‘Out of reach’: Salary leaving nurse with nothing

A young worker has explained exactly how much she earns and why the figure, which would have once been considered a dream salary, isn’t enough in 2024.

Australians are entering the property market later and later, and some feel they’ll never be able to afford to buy a home.

Research from comparison website Finder has found that it is taking Aussies increasingly longer to be able to buy their first home.

Sixty-two per cent of Baby Boomers had bought their first home by age 30, compared to 42 per cent of Gen X and 34 per cent of Millennials.

At the age of 31, Priya isn’t sure if she’ll ever be able to buy a home and it isn’t what she “envisioned” for herself.

Priya lives on the Central Coast in NSW and works full-time as a nurse. She’s newly married and still renting.

Her goal is for her and her husband to buy a property, but even that feels “impossible” and she’s genuinely concerned that it isn’t a realistic option for them.

The 31-year-old earns between $80,000 and $90,000 a year, including overtime and penalty rates.

It is a decent wage, but not in 2024.

“Owning a home on the coast, where the prices average $900,000 to $1 million, is just out of reach. It seems silly even talking about it,” she told news.com.au.

Priya worries she won't be able to afford a home. Picture: Instagram/priyaprosser

The 31-year-old nurse can work 40+ hours a week and still not be able to save. Picture: Instagram/priyaprosser

Priya might have gainful employment and is prepared to work 40-plus hours a week, but she feels her wage isn’t “enough to live off” and explained that she and her husband are “struggling” to make ends meet.

It is hard for her to think about saving for a house when she finds it impossible to add even a couple of hundred dollars to her savings each month.

“For someone who envisioned their life a lot differently as a child/teenager to where I am now, it is insane,” she said.

She thought she’d have kids by now. Picture: Instagram/priyaprosser

As a teenager, Priya didn’t expect to be “rich” as an adult, but she thought she’d be married, own a home, and have three kids by the age of 31.

Now, she has hit that age and the reality is wildly different.

“I’m very newly married and my husband and I are having the conversation around not having children at all. It just seems like another thing that is out of reach because of our incomes,” she explained. 

She said her and her partner are ‘struggling’ to get ahead. Picture: Instagram/priyaprosser

She isn't sure if she'll have kids because of the cost. Picture: Instagram/priyaprosser

The 31-year-old is hyper aware that her lifestyle seems to be getting worse rather than better. She said that when she started nursing, she earned less, but her lifestyle was good.

She could afford to pay off a car, pay rent, put food on the table and get things like pedicures and remedial messages.

Priya was never rich but she could afford some luxuries and to treat herself. She’s currently earning more money than before, but it feels like it is getting her much less in 2024.

“There is no way I could afford to all those same things today. Thankfully, my car is paid off but even thinking of having to pay $200 a fortnight for a car payment would be impossible,” she said

In fact, when Priya thinks about how much the quality of her life has decreased as the cost of living has increased, she finds it “bizarre” to reflect on.

Her goal is to save, but it depends on how much she can work. If she works her usual 40 hours at the hospital then she admitted she is “not saving a cent”.

If she picks up some extra work or overtime, she’ll be able to put something in her savings account, but she’s not behind a desk pushing papers. Taking on more is stressful when you’re a nurse.

“Working those hours in a job that requires so much of you physically and mentally. Just isn’t sustainable,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Out of reach’: Salary leaving nurse with nothing