppafly@reddit

Depends on the area, that can be close to the state's/city's minimum wage or it would be really good money for the area.

but i would request a Work visa, not a tourist visa

That depends on where in the US. Where I am that's not enough to live on.

[-]

big_data_mike@reddit

It depends on how much your housing costs. You’d being doing some kind of seasonal tourist work and industries/areas that hire for that probably also have some kind of housing arrangements for people like you but you would have to find housing on your own.

For example, when I was your age I was able to rent a room in a big house for 3 months in California wine area in the fall because the people that live in that area know there will be an influx of temp workers to that area every year from September to December.

[-]

CuteAmoeba9876@reddit

The median income is closer to $35/hr nationwide, so this would be low income to most Americans.

It's a low income in the US but it's enough to independently support yourself as a single adult in a frugal lifestyle in most areas of the US that aren't high cost of living.

Your questions are vague, and in turn, you're going to get a lot of vague replies.

In the United States, per capita personal income is around $76,000 per year.

Roughly speaking, many employed Americans work 40 hours per week for 50 weeks per year, or 2000 hours per year. Of course, this is just an approximation. Many Americans work more; many work less.

$25 × 2000 = $50,000 income in a year. So a $25 wage puts you well below the national average.

In some areas, it can be solid middle class. (Generally midwest, smaller towns)

Some states: California, Alaska, New York, etc are simply very expensive, with a high cost of living.

Big cities? That’s basically hand to mouth (often below poverty level) especially if you’re living alone or one income household.

But in areas where the pay is middle class, competition for those jobs will be sky high.

Also, unfortunately, in the areas where that’s a decent living are also the areas that vote for Trump and have higher levels of express racism, which may make getting those positions harder. (Unless it’s hard, unskilled labor)

It’s low-average where I am. Jobs are pretty limited in my state and they don’t pay a lot, unless you’re a medical professional. We have a lot of manufacturing/assembly/CNC, but I think CNC is the field that pays anything…if you’re experienced.

My husband makes $22/hour working on an assembly line. Prior to that he made about the same working at a grocery store.

I make just over twice that in a boring office job for an out of state company. If I wanted I comparable job with an in-state employer, it would be a $30k salary reduction, plus I would have to work in an office again.

[-]

animepuppyluvr@reddit

It would go a lot farther in North Carolina or Idaho than Hawaii or New York. Each state has their own minimum wage and cost of living.

[-]

Bear_necessities96@reddit

How much is 20-25$ dollars per hour considered to be in the USA?

Ngl is not a lot USA is expensive is above minimum wage but just enough to a survival wage, specially in big cities.

i don't mean i would go with a Tourist visa, i just say "summer vacations" because it would literally be during summer vacations time, but i would request a Work visa, not a tourist visa

I doubt you can get a work visa for a few months, The USA has a harsh and slow immigration system

[-]

ZaphodG@reddit

The minimum wage in the region between New York and Boston is $15 to $17. $20 is an entry level McDonald’s job.

[-]

The_Motherlord@reddit

Where would you live while in the US making $20 an hour? Is this a job opportunity at a resort where they provide housing? It also sounds as if you would possibly be working illegally?

In my area $20 is a starter job in fast food. A furnished room for rent would be around $1,200 a month, probably more. You'd still need to eat and pay for transportation, cell phone, and your flight here, etc.

[-]

zignut66@reddit

Please think of the 50 States as practically 50 different countries. Your question is like asking if a certain wage is a lot or a little across a continent. Hell, even our largest States have wild disparity between counties. $25/hour is essentially poverty in New York City or the Bay Area, but is doing just fine only a couple hundred miles away from either.

[-]

Extension_Abroad6713@reddit

Brief-First@reddit

It 100% depends on what part of the country and your housing. With taxes taken out, $25 an hour would be about $700 - $800 a week which would just cover your cost of living with very little left over.

[-]

ohthatsbrian@reddit

questions like this help realize that people in a lot of other countries don't understand how big and varied the US is.

in most smaller towns/cities, $20-$25 is enough to survive on. in more urban areas, it's going to be incredibly difficult.

without knowing what specific area of the US, this question can't be answered.

[-]

Bla_Bla_Blanket@reddit

[-]

unbalancedcheckbook@reddit

If someone will take you in and pay for your food and housing while here (and you can actually find a job that will take you with whatever visa you get) it could be a very good deal. As for whether it's a lot, $20-$25 an hour is only a "living wage" in the USA in the poorer parts of the country. Anywhere else and (if you have to pay for your own room and board) you may be losing money.

If you're serious about this, and are willing to take on some risk and grueling conditions, you could look into working on a crabbing or fishing boat in Alaska over the summer. They need anyone they can get and pay well.

[-]

Common-Occasion-7820@reddit

It depends where you live. Most of the places where jobs actually are and where people want to live it’s nothing. Barely survivable even. Out here in the Midwest, with roommates it can be comfortable

[-]

Frenchitwist@reddit

Here in NYC that’s shit. Barely livable.

