Help comparing residencies based on cost

[almostaresident]

Indoor laser tag is open? With how bad Covid-19 infection rates are right now?

They are open here. Drastically reduced permitted participants and everyone is masked.

[chocolatebear11]

Came from big city, did training in Shreveport and family enjoyed the city. Im
not sure how single life is but residents seem to hang out a lot. Always found things to do for the kids.

[blankreality]

As many others have said, all 3 of those options sound reasonably similar to me from a financial standpoint. I would focus much more on the quality of training and imo, the network you will be entering. This is often ignored at your stage but is crucial when you start looking for a job after residency. As a recent residency and fellowship grad, I can tell you almost all of my leads for an eventual job were generated from the alumni network from my training programs. If you don't have strong feelings about where you want to go after training, picking a program with a widespread alumni network in the area you wish to settle can only help.

[Romberg45]

What about Shreveport did you not like in particular? Did you have a family while living there? I've heard similar things from other people regarding Shreveport, but then I've also heard pretty positive things about some of the suburbs.

The Shreveport program is very well regarded. Gainesville and Vanderbilt, though maybe not as renowned as LSU, are both respected solid programs. This is partly why we are trying to find something (like cost) to differentiate. All seem excellent for my professional goals.

What specialty are you applying for? I interviewed at Shreveport, and it was literally the worst program I have seen. The chief resident basically told us not to go there. He said the hospital has financial issues (this was pre-Covid). Also, our dinner was at a casino because that was the only half decent place.

You should Google the city if you haven’t visited. It seemed super dangerous.

Here is a section from Wikipedia:
“ With a crime rate of 66 per one thousand residents, Shreveport has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes—from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is one in 15. Within Louisiana, more than 93% of the communities had a lower crime rate than Shreveport. In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Shreveport to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the United States.^[90] In the late 1980s authorities started to track local Los Angeles based gangs that distributed cocaine out of low income neighborhoods. The first and the biggest street gang was the 52nd Street Hoover Crips. Shortly after LA gangs moved in, gang related homicides began to rise. Shreveport was the first city in Louisiana to have Crips and Bloodgangs.^[91][92] In 1993 Shreveport hit a peak in murders with 86 killings. Most of the killings were either drug or gang related homicides.^[93]In 2017 Shreveport was placed 18th on 24/7 Wall St.’s list of “America’s 25 Murder Capitals.” Shreveport's crime rate was 71% higher than the Louisiana average. The crime rate was also 149% higher than the national average.^[94]“

[G]

Rank them according to the best residency for your professional goals. Period.

OP, I saw your post title, clicked to write a similar thing to Anne.

[Brains428]

With kids, your priorities are different than others. Nashville would be a great place for a single resident. Not sure what the schools are like there, but I'd guess the best schools are in the most expensive neighborhoods (much like everywhere else).

Did you say what specialty you're going into? Alumni network matters for some things more than others. Also, training length may determine how long you may be able to tolerate a place. 3 years is much different than 7 years.

Like everyone else said- go to the place with the best training where you feel like you'll fit in.

[DrSam]

Hi Everyone, I'm trying to compare a few residency locations based on cost. My financial strategy thus far in life has been to spend as little as possible, and I'm hoping to continue that into residency. I do have a family, 3 kids with maybe 1 more over the next few years. My wife drives a 20 yr old van that runs great, and I'm in a little 20 yr old toyota that also is running strong. Current monthly expenses for the 5 of us NOT including rent is around 800-1000. The only luxury we are hoping to afford ourselves in residency is renting a house. The wife has been hauling 3 kids and groceries up 4 flights of stairs. She is very frugal herself, but she'd really like to discontinue those stairs and hopefully have somewhat of a backyard for kids to run around in. Here are the locations we are trying to decide between in terms of rank:

Nashville, Tn - Vanderbilt
PGY1 salary 59,000
After-tax (using an online tax calculator) 3968/month
Houses seem to rent for 1500 and UP (realistically closer to 1700/2000) in neighborhoods communities where residents with families seem to live.
**Probably wife's favorite city based on her conversations with other resident's wives

LSU-Shreveport
PGY1 salary 52000
After-tax (with same calculator) 3524/month
Houses seem to rent for $1500 and DOWN
**Probably my favorite program of the 3

UF Gainesville Fl
PGY 1 salary 54800
After-tax 3702/month
Houses around 1500 and UP
Also covers health insurance for me and my family
**Closest to wife's family (still around 4-hour drive though)

Any wisdom regarding ranking these 3? I know so much goes into individual decisions, but I'm hoping for some thoughts regarding affordability specifically. I realize there is a lot I don't know/see having never been a resident so happy to hear any advice/critiques anyone has.

It seems to me I may just be splitting hairs with affordability here and they are all quite similar.

Haven't read the entire thread, so sorry if this is already addressed, but what specialty are you looking to match?