A buddy with whom I hit some tennis balls today flies (in the US) cargo F-27s.
This guy's salary is much better than that of regional CRJ FOs, and he said that he can't afford to work for certain regional airlines because he has a home and there is no pay during training for some companies. But his company has hired some outside guys to be first year Captains-they often don't upgrade FOs, because they would be on third or fourth-year Captain pay......that is not so good for morale... naja.
An acquaintance of his went to work for American Eagle and instead of getting an assignment to DFW (Texas), it was San Juan, Puerto Rico! He was almost never home in the US and quit after a short while. That can cost you a marriage. Anyway, Eagle can also send you to very expensive areas such as New York City, a big megalopolis in California, or elsewhere. How can those guys/gals survive on about $1600/month in those areas, unless their Mom and Dad live there? Maybe they live with four roommates in a two-bedroom apartment...
Just beware and don't be naiive.
Yesterday, an Instructor Pilot who gives initial IOE for brand-new CRJ FOs was deadheading on one of our planes from the "Great Lakes". He told me, as we waited at Taco Bell, that some new-hires at his company have only about 400 hours, and are products of the (famous/infamous[?]) Gulfstream School in Florida. He told me that 'his' regional affiliate of a US major can not always attract experienced pilots because it pays you nothing during training, and of course, afterwards, you can qualify for food stamps if you have a family to feed. How about leftover doctor bills for a wife or kid who needs a small operation? His company in years past sponsored numerous 'foreign' guys and some gals. Several years ago I met some, who came from South Africa, Israel, Scandinavia, Netherlands. Don't know if they 'sponsor' anymore.
Anyway, many of these newer pilots will never have the required minimum PIC hours (maybe 250 for the ATP?) to upgrade to Captain unless they get their hands on somebody's private single-engine plane or can rent one for lots of cash...
Could that eventually seem like life in a truly never-ending 'Twilight Zone' tv show, as they work month after month, year after year for just above minimum wage? The union can do nothing about it, as recent history has proven time after time.
Good luck here in the so-called "land of opportunity".