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Old 03-30-2010, 01:08 PM
 
Location: State of Jefferson coast
963 posts, read 3,025,312 times
Reputation: 1326

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Quote:
Originally Posted by billu View Post
hosuing budget for renting is b/w 1000-1500 per month....
Sorry, but like so many who aspire to move to California you need a major reality check. You're looking for California living on a Texas budget...ain't gonna happen. California salaries may look perfectly adequate to someone with a Texan's sense of what a dollar is worth, but your discretionary spending budget will be much less and may disappear altogether.

37 million people live in California. It's a crowded state with a lot of housing demand and not that much supply. The only places that are less expensive are those that are less in demand for one reason or another. They are in places that get quite hot for long periods in summer, are inland more than a hundred miles from the ocean, are very remote, or are chilly rainy or foggy for long periods of time.

Ironically, you are part of the very demographic that is fleeing California in record numbers: mid-career professionals who are thinking about starting a family. Planning to move to an area that has the lowest salary-to-cost-of-living quotient in the nation isn't exactly the kind of financial penalty that makes sense when kids put a huge dent in your pocketbook. After moving to CA, you should plan on it taking at least a decade to build your financial worth back up to where it was when you left Texas.

I'd also be wary of medical recruitment outfits. If a health-care facility can't find enough applicants locally to fill their openings, there's usually a good reason why. Those might very well turn out not to be jobs with long-term stability and good working conditions.

Last edited by Brenda-by-the-sea; 03-30-2010 at 01:20 PM..
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Old 03-30-2010, 07:34 PM
 
64 posts, read 117,286 times
Reputation: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea View Post
Sorry, but like so many who aspire to move to California you need a major reality check. You're looking for California living on a Texas budget...ain't gonna happen. California salaries may look perfectly adequate to someone with a Texan's sense of what a dollar is worth, but your discretionary spending budget will be much less and may disappear altogether.

37 million people live in California. It's a crowded state with a lot of housing demand and not that much supply. The only places that are less expensive are those that are less in demand for one reason or another. They are in places that get quite hot for long periods in summer, are inland more than a hundred miles from the ocean, are very remote, or are chilly rainy or foggy for long periods of time.

Ironically, you are part of the very demographic that is fleeing California in record numbers: mid-career professionals who are thinking about starting a family. Planning to move to an area that has the lowest salary-to-cost-of-living quotient in the nation isn't exactly the kind of financial penalty that makes sense when kids put a huge dent in your pocketbook. After moving to CA, you should plan on it taking at least a decade to build your financial worth back up to where it was when you left Texas.

I'd also be wary of medical recruitment outfits. If a health-care facility can't find enough applicants locally to fill their openings, there's usually a good reason why. Those might very well turn out not to be jobs with long-term stability and good working conditions.
thanks for your input. the salary range that both me and my wife are being offered for CA is combined around 170k.....i mentioned 1000-1500 dollars for rented apartment as a guess estimate......instead of discouraging,could you let me know what combined salary of both spouses would lead to a comfortable life in CA?the main reason for my move is my wife's parents are there and they dont want to move to texas as they have been in CA all life...this decision has nothing to do with mid-career moves etc etc..we are looking for an area in CA that would be comfortable for us and not too far away from her parents in oakland.....thanks a lot for your post
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Old 03-30-2010, 07:51 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,537,811 times
Reputation: 17829
Quote:
Originally Posted by billu View Post
the salary range that both me and my wife are being offered for CA is combined around 170k....

what combined salary of both spouses would lead to a comfortable life in CA?
What does "comfortable" mean?

It's easier to find a home you can afford based on your salary than it is to change your salary to match what home you want to buy.

With that, what is your down payment? Add that to what you can borrow with a $170K income. That's about what you can afford if you have no other obligations.

Plan on having two spouses work indefinitely?
What about when kids come along? Daycare costs if you live prohibitively far from your inlaws for the free child care?
Then, factor in those obligations, maxing out two 401(k) or 403(b)s, two Roth IRAs, college savings accounts for future kids, life insurance, auto insurance, etc.
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Old 03-30-2010, 07:54 PM
 
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
2,901 posts, read 12,702,971 times
Reputation: 1843
If you can up that rental budget to 2K, that would be better.
But even in Santa Cruz county (for example) which is very expensive you could find a pretty nice place for $1500 ... not easily and i'm not sure what you mean by "live comfortably".
Someone said that all you could find for that place would be tiny .... not necessarily and these days rental prices seem to be a bit lower than they were a few years ago (before the economic crisis).
To get an idea of rental prices in the state, take a look at Craigslist.
It sounds like you probably want to be somewhere in the bay area (which on Craigslist will include Santa Cruz county) or Monterey county given the location of your family members.
craigslist: california classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
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Old 03-30-2010, 08:00 PM
 
Location: The High Seas
7,372 posts, read 15,962,600 times
Reputation: 11866
If you're going to live in the Bay area, you'll really want to live close to your jobs, otherwise you'll hate your commute.
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Old 03-31-2010, 11:38 AM
 
30,873 posts, read 36,815,390 times
Reputation: 34457
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brenda-by-the-sea View Post
Sorry, but like so many who aspire to move to California you need a major reality check. You're looking for California living on a Texas budget...ain't gonna happen. California salaries may look perfectly adequate to someone with a Texan's sense of what a dollar is worth, but your discretionary spending budget will be much less and may disappear altogether.

