Define high cost of living... (San Luis Obispo: low income, apartments, renting)

[upstatenykid]

heyall im lookin to bounce to cali from ny this early summer and would like to get a grip on the cost of living.

i understand gas prices are the highest (bout a dime more than ny) and the income tax sucks (hey ny too)

I will be renting so i dont need to know about property taxes.

this is a great thread to let it off your chest

[user_id]

The costs of living in California are in no sense uniform, just like NYC is dramatically more than upstate NY. You'll have to say where you're thinking about moving.

Also, the income taxes in California are highly progressive. If you make a "normal" income you won't pay too much, if you have a low income you'll pay almost nothing.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by upstatenykid

heyall im lookin to bounce to cali

this is a great thread to let it off your chest

Ok then, I will. Cali is in Colombia. Were you planning to bounce to South America?

[upstatenykid]

Originally Posted by user_id

The costs of living in California are in no sense uniform, just like NYC is dramatically more than upstate NY. You'll have to say where you're thinking about moving.

Also, the income taxes in California are highly progressive. If you make a "normal" income you won't pay too much, if you have a low income you'll pay almost nothing.

Right, thats what i was wondering like which areas are less expensive than others. I was thinkin San Luis Obispo? I dont really look to live in LA or any big city.

[EscapeCalifornia]

The biggest complaints about cost of living come from people with kids who want to live in a safe area with good schools near major job centers. If you're young and don't mind slums, small apartments, or roommates, cost of living isn't as much of a factor.

[sjnative]

Why do you want to live in SLO, of all places? SLO is such an obscure, unheard-of town (http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_weekend/20101125/ts_yblog_weekend/welcome-to-the-happiest-place-in-america - broken link) that I'm surprised it crossed your mind.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by sjnative

Why do you want to live in SLO, of all places? SLO is such an obscure, unheard-of town (http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_weekend/20101125/ts_yblog_weekend/welcome-to-the-happiest-place-in-america - broken link) that I'm surprised it crossed your mind.

And it has all the same cost of living issues as SF/LA but without the high paying jobs. Great place if you're a wealthy retiree or a senior professor at Cal Poly though.

[upstatenykid]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

The biggest complaints about cost of living come from people with kids who want to live in a safe area with good schools near major job centers. If you're young and don't mind slums, small apartments, or roommates, cost of living isn't as much of a factor.

that makes sense, im wondering how much is costs for a drivers license, registration and so on. Im curious if its cheaper getting a motorcycle license and registration rather than car?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by upstatenykid

that makes sense, im wondering how much is costs for a drivers license, registration and so on. Im curious if its cheaper getting a motorcycle license and registration rather than car?

I haven't had to renew my license in years but I don't think its that much. Maybe $30 every 5 years? Car registration is based on the original price and age of the car and is renewed every year. I just paid $400. I assume a motorcycle is taxed similarly but would be less expensive due to the lower value.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by upstatenykid

Right, thats what i was wondering like which areas are less expensive than others. I was thinkin San Luis Obispo? I dont really look to live in LA or any big city.

San Luis Obispo is pretty expensive, the city doesn't allow much growth which inflates property costs. Surrounding cities are much more reasonable.

But getting a job in this area could be a problem.