[-]

DidjaSeeItKid@reddit

First of all, it's already April. Getting a work visa can take anywhere from 2 to 12 months, or longer, and often requires you to already have a sponsor offering you a job. It also now costs $100,000 to the employer to hire an H1b visa, so good luck with that. It can also depend on your country of origin. 39 countries now have full or partial bans on non-immigrant visas.

Do you have an offer? How did you arrive at this figure?

All that said, it is entirely dependent on exactly where you are. Costs of living vary widely from state to state, as well as within states. $25 an hour is $1000/week, even if you work full time and have no taxes. $4000/month goes fast, once you pay rent, utilities, buy food, secure transportation, and everything else everyone pays for. Finding roommates to make it cheaper is another headache.

If you get behind, you have no safety net as you aren't eligible for federal programs at all.

In short, make sure you plan carefully and know where you'll be and what you'll be doing before you get here. But if you haven't started the process by now you might have to wait for another summer.

[-]

jessek@reddit

$20-25/hr would be $40,000-50,000/yr.

This is like working in a warehouse in the Midwest type of money. I work at the big name warehouse and make $25 on night shift at the max pay scale.

[-]

Moist_Asparagus6420@reddit

Just like alot of people say it depends where you're gonna be, also how much expenditures your gonna need, where you're gonna stay, will you have roommates. ect. Also, alot of places that will hire you for the summer might not offer you full time work, and those that do, you might not want to mention you're only gonna be there for the summer. Anyways, you're going to have to look up prices for apartments and such in the area you're looking at, and the cost of things like groceries in the area. Also remember that wages are advertised before taxes, and each city, county, state, will have different tax rates, so you'll have to know what the tax rate is before you can calculate what your take home is.

[-]

AleroRatking@reddit

Depends on where you live. Where I am, you could afford a 2 bedroom home and living fairly easily. In NYC you wouldn't be able to survive at all

[-]

AdjectiveMcNoun@reddit

Where in the US? In CA or NYC this would not be enough. In Arkansas or Oklahoma, it might be enough.

Just look up the average rent and cost of living prices for the city where you thinking of staying and go from there.

[-]

Feisty_Water_3164@reddit

I really don’t think it is safe to come to the United States

[-]

nomadschomad@reddit

It's decent money for teen or college kid earning some pocket money. That's about what tutors, babysitters, and nannies make. It's a passable wage for someone without a college degree who is only supporting themselves in a LCOL location. In an MCOL location, $25/hr with full-time hours would require a very tight budget. It's not enough to support kids on.

[-]

LazyBoyD@reddit

I’d say $25/hr as a single person in medium cost of living, medium sized city like Roanoke, VA or Wichita, Kansas is very doable. That’s about $3250 monthly after taxes. Assume a $1100 rent (median cost) you have over $2000 left for food, transport, utilities, and discretionary spending (such as subscriptions). That’s plenty for a single.

[-]

nomadschomad@reddit

Yup. Roanoke is the low end of MCOL. Wichita is the high end of LCOL.

I still feel good about my original "In an MCOL location, $25/hr with full-time hours would require a very tight budget."

I would say it would be a entry level desk job salary in a low-cost area

[-]

Sad_Internal_1562@reddit

Minimum wage

[-]

Vast-Combination4046@reddit

I make 24$ an hour and own a house on the edge of the ghetto in a low cost City with two kids in daycare and a retirement fund and health insurance. Bought my car new and can't afford much else.

[-]

Tacokolache@reddit

Iowa, you’ll be ok.

California, you’re fucked

[-]

Chance_Ad_2132@reddit

It’s a lot of money. Even after my college degree I just went from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour. This year I found a job in my career that pays $11. But $20-25? That seems like a dream

[-]

Final-Elderberry9162@reddit

This is what I made in 1998, so although it’s still higher than the National minimum wage, it’s still far lower than a livable wage in many places.

[-]

Snoo_50786@reddit

Are you in a tourist city? It's not a lot.

$27/hour is just about barely middle class, depending on where you live.

Also good luck getting a work permit under this current administration lol

[-]

Better-Rice5898@reddit

Location?

[-]

BigPapaJava@reddit

It averages out to 800-1000 per week for a full time job, or $41,600-$52,000 a year.

For most parts of the USA, that would be a lower middle class income for someone without a family to feed.

That can vary greatly depending on which state and often what city. In California or NYC, you'd be homeless living in a car or sharing a small apartment with several people and relying on public transport, eating instant noodles. In rural midwest, you could probably afford a mortgage on a small house and to live decently, if in frigid isolation.

I make slightly more than that (about $28) and have a small house with my fiance, who outearns me by a fair percentage. If we both made my income we would get by, but we wouldn't be as comfortable and wouldn't be able to save much.

[-]

Distinct-Thought-419@reddit

It depends on your area. In California that wage would put you on the streets. In rural Oklahoma you could buy a house and live relatively comfortably.

[-]

WhoWouldCareToAsk@reddit

Depends entirely on where you live. Last year my nephew in South Carolina was earning $10/hr at his first job and it wasn’t enough. Now he earns $19/hr living in the same place, and he loves it!

It’s the equivalent of about $40-52k/year, which is sort of in the middle between “a lot” and “a little.” If you’re in a low cost of living area, renting a cheap house or apartment with housemates to split rent it could be plenty, if you’re living alone in a high cost of living area it might be barely enough to live on.

People who come on short-term working visas to earn a bunch of money and send it home generally make the situation work by splitting rent and household expenses with a group of like-minded individuals, and working extremely long hours to earn as much as possible.

[-]

SnooChipmunks2079@reddit

There are seasonal worker programs that you might get in under - many of our vacation areas seemed to be staffed by foreign workers - but you can't just hop on a plane to the US and start working. Figure out the visa situation first.

Keep in mind that you need to spend money to support yourself while you're here. Rent, food, etc. There's no government-provided health care, so if you get sick, it can be very expensive. $20/hour isn't a lot when you're supporting yourself and it's unlikely you'll have much savings at the end of your time here.

Now, if you can walk to work and they provide lodging and food and are still paying $20/hour, or you're willing to camp under a bridge for four months, that's a different matter.

[-]

yellowdaisycoffee@reddit

It depends on where you'd be living.

[-]

justdontsashay@reddit

Depends where you live. In a low COL area that’s livable, in bigger cities you’ll struggle to pay rent and all your bills and have anything left over.

If the goal is to just work for the wages here so you can take the money back home and live well on it, you may not have much left after just paying basic expenses

[-]

CarolinCLH@reddit

As many have said, you might be able to make that. The problem is, that you would be spending most of what you make on housing and other living costs while you are here. There is also the problem of getting a visa to come here and work, and then finding a job and housing while you are here. I would say it is not a viable plan.

[-]

TheMrsH1124@reddit

Where would you live? If you're staying short-term, your cost for living are going to be much higher. I don't think you would be able to take any money home really

[-]

bfs102@reddit

Depends on the area

In Los Angeles or any other high cost of living area you have a studio apartment

It really depends where you live. That’s not a liveable wage in NYC or San Francisco unless you only eat instant noodles. Most major cities you’ll be living pretty conservatively with this, especially if housing is not included / you don’t have money squared away for it in advance.

$20-25 range definitely means roommates.

[-]

Lifelong_learner1956@reddit

Be very wary of working illegally in the US - it's risky in multiple ways.

Finding an employer to sponsor you legally is unlikely, except for some seasonal work, often agricultural https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/training/migrantfarmworkers Living expenses might eat up significant $. Saving money for remittances home is not guaranteed.

The Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour Some states have higher minimums. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state A minimum wage is not necessarily a living wage here.
Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q

[-]

Weary-Knowledge-7180@reddit

Where I'm from, $25/hr is the absolute bare minimum as far as being able to afford to live goes.

[-]

LuckyStax@reddit

Extremely low, barely above minimum wage

[-]

sparrow_42@reddit

US Federal minimum wage is $7.25 and $20 is the median income in a lot of places.

[-]

Google living wage followed by the location. That will estimate what a single person working 40 hours a week needs for very basic necessities. A living wage will leave you struggling, not comfortable by any means. A living wage in New York city is $32 per hour. In rural Kentucky it is about $14.

[-]

traumahawk88@reddit

It's what I started out at out of college for biotech. Couldn't live on it now. Making twice that now. Comfortably but not 'ermahgerd I've got money' level.

Upstate ny.

SteakAndIron@reddit

Poverty wages in California. Pretty good in Nebraska.

[-]

PollutionAway9782@reddit

it depends greatly on location.

im my hometown the doctors make 80 thousand or so. where i am now they make 250K

[-]

Minimum wages by state:

https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wages

Median full-time salary by state:

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-median-salary-by-u-s-state/

It varies a lot.

[-]

Cobblestone-boner@reddit

In NYC that's poverty, in rural Louisiana you could live quite well

[-]

mads_61@reddit

It depends on the job and the cost of living of where you live.

Stonerkittylady420@reddit

My daughter makes $22 per hour and she maintains a comfortable household. She is not rich but she has no debt except the house payment.

[-]

HermioneMarch@reddit

It’s middle of the road most places. Higher than minimum wage jobs but low for skilled labor.

[-]

VinegarMyBeloved@reddit

Depends where you are. Where I live it’s basically impossible to get rent under $1600, so $20 won’t get you very far. In other places you can get rent for half that, so $20 is comfortable

[-]

itspicassobaby@reddit

In Louisville, KY that's above average for entry level warehouse work, such as UPS. Think UPS pays roughly $16-$18 per hour, starting. Depending on what you do.

On average, I’d say it’s slightly below what the average single American needs to be truly financially stable.

[-]

wwhsd@reddit

$20 an hour is minimum wage for fast food in California.

Depends on the job where you live what your education level is, if its take home pre taxes

[-]

DOMSdeluise@reddit

If that is for a full time job then not really, it's below the median income for someone employed full time. But how far you'll be able to make those dollars go really depends on where you live and the cost of living there, and whether it's a lot or not depends on the job. That would be a great hourly rate for food service and you were getting tips on top of it, it would be terrible if you were a senior software developer.