I am a European nurse moving to the US on an EB-3 visa through an agency. I need to give my agency three states I am willing to move to. Since I will be making a new graduate salary of $60k-$65k a year, which non-Southern states have a cost of living that makes this salary manageable?
If you are moving alone without children, put Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan on your list—in that order—because $60,000–$65,000 is above each state's current single‑adult living‑wage estimate.
As a single adult, you have a real gross‑income cushion: roughly $14,086–$21,326 above the three state estimates. The hard part is not finding an affordable state; it is making sure the exact city, household, contract deductions, and required worksite wage still fit.












