Cost of living in Folsom/EDH area (San Francisco, Sacramento: for sale, insurance)

[MapleLeaf]

I checked some stats for Cost of living in Folsom/EDH area on the Web...but is kinda confused with those: Median income, Mean income per household, for family......
I'm just curious how much should be approximate gross income for family per year with 2 school age kids in order to have high quality of life.... I mean: to own detached house in good area of Folsom/EDH, attend numerious sport activitis, travel several time per year (include Europe) and so on...
I don't need exact numbers....let's say which one of free looks appropriate $100K, $150K or $200K

[Shope]

Hard to say. I mean look at home prices at that will pretty much tell you what you need to know. With $100k you should be able to get like a 3 bedroom house and live a good life.

[MapleLeaf]

Except housing there are some other expences (comparing to Canada - Toronto) that is difficult to estimate. For example we have here 100% free helth care, not the case in US... also there are care insurance, home insurance, property tax, universities....
I tried to find site comparing Cost of living in US/Canada citis , but couldn't

[wburg]

Property tax in CA is generally 1% of the home's value per year. Taxes in CA are considered high (top tax rate is like 9% above federal taxes) but probably low compared to Canada. Health care here is generally employer-provided--you will have to talk to your employer to get that information. The closest university is Sacramento State, it is a state school so it is relatively cheap once you establish residency (about $1000-2000/semester.) Folsom is relatively pricey but $100K is perfectly feasible for a family income as long as you don't need a mansion or have outrageously expensive tastes.

But hey, cigarettes and gas are probably cheaper here.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by wburg

But hey, cigarettes and gas are probably cheaper here.

My favorite cigarettes Marlboro Light is not allowed for sale in Canada at all (getting it only from Duty Free)
Was wondering how prices of food, cloths, buzzzzz, electronic, entertainment comparale to Toronto

[wburg]

Food is probably a lot cheaper and better quality: the Sacramento/San Joaquin Valley produces about half the fruit and vegetables eaten in the United States, and we grow pretty much anything that you can eat, from nuts to rice to fruits to beef. Clothes depends on where you shop. Since you mentioned in the other thread that you live in a suburb rather than Toronto proper, you're probably asking more about Sacramento in terms of entertainment etcetera. Sacramento is a lot smaller than Toronto, so you probably won't see comparable levels of entertainment in Sacramento. We are about 2 hours from San Francisco, not exactly an easy drive after work but fun for a day-trip or weekend getaway, and there are a lot of entertainment options there.

[Jimbo15]

Its tough to say. Depending on your job, healthcare may be an employer paid benefit (your employer covers the cost of heathcare completely). An employer subsidized benefit (your employer pays part of the cost and you pay part of the cost) or if you are self employed a cost you pay yourself. Also taxes are lower here. Tuition and healthcare are more subsidized by the state in Canada, but you pay much higher taxes for those subsidises.

In terms of jumping from Canada to the US, this is probably one of the better times to do it. High oil prices have made the loonie strong versus the US dollar. Your purchasing power in the US is probably much stronger right now that it has been historically.

Food, clothes, electronics are goods purchased from world markets, so their cost isn't going to vary that much. Entertainment tends to be produced locally and that will vary depending on your interests. Again I think the issue will be a lot of what you liked in Canada, like Hockey will just be less available here.

[wburg]

Indeed, not much interest in hockey in a city that hasn't seen significant amounts of snowfall since the last ice age.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by Jimbo15

. Again I think the issue will be a lot of what you liked in Canada, like Hockey will just be less available here.

Actually i found out that at Roseville ice Rink there are Figure Skating club (for my wife and dauther) and adult hockey

[newbee54]

watch out for that naturally occurring asbestos and radon in El Dorado Hills and parts of Folsom.