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Old 06-07-2011, 07:41 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,813 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi all,
just wanted to get some feedback. We are thinking of moving from Orlando to San Diego. We have a combined income of around 200K. The move would not increase our income much and we have a 1 year old and 2 year old. Right now we own a beautiful renovated home with 1/2 acre, 2600 sq ft, a pool etc... I love the idea of SD and the weather etc BUT am worried that making this move will really kill us financially! Is the cost of living out there really terrible? I have been looking at houses for rent and it seems pretty crazy! Of course I have NO idea of the areas I'm looking at! Has anyone out there done this move with little kids? I would be looking for something within a reasonable commute to the Bay Front area of San Diego...and great schools. Any help would be great!
Thanks!
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Old 06-07-2011, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Alabama
3 posts, read 4,787 times
Reputation: 10
Best advice that I can give ya is "don't do it"! Your house equivalent will cost you nearly a million or more. Stay put or move to Tampa...good luck.

Antonio
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Old 06-08-2011, 08:02 AM
 
Location: 92037
4,630 posts, read 10,276,114 times
Reputation: 1955
Quote:
Originally Posted by sperbarn View Post
Hi all,
just wanted to get some feedback. We are thinking of moving from Orlando to San Diego. We have a combined income of around 200K. The move would not increase our income much and we have a 1 year old and 2 year old. Right now we own a beautiful renovated home with 1/2 acre, 2600 sq ft, a pool etc... I love the idea of SD and the weather etc BUT am worried that making this move will really kill us financially! Is the cost of living out there really terrible? I have been looking at houses for rent and it seems pretty crazy! Of course I have NO idea of the areas I'm looking at! Has anyone out there done this move with little kids? I would be looking for something within a reasonable commute to the Bay Front area of San Diego...and great schools. Any help would be great!
Thanks!
sperbarn,

ORL and SAN are two different animals. I have fairly decent knowledge of Orlando as I worked out there for a year. Generally the most desirable suburbs of SD are like Heathrow, Lake Mary in regards to the newness, layout and schools. There are also older parts of town here that are just as desirable and comparable more to Winter Park.

For one, no, the cost of living is not that terrible, its just that there are trade offs. Some of these trade offs favor some peoples lifestyle choices better than others. Just dont expect what you have now, here, expect different. ORL real estate is geared towards the larger lots and houses. So in the summers in ORL, I would have to go somewhere indoors during the day because it was just too hot. You dont get that here, lots of time is spent outside year round. However, if that is not what you are into, SD IMHO is waste if prefer the indoors.

You probably wont get .5 acre and 2600 sq ft house for under 800k here with good schools etc...that is being optimistic. For rent I can imagine for something comparable to the best of what ORL has it would be about 5k min/mo.

What I remember about ORL is that its just a steam bath with random tropical storm like conditions in the summer. It simply doesnt exist here. I live inland where its slightly drier, warmer and cooler than the coastal area and maybe in the winter I ran the heating system once. I still havent run my AC yet. So utility bills have a tendency to not spike as badly as ORL.

There are lots of things to do here especially for families. There are some theme parks around here but nothing like ORL. I dont have kids, but any of the regular posters here could probably share the kid experiences much better.
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Old 06-11-2011, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Wherever I want to be... ;)
2,536 posts, read 9,931,794 times
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I moved from Orlando to San Diego a little over 2 years ago and, to be honest, it was the best thing I ever did. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.

As schmoov said, comparing Orlando to San Diego is like comparing apples to oranges. The lifestyles/layouts/weather, etc is sooo different here than Orlando.

However... the cost of living is more expensive here, so just keep that in mind. With an income of over 200K you shouldn't have an issue, however. Just know that for the same amount of money a house here will be considerably smaller and older than what you could get in Orlando. Other than housing and having a state income tax I don't find much else to be more expensive here than in FL, though.

Good luck!

Last edited by thepinksquid; 06-11-2011 at 01:52 PM..
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Old 06-11-2011, 06:50 PM
 
17,815 posts, read 25,642,029 times
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Well the reason it costs more it is a better way of life.

Having lived in both states CA wins hands down. And other than buying a house there isn't a huge difference in costs.

FL is more expensive when it comes to groceries and car insurance. Homeowner's insurance is more in FL.

In Southern CA you can be outdoors most of the year and enjoy warm, moderate, and dry temps.

In FL, and especially central FL you are a prisoner of A/C for most of the year.

Most people prefer 76 degrees with low humidity vs 95 degrees with 85% humidity on a daily basis for months and months.
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Old 06-11-2011, 06:56 PM
 
Location: tampa bay
7,126 posts, read 8,655,613 times
Reputation: 11772
What is there to think about??
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Old 06-11-2011, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Mission Hills, