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No I do not bash CA except maybe in joking at times. It is my favorite State, but I will not live there again as long as my wife is alive as she is a CA native too and hates it. I tell the truth as I see it from experience and without blinders. If you do not enjoy the beach, fine, but that has nothing to do with how good or bad a State is. I, by the way, also tell the negat8ives about FL, such as ... CDD's. Again having lived all over SoCal I KNOW there are many, perhaps many more (due to population differences) in CA though it could be likely on a percentage basis, it is the same, as people are people. I have been to the beaches in FL, except the Southern part of the State and they feel good and the sea breeze is a major help with the humidity. CA beaches, and I grew up at Newport beach are great except for the cold Pacific waters. Both CA and FL beach weather felt fine to me, with FL's being a longer period of time and with ... warmer water. However if you like cold, enjoy it. I would rent but my wife hates renting so I am taking my time and will not move until we have visited all areas many times. Now i will agree So FL is not best at least for me and the Gulf is not to me as good as the Atlantic due to warmer waters. I did 3 years of research on TN before I moved here. Still miss a lot about CA but I am not blind to it's problems.
Well I will tell you this since you mentioned earlier you have health issues(sorry to hear that and I didn't see it), you need to VERY CAREFUL in FL when it comes to health care. It's very hit and miss(more miss than hit), despite such an elderly population it is severely lacking compared to CA and the Northeast.
I experienced this first hand with family members. My doctor in CA was nice enough to offer to take a look at my dad's medical records when I mentioned he had prostate cancer. The doctor in FL wanted to remove it, my doctor here said his "PSA isn't even high enough for that, get away from this guy", he did. He lived for many years after that with his prostate intact. The CA doctor informed me that many doctors end up in FL when they lose their licenses in other states. It's not to say there aren't any good doctors there(there are) but lots of bad ones. FL has very lax laws when it comes to that. FL also has malpractice laws in place that make it close to impossible to sue even when it's a blatant screw up.
Later found out the Dr. in FL had a high rate of infection after performing surgeries.
So you can't just look at the beach and warm water. You have to look at things like health care, especially as we age and if you're going there with health issues.
Groceries are cheap in Southern California relative to South Florida - or any area of Florida, for that matter.
There's a much wider array of grocery store options here in Southern California, including many low-cost alternatives, including, but not limited to: Northgate Market, Food 4 Less, Stater Bros., Smart & Final, etc.
There are hardly any discount grocery store chains in Florida, let alone discount organic/natural food stores like Sprouts or Trader Joe's.
And before people from South Florida start attacking me - yes, I know that there are Trader Joe's stores in the area (I was just recently at the new-ish store on Federal in Boca in January), but they are still few and far between and barely existed in the market 2-3 years ago.
The high cost of food in South Florida is largely due to the Publix monopoly, which greatly diminishes choice and competition in the grocery store/supermarket sector and allows Publix to charge outrageous prices for meat, produce and other products.
I personally never hopped on the Publix bandwagon like everyone else who lives in/moves to Florida. Overall, I found their quality, selection, service and store aesthetics to be very sub-par relative to Ralph's, Vons/Pavilions, Harris Teeter, Wegman's, Stop & Shop, etc.
I would always tell Publix boosters to talk to me after shopping at Gelson's, LOL. Please.
Like seain dublin mentioned up-thread, there's no club/discount card at Publix or double-coupons, which can go a long way, whether you're shopping for a household or just for yourself.
With my Vons Card in particular, I sometimes get $0.30 off/gallon at the Von's gas station, which in Long Beach, offers some of the most competitive gas prices in town. Unfortunately, there's nothing's comparable in Florida.
You would think that since South Florida is situated in the warmest region of the continental US, there would be a greater emphasis on fresh produce, farmer's markets, farm-to-table initiatives, etc., but that's hardly the case.
I found farmer's markets few and far between in South Florida with relatively high prices compared to Southern California. This is probably due to the ideological differences of the two different regions - farmer's markets are just not popular/part of the culture in South Florida.
Housing may be more expensive in Southern California relative to South Florida, but food certainly is NOT.
I never said it was more expensive, I said can be expensive but you can shop around and get good prices. Thats basically what you said. Im not familiar with SoFla but I have shopped in Orlando at Publix and Walmart. I see Publix being the same as Albertsons and Walmart had the same prices as the one here. You have definitely given me something more to think about when it comes to moving there. Didn't want to turn down a good job but whats the point if you're going to spend it on the difference of cost between here and there. Especially since I'm reading the rental prices go up each year as the OP mentioned. I already need a high cost home I don't need for the rent to be any higher than they are already charging.
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Originally Posted by seain dublin
You got that right Bert, way more choices here and I would add the 99 cents store which actually has good produce. Car insurance, groceries, and utilities all lower in CA(you're not running the A/C 24/7 in CA). It's the cost of owning a home that is more expensive.
They think Publix is all that, because there are so few choices. I found Publix to be way overpriced. Every once in awhile they would do a buy one get one free on say something like Cheezits, big deal....LOL.