37 million people live in California. It's a crowded state with a lot of housing demand and not that much supply. The only places that are less expensive are those that are less in demand for one reason or another. They are in places that get quite hot for long periods in summer, are inland more than a hundred miles from the ocean, are very remote, or are chilly rainy or foggy for long periods of time.

Ironically, you are part of the very demographic that is fleeing California in record numbers: mid-career professionals who are thinking about starting a family. Planning to move to an area that has the lowest salary-to-cost-of-living quotient in the nation isn't exactly the kind of financial penalty that makes sense when kids put a huge dent in your pocketbook. After moving to CA, you should plan on it taking at least a decade to build your financial worth back up to where it was when you left Texas.

I'd also be wary of medical recruitment outfits. If a health-care facility can't find enough applicants locally to fill their openings, there's usually a good reason why. Those might very well turn out not to be jobs with long-term stability and good working conditions.
I'll second what Brenda said, especially the 2nd to last paragraph.
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Old 03-31-2010, 11:41 AM
 
30,873 posts, read 36,815,390 times
Reputation: 34457
Quote:
Originally Posted by coyoteskye View Post
If you can up that rental budget to 2K, that would be better.
But even in Santa Cruz county (for example) which is very expensive you could find a pretty nice place for $1500 ... not easily and i'm not sure what you mean by "live comfortably".
Someone said that all you could find for that place would be tiny .... not necessarily and these days rental prices seem to be a bit lower than they were a few years ago (before the economic crisis).
To get an idea of rental prices in the state, take a look at Craigslist.
It sounds like you probably want to be somewhere in the bay area (which on Craigslist will include Santa Cruz county) or Monterey county given the location of your family members.
craigslist: california classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
It's true, rental costs have come down. But that's only 1/2 the story. As soon as the economy picks up, if only moderately, the landlords will mercilessly jack up rents, as they always do. The only exception would be if you could rent from a local or mom and pop landlord, who are relatively scarce compared with the corporate landlords who run and manage most apartment buildings.
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Old 03-31-2010, 12:27 PM
 
Location: California
37,081 posts, read 42,050,241 times
Reputation: 34890
If you have family in Dublin I would suggest you start there. There are several medical facilities and hospitals within commutable range from there and it is also the end of the BART line which allows for even more transportation options. It's also in the middle of your other family in SJ and Oakland so you can stay in touch easily. It's family friendly, has good schools, etc. as well. The weather is ideal. You housing budget should start around 2K for an apartment, you can probably find something cheaper but it might not be up to your standards but that's your call. After living here for awhile you can decide if it's worth it to have kids and raise your family here, or head back to Texas.

You will not be near the beach, very few people in CA are actually, but you can get there easily enough when you feel like it.
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Old 12-13-2012, 09:07 PM
 
7 posts, read 8,966 times
Reputation: 10
Hi Bilu,

Did you ever decide on a job/location? I'm a speech path in Chicago considering moving to the west coast (I lived in TX for a few years, too). I'm just starting the search. I'm interested in a school position. I'm later in my career, have already had a family, so I'll be moving on my own. Saw your thread and wondering if you ever decided on something. Any recommendations for another speech path?
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Old 12-16-2012, 02:29 AM
 
6,802 posts, read 6,687,739 times
Reputation: 1911
Quote:
Originally Posted by billu View Post
thanks for your input. the salary range that both me and my wife are being offered for CA is combined around 170k.....i mentioned 1000-1500 dollars for rented apartment as a guess estimate......instead of discouraging,could you let me know what combined salary of both spouses would lead to a comfortable life in CA?the main reason for my move is my wife's parents are there and they dont want to move to texas as they have been in CA all life...this decision has nothing to do with mid-career moves etc etc..we are looking for an area in CA that would be comfortable for us and not too far away from her parents in oakland.....thanks a lot for your post
You might consider Pleasanton. Nice town, with a commute of 35 miles or so on BART into Oakland or commute on the 580 freeway. Your salaries would be more than sufficient for living in Pleasanton comfortably.

The weather is moderate for being off the coast, with average highs in the 80's.

Pleasanton, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walnut Creek is also a nice town, close to Oakland/SF
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