Is California the most expensive state in which to live? (Los Angeles: real estate, house)

[Rwarky]

Current and former Californians, do you know or believe that California is the most expensive state to live in? Also, is the high cost of living worth living in this state?

[sav858]

Totally depends on what part you live in, CA has huge disparities in housing prices from region to region.

Also there are states with higher taxes than CA and we are not the highest taxed state like some like to claim.

Most expensive state to live in would be Hawaii. I'm also thinking some Northeastern states might rival CA is the COL category.

[sonarrat]

I was going to say, that would be Hawaii. In terms of taxes, New Jersey takes the cake. They have not only some of the worst taxes on individuals, but also the worst tax environment for business, which has a heavy impact on wages.

[18Montclair]

I agree with Hawaii as far as everyday items like gas, food, entertainment etc. Everything there is ridiculously expensive compared to anywhere Ive ever been on the mainland.

[NYSD1995]

NYC metro has high home prices, high property and income taxes, and high heating, cooling, and transportation costs.

As a whole though, I would say CA has higher home prices overall. There are still places commutable to NYC where a decent starter home costs 400k, schools are top-notch. These are established areas with character and community, not some far-flung exurban tract.

[Mumof3]

I definitely think that it is the most expensive place to live because a good area costs alot more than a crappy area - ( and they are expensive as well). You need to factor into the equation private schools if you have kids and live in the undesirable neighborhoods. So it does get very expensive just to have that constant sunshine I feel.

[esmith143]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

There are still places commutable to NYC where a decent starter home costs 400k, schools are top-notch. These are established areas with character and community, not some far-flung exurban tract.

I don't think so. Not unless you define "commutable" as "1 hour one way on public transportation to Penn Station". (which, in my dictionary, would be very much exurban).

There is a lot of variability, it's impossible to say if CA is overall more expensive than NY or MA. It's 10 times more expensive to live in Silicon Valley than in Bakersfield. But there's no question that Los Angeles and San Diego are cheaper than New York City and probably cheaper than Boston.

[JakeInSoCal]

California holds the position of the most expensive city in the country. With any other cities here scattered in other parts of the list. The most expensive places in the U.S. are in Southern California, the New York area, and some places in Florida.

[Jonotastic]

I lived in:

Alaska
California
Florida
Washington
Australia

...and by far Caifornia is the most expensive. Especially in terms of taxes, real estate and rent.

Now is it worth it? That depends...

I don't think Southern California is worth it. The design of the cities are the same in many states (which isn't a bad thing), spread out, shopping malls, shopping centers, franchises, traffic etc. However, it's just a bit older and dated. I don't think it's worth the cost of living because you can move to Florida and get a much nicer house with an ocean that isn't freezing and an ocean that is blue.

San Francisco on the other hand is not your typical city. It's built on 40 hills with breath taking views. There is so much culture, nightlife and food. You can find many different Ethiopian, Fillipino, Moroccan, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, American, Afghan, Burmese etc restaurants. Most of them are owner operated so they aren't the typical Panda Express or P.F. Chang processed food. You can walk out your door and find restaurants, bars, stores all within a couple blocks. If you want to go out and get drunk, public transportation is available and easy to use and convenient. I miss San Francisco, when I'm hungry at 2 am and know the only options are fast food. Where as San Francisco I knew some amazing Vietnamese, Thai and Indian restaurants that were open 24 hours or until 4 am. It just is really different than any other city I've been to in the world and especially in the United States.

Is it worth it...that is a tough question. I have the option to buy a $350,000 house anywhere in the United States, which will get me a nice house in Florida, a great house in Vegas or a studio (maybe a small 1 bedroom) in San Francisco. If money was no object, by all means I'd choose San Francisco. I think it's a great experience to live there, even if it's just for a couple years. You can also make a lot more too. However, the rest of California, the real estate prices make it not worth it. I can deal with the taxes, but not living in a city that is just like anywhere else in a house 1/3 the size and triple the cost.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by Jonotastic

Is it worth it...that is a tough question. I have the option to buy a $350,000 house anywhere in the United States, which will get me a nice house in Florida, a great house in Vegas or a studio (maybe a small 1 bedroom) in San Francisco. If money was no object, by all means I'd choose San Francisco. I think it's a great experience to live there, even if it's just for a couple years. You can also make a lot more too. However, the rest of California, the real estate prices make it not worth it. I can deal with the taxes, but not living in a city that is just like anywhere else in a house 1/3 the size and triple the cost.

$350K will get you a house in the Ingleside or Excelsior districts of SF. Not a nice one, but you can always make it yours. Just sayin'..