Cost of Living

           It is a common misconception that teachers who are paid higher than the national average are better off than some teachers who are paid below that average. However, the analysis from the article, Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters More, suggests that cost of living – the quantity of goods teachers can purchase with their current salaries – should be considered rather than comparing salaries to the average. Analysis from the article of 50 metropolitan areas concludes that, after the adjustment for cost of living, “some cities regarded as higher-paying are actually below average, while cities that appear to pay so-so wages are actually quite generous” (Georgiou, Villarreal, & Moore, 2005). An example of this situation is San Francisco; elementary school teachers in San Francisco have an average salary of $59,284, which is 2^nd in the nation among the 50, but when adjusted for the cost of living that figure decreases to $32,663, which ranks 49^th out of 50.

For me personally, this is a topic that has been on my mind for some time now. Most of my family currently lives in San Diego, CA, a place I have contemplated moving to since I graduated high school. As I am currently working on a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction here at Middle Tennessee State University, I obviously did not make the move to California. I decided to stay here in Tennessee and attend MTSU because of the affordability, and the one factor that always turned me away from the move was the cost of living. The chart used for the San Francisco example can be reexamined to support my decision. The average salary for teachers in San Diego, CA is $50,385 with a rank of 12 out of 50. This seems pretty good before measuring this number with the adjusted value for cost of living, which is $35,210 with a rank of 44 out of 50. I tend to agree with the conclusion posted in the article: “Because the cost of living varies widely from city to city and region to region, public officials and teacher unions should consider how much a teacher’s dollar can buy, not just numerical pay, when discussing teachers’ wages” (Georgiou, Villarreal, & Moore, 2005). Ultimately, I still would like to move to San Diego one day, and as an upcoming educator, I hope that teacher salaries become properly adjusted for cost of living so that people like myself can afford to live in places like San Diego while having a career as a teacher.   

Reference:

Georgiou, D., Villarreal, P., & Moore, M. (2005, October 24). Teachers’ cost of living matters more. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133317