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Old 07-21-2015, 02:52 PM
 
631 posts, read 748,880 times
Reputation: 482

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Quote:
Originally Posted by 909er View Post
CA people like to give that "heating bill" argument, including some people I know. They say "it takes a few hundred to heat that house in the winter in the Midwest".

So...a few hundred in heating bills, for 4 months a year, makes the Midwest cost of living equal California??? No.
Exactly, but you're still going to get the " Hurrrrrrr, California is better anyways." at the end of the tunnel during the conversation.

 
Old 07-21-2015, 02:55 PM
 
Location: TORRANCE
190 posts, read 214,192 times
Reputation: 223
Quote:
Originally Posted by 909er View Post
CA people like to give that "heating bill" argument, including some people I know. They say "it takes a few hundred to heat that house in the winter in the Midwest".

So...a few hundred in heating bills, for 4 months a year, makes the Midwest cost of living equal California??? No.
The fact is if you think LA is too expensive for you to live in, you probably won't have a much better time in NY, SF, NJ, and other high COL cities. Debating whether NJ is cheaper than LA is akin to comparing cost of a BMW versus that of a Mercedes. LA is BMW and NJ is Mercedes. Both are expensive. Nobody is forcing you to buy BMW and nobody is forcing you to live in LA. If you don't have the money to buy a BMW, go buy yourself a Ford and drive to the Midwest.

On the other hand, there are many careers where one gets a definitive edge due to that city being a magnet for a particular industry (keeps employers honest with compensation and makes it easy to hire talent). NY is great for finance, DC for law, Boston for biotech, LA for entertainment (and other industries too)... It doesn't mean there aren't finance/law/tech jobs outside of those cities, it just means these are hubs where talent concentrates, and the cream of the crop are compensated well enough to live there and enjoy what that city has to offer. LA has a lot of offer but to enjoy it, you can't be just getting by.
 
Old 07-21-2015, 04:36 PM
 
28,113 posts, read 63,642,682 times
Reputation: 23263
Know plenty of elderly homeowners that do just fine with Social Security... as in $2,000 to $2200 per month... they own homes and cars.

A lot depends on lifestyle...

I help several and typical gas and electric averages $80 a month year round... heat, hot water and freezer, etc.

Property Taxes around $150 per month and all pay the medicare supplemental insurance which is another $200 a month...

They live well... do what they enjoy and don't go out much or travel... they love working in their gardens and giving away produce...

Doubt any of them would save much moving away from the Bay Area... if you drive 3,000 miles a year with a car that gets 35 mpg or better... it really doesn't matter much if gas is $3 or $4 a gallon...
 
Old 07-21-2015, 04:43 PM
 
Location: Southridge
452 posts, read 619,447 times
Reputation: 432
Quote:
and the cream of the crop are compensated well enough
Cream of the crop, my left cheek
 
Old 07-21-2015, 04:53 PM
 
Location: TORRANCE
190 posts, read 214,192 times
Reputation: 223
Quote:
Originally Posted by 909er View Post
Cream of the crop, my left cheek
As someone who is now unemployed but too busy convincing others why LA sucks instead of retooling your own skill set, you wouldn't know what cream of the crop is.
 
Old 07-21-2015, 07:10 PM
 
2,005 posts, read 2,086,726 times
Reputation: 1513
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner View Post
Know plenty of elderly homeowners that do just fine with Social Security... as in $2,000 to $2200 per month... they own homes and cars.

A lot depends on lifestyle...

I help several and typical gas and electric averages $80 a month year round... heat, hot water and freezer, etc.

Property Taxes around $150 per month and all pay the medicare supplemental insurance which is another $200 a month...

They live well... do what they enjoy and don't go out much or travel... they love working in their gardens and giving away produce...

Doubt any of them would save much moving away from the Bay Area... if you drive 3,000 miles a year with a car that gets 35 mpg or better... it really doesn't matter much if gas is $3 or $4 a gallon...
Property taxes $150/month….man I wish that was the case in the coastal northeast… Many people I know are paying well over $1k a MONTH in property taxes...
 
Old 07-21-2015, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles (Native)
25,303 posts, read 21,443,353 times
Reputation: 12318
That's insane $1k per month. How much are the houses valued at?
 
Old 07-21-2015, 09:21 PM
 
28,113 posts, read 63,642,682 times
Reputation: 23263
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaDoo342 View Post
Property taxes $150/month….man I wish that was the case in the coastal northeast… Many people I know are paying well over $1k a MONTH in property taxes...
The couple I bought my home built it new in 1958 and after 46 years moved to a retirement community... they paid $100 a month in property tax and the moment it became mine the property tax went to $750 per month... actually it went from $1200 to $8800 and now is $9400... for a 1958 home of 1725 square feet.

Not complaining because I knew going in my taxes would be going up 7 to 8 times...

On the other hand... the low taxes are a huge reason the couple I bought my home from were able to stay as long as they did...
 
Old 07-21-2015, 09:43 PM
 
10,097 posts, read 10,004,423 times
Reputation: 5225
The knee jerk reactions to the rent increases in LA is pitiful. They sound like the right wing reactionary comments ppl give when someone complains about the situation all over the US, "if ya don't like it, git out, go to Cuba or Canada, commie".

People need to vent. Let the OP vent. Nothing wrong with it. Rent is going up. Those SF prices are making their way down here, albeit it's not THAT bad. My apt complex is renovating and pushing the costs on the tenants. They're exempt from rent control laws so they're raising rents on all of us by 400 bucks! I kid you not. Luckily I can afford it but I'm still pissed.

But the major issue is that salaries don't pay as much here for the cost of living due to to all the cheap labor and the hordes of doe eyed newbies willing to work for less. In some fields pay is higher but in most the pay is only slightly higher or the same. The posters in here saying otherwise are FULL of crap.

Some ppl are struggling with the changes and it's ok to not like it. They don't need an insufferable clod telling them to shut up and move to Podunk, Iowa. Others are joining advocacy groups for higher wages and affordable housing initiatives to lobby the city. So not all are just complaining and lying down.

I just think that ppl who tell others to "shut yer trap or move" seem to enjoy the stick being shoved up their backside.
 
Old 07-21-2015, 09:49 PM
 
Location: Laguna Niguel, Orange County CA
9,807 posts, read 11,134,777 times
Reputation: 7997
Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1982 View Post
That's insane $1k per month. How much are the houses valued at?
Uh, that's the cost of a home in the 900s or even a cheaper place that has Mello Roos. It is really not that high.
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