rent higher, sales tax a little higher, state income tax, what other reasons make it sooo expensive??

[cl723]

Getting your hair done will be more expensive. I don`t know if hairdressers are doing this everywhere in Cal but some are charging $35 for a haircut and another $35 if you want it blown dry.

[taapple]

Originally Posted by cl723

Getting your hair done will be more expensive. I don`t know if hairdressers are doing this everywhere in Cal but some are charging $35 for a haircut and another $35 if you want it blown dry.

Ya, its $60 here in Houston for a trim! Ouch, hence I leave with wet hair

[elsa137]

Originally Posted by taapple

That $80-$150 electric bill here is for a 700 square foot apartment!! And unfortunately, its pretty much year round here due to our climate. The crime and theft here is also through the roof, therefore so is insurance.

Sounds about right... I live in Houston too and we spend $350/ month minimum on electricity in the summer on our 1800sf house. In the winter we can get it down sometimes to $150-200. Houston is too darn hot!! That's one of the main reasons we're getting out and moving to South OC next year. See you around the farmer's markets!

[Bob's Burgers]

Gasoline in California is about 30 cents higher per gallon because of the added fees from the state.

[Dunbar42]

$1k a month in other bills is going to take a big chunk out of your disposable income. I'm going to guess $70k equals about $3700 a month take home assuming you make a 401k contribution. Subtracting $1000 a month from that is basically what I started out living on when I moved out here. I was basically spending every penny I had each month so just beware of that. You really need to be at $3000+ a month to be comfortable IMO.

You can definitely live for less, get roommates etc. but I personally don't want to live like a broke college student.