Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thank you for the Californians moving to Cary link. Reading it over, I realized I have already seen it. I've spent so much time on this amazing website. It has priceless insight into other areas and opinions that I find very helpful. Thank you for the suggestion that my husband looks at the rental forums
It really is relative. Your salary will be lower, and while you may have more in your pocket now, you'll have less later versus if you stayed in LA. For us the big reasons for moving were traffic, snow, slightly slower pace of living, and newer housing stock.
I wouldn't recommend moving here (or anywhere) for cost of living alone.
m378, I did ask my husband what his reasons are for considering a move. (I know mine) He said it was for financial reasons. I told him that isn't enough. If we do want to lower cost-of-living we could just move to Bakersfield or Central CA. He did say that he also likes the location for potential travel destinations and the politics. We will see what we think when we visit.
One of the reasons I know I can live with Raleigh's Summers is that here in Santa Clarita it is 100+ from mid June through mid September. I know there's humidity there but here I feel like my bones are on fire. So I'm accustomed to staying indoors a lot until the sun goes down
m378, I did ask my husband what his reasons are for considering a move. (I know mine) He said it was for financial reasons. I told him that isn't enough. If we do want to lower cost-of-living we could just move to Bakersfield or Central CA. He did say that he also likes the location for potential travel destinations and the politics. We will see what we think when we visit.
Just out of curiosity which side of the political spectrum? I lean slightly right and was surprised at how left/liberal this area is. Particularly the school system (not sure if you have kids).
Location-wise, 2 hours from the closest beach, more than that to nice beaches. 3 hours to the closest mountains. Medium sized airport, so not a ton of direct flights.
Not trying to talk you out of it - I love this area. I just think coming from CA might be a little bit of a shock without as much financial gain as expected.
m378, we're kinda right in the middle; nonpartisan. I understand where both sides are coming from on most things. I am worried about coming out and finding that it isn't as much as a financial gain as I thought. I have a really good job that has its issues but I like to say we're in Golden handcuffs bc we are treated very well so that we won't leave. I wouldn't want to give that up and then find out the grass isnt really greener on the other side. (Well...grass really is greener though, everything's greener there)
One of the reasons I know I can live with Raleigh's Summers is that here in Santa Clarita it is 100+ from mid June through mid September. I know there's humidity there but here I feel like my bones are on fire. So I'm accustomed to staying indoors a lot until the sun goes down
I do not agree with whomever stated that you will be indoors 5 months of the year. When I lived in Texas, that was the case. Not so here. I am out 4-6 times a week playing tennis and it is not that bad. I feel you can be out doing things all year long. It really is a nice place for the out of doors.
m378, we're kinda right in the middle; nonpartisan. I understand where both sides are coming from on most things. I am worried about coming out and finding that it isn't as much as a financial gain as I thought. I have a really good job that has its issues but I like to say we're in Golden handcuffs bc we are treated very well so that we won't leave. I wouldn't want to give that up and then find out the grass isnt really greener on the other side. (Well...grass really is greener though, everything's greener there)
If you own real estate in CA, you're going to see much more rapid gains than you will here. The one nice thing about high cost of living areas is, if you own real estate, assuming you aren't refinancing every 5 years, you're forcing savings. Once you're ready to retire (which if you're like me, is as soon as absolutely possible), then you're sitting on a nice asset that will help you retire earlier to a lower cost of living area if you choose.
You can do the same here, but you have to take the 5-10k a year (or more) that you're saving on your monthly mortgage payment and taxes versus what you'd spend in CA, and sock it away. Most people don't do that, and instead buy huge new houses, nice cars, vacations, etc.
If you own real estate in CA, you're going to see much more rapid gains than you will here. The one nice thing about high cost of living areas is, if you own real estate, assuming you aren't refinancing every 5 years, you're forcing savings. Once you're ready to retire (which if you're like me, is as soon as absolutely possible), then you're sitting on a nice asset that will help you retire earlier to a lower cost of living area if you choose.
That's a great point. I've read some articles saying that prices in Raleigh-Durham are on the rise similar to what happened in Denver and Seattle. There are lots of jobs there so you may sitting on a gold mine : )
We bought a house in LA in 2008 after the crash and stayed in it until 2018 so we made some money off of it and used it toward our new house but when you sell high and buy high it's kind of a wash; especially if you're upgrading which we did. Now what would've been great was to sell the house in LA and go directly to Raleigh but I hadn't thought about moving out of state just yet. Oh well! We really have so much to be grateful for no matter where we are.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