I run my AC 6 months a year due to the high temps in riverside county. So I'm paying from May to Nov between $200-400 for 3300 sq ft. Are you telling me it will be higher there?
Good to know, we may buy but I don't want to, my wife does, I would rather keep investing into my retirement. I have been to LA, it's nuts there but I may head up to Dana Point eventually and get to LA occasionally. I will probably go out and hike the eastern parks in the desert. I also want to go to Death Valley when it's not too hot.
I prefer buying I like the benefits of a write off. You're just a drive away from those spots. We used to drive through Death Valley to go to Vegas from Central CA, with the air on full blast we could still feel the heat coming from the windows. Very dry and choking!
I run my AC 6 months a year due to the high temps in riverside county. So I'm paying from May to Nov between $200-400 for 3300 sq ft. Are you telling me it will be higher there?
It would be the same if you ran your AC here.
In SoCal, I never ran the AC, I did run the heat.
Here in Miami Beach, I don't run the AC at all. However that's cheating a bit, I live in a condominium on the 31st floor, and the building itself is ACed, so that probably helps keep my condo cool as well. But also, up here the wind is strong, sometimes I cannot even stay on my balcony because of how strong it is, and doors will shut violently etc. But sleeping inside my bedroom, with floor to ceiling glass sliding doors to my balcony? Even in the dead of summer, I sleep with out AC and I sleep with a duvet.
Now if I lived on the ground floor, I might AC 3-4 months of the year.
I don't know if UC's are supposed to be the best. I did Math and Economics at UCLA, physics at UCSD but my sister is at Harvard, now that's a good school
TBH, even in the subjects of Math, Physics and Economics I felt the degree was "in-lock" just if I jumped through all the hoops. American universities maybe somewhat selective on admissions process (I emphasize 'somewhat') but there is this overarching philosophy once there, everyone gets a degree.
Looking back on it now, I don't even use mine except for wall decoration and to occasionaly feel like a pseudo-Scientist when science topics come up
I have kids in college now and the UC's are pushed while in high school, we were told they are very selective and only "certain" people can get in. I found that to be crazy coming from counselors in high school. I graduated from CA and they never pushed a certain school, things have changed. You really have to do your own research to see whats best for you.
To do a fair comparison it should be South FL VS the Bay area. SD is not really a good CA example. Mind you I lived in SD County and it is my second favorite County in CA.
I am looking at moving to FL (Central) for health issues and yes the property tax is a bit higher percentage wise, but the housing costs are so much lower that the tax is about the same or less than most of CA, plus the savings in no income tax and no dividend tax and no royalty tax makes it way better than CA overall. . I have also looked at HOA's and they are about the same in both places, though one of the lowest I saw was $6.00 per month near Tampa in a very nice development. Now FL does have CDD's which are kinda like Mello Roos, but worse, so I recommend avoiding any development with such in FL. As to salaries there isn't that big a difference and SD does not have a lot of such jobs as many wanting to take a job offer in SD have found to be the case and are posting on the SD forum. NoCal has a lot but the costs near such jobs are sky high. Between CA and South FL I would choose CA, IF a person can afford it.
I agree after doing my research we focused on Central Fl also. Ive visited many times over the past 20 yrs and Ive seen it grow and looks to be constantly growing every time we visit. I can deal with the higher cost of everything else its the rent I don't like in South Fla and the fact it may raise every year. Are you saying if you can afford CA stay?
Here in Miami Beach, I don't run the AC at all. However that's cheating a bit, I live in a condominium on the 31st floor, and the building itself is ACed, so that probably helps keep my condo cool as well. But also, up here the wind is strong, sometimes I cannot even stay on my balcony because of how strong it is, and doors will shut violently etc. But sleeping inside my bedroom, with floor to ceiling glass sliding doors to my balcony? Even in the dead of summer, I sleep with out AC and I sleep with a duvet.
Now if I lived on the ground floor, I might AC 3-4 months of the year.
Thats good to know! I do have a gas stove so I guess I would have to look for a gas stove to stay in that price range?
Thats good to know! I do have a gas stove so I guess I would have to look for a gas stove to stay in that price range?
I have an electric stove and that with lights costs me about 30$ a month but I rarely cook. No idea on the cost of gas if that would be somehow more economical.
I agree after doing my research we focused on Central Fl also. Ive visited many times over the past 20 yrs and Ive seen it grow and looks to be constantly growing every time we visit. I can deal with the higher cost of everything else its the rent I don't like in South Fla and the fact it may raise every year. Are you saying if you can afford CA stay?
I think ExpatCA is now in Tennessee but I could be mistaken.
I have kids in college now and the UC's are pushed while in high school, we were told they are very selective and only "certain" people can get in. I found that to be crazy coming from counselors in high school. I graduated from CA and they never pushed a certain school, things have changed. You really have to do your own research to see whats best for you.
The UC's have always been considered superior to the Cal State University system. That could be what your kids are hearing.
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You're just a drive away from those spots. We used to drive through Death Valley to go to Vegas from Central CA, with the air on full blast we could still feel the heat coming from the windows. Very dry and choking!
