Family moving to SLO county on 90-100K feasible? (Los Angeles: for sale, real estate)

[markVII]

Looking to possibly relocate family of five to somewhere in San Luis Obispo county.
Can a family live comfortably (not just survive) on a single income of say 90-100K?

We are almost starting from scratch since we would be coming from abroad. Wondering if after taxes, rent/mortgage etc if there will be much left over to both save and enjoy life a bit. And by enjoy life I mean enabling the kids to participate in various activities (4-H, scouts, camping, music, dance, sports etc)

[gemstone1]

I can't think of a more ideal area to raise a family in CA, and granted, the weather and countryside is almost perfect, but I'd say it's next to impossible to pull off on that income. Have you researched the demographics of cities/towns in the county ? They are available right here on city-data. South county has been overrun by folks moving from SoCal, with cash to burn, overwhelming the infrastructure and driving real estate costs thru the roof. Hiway 1 from Nipomo to SLO is a traffic nightmare. North county has been turned into wine country, second only to Napa, sending that real estate cost higher....all while exacerbating the already strained water table....cultivating the grape crop. "The Paso Robles Groundwater Basin in San Luis Obispo County is classified as a high priority, critically overdrafted basin" link

Have you looked into real estate pricing in various areas within the county ? I do my on line searching by plugging in: "real estate for sale in Los Osos, CA" for instance. Change the city name and start browsing.

If it were me, and unless I had ties to that area, I'd be looking elsewhere.



Regards
Gemstone1

[Vic Romano]

I think it's possible, but it depends where in SLO County. Probably has to be away from the coast.

Santa Maria/Orcutt is probably your best bet, which is south just of the border with SLO County.

[wac_432]

Maybe, depends on your definition of "comfortably". Is the non-income-earner going to stay at home? That helps reduce your costs, as they can take the kids to all the free stuff that abounds.

We moved to a more expensive coastal area south of there on 90-ish K/year with a family of 4. We take a $3000 vacation yearly, go skiing, surfing, camping, boating out to the islands, etc. on weekends (and weekdays to beat the crowds). We paid around 0.5M for the 4br/2ba house a mile from the beach (it was a steal, even at that price, just before the current housing bubble inflated).

That said, we are smart about our money and keep our total bills (insurance + utilities + food + everything else--not including mortgage and property taxes) below 3K/month. It's not like we're riding around in fancy cars or buying lots of toys, but--with the beach, islands, and mountains so close, what do we need all that crap for, anyway? We're out of the house at a park, playground, trail, etc, most of our free time. Home is for eating, washing your stuff, and relaxing a bit only AFTER the sun goes down. Took the kids skiing yesterday. We'll probably hit the beach tonight.

The ONLY thing driving COL here is housing, but it's huge. Our 500K house is worth 900K now (but only maybe 150K in some inland flatlander state), and no way we could afford what it's currently worth. However, the housing bubble will pop sooner or later, and it'll come back down into the 600's or so. The biggest favor you can do yourself is to wait out the bubble and buy when the market bottoms. You'll get a MUCH better location than you'd imagine if you just be patient and buy in with careful intent.

Anyway, it's totally do-able. But only move out here if you want to live the California Dream. Hiking, biking, wine, craft breweries, coffee outdoors, camping, sailing, surfing, going out on the town year-round; all that.

If you want to get fat, never see the sun, merge into your couch or the seat of your SUV, and have your primary source of entertainment/activity be yelling angrily at people playing with balls onscreen in a big house in some frozen or sweltering hellhole, don't move here. CA doesn't fit that sort of lifestyle.

[Hawk J]

Years ago my family & i had many wonderful, enjoyable times fishing , camping, exploring, taking photos of Naciemiento Lake, San Antonio Lake, Arroyo Seco river & area.


We have many fun memories of times around Paso Robles/SLO/Camp Roberts/Fort Hunter Liggett & fishing ponds...

[MechAndy]

SLO is beautiful.
I think it is a gem that most people don’t get.
Good luck to your adventure.
All the best.
Andy.

[AustinTraveler]

You would do fine in North San Luis Obispo County. Look at Atascadero, Templeton and Paso Robles.

You have to be careful where you live if you choose Santa Maria/Orcutt area. Plenty of gangs and crime there.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

SLO is beautiful.
I think it is a gem that most people don’t get.

I completely agree. The OP will be fine on that salary there.

[2011KTM530]

90-100K is doable for a family of five, but it will be tight. Your going to be Buying a two bedroom condo in Grover City or Oceano and kids will be in bunk beds. I think you might be on the edge of public assistance with 5 people in the household, so look into being on welfare and food stamps. Might as well get some tax payer money. I lived in that area for over 50 years and finally made my escape last year to another state. Best thing I ever did. SLO county is a nice area with great weather if you like to do stuff outdoors. But in the last five years it’s really gone down hill from what it used to be as I was growing up. Lots of homeless bums moving in and more on the way. Traffic is getting insane, daily traffic jam on the 101 going north to SLO and going south in the afternoon. Mostly driven by the wage slaves pouring out of Santa Maria, the most affordable housing in the area, to service the elite in SLO city. I could go on about how where I was as a kid we could shoot guns, ride motorcycles, camp, hike, build forts, 4x4, hunt, ect. but all that area is now cookie cutter homes, McMansions, golf courses, paved roads and no trespassing signs. Bottom line, it’s very expensive, the infrastructure is stretched to capacity, and it’s crowded with refugees from Los Angeles, the Valley and the Bay Area. And all the problems you have with a dense population and over regulation and........ it will just get worse.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by 2011KTM530

I think you might be on the edge of public assistance with 5 people in the household, so look into being on welfare and food stamps. Might as well get some tax payer money.

What? Since when does a family of 5 qualify for welfare on a salary of $90-100 K in San Luis Obispo county? We are not talking about living in Brentwood or Newport Beach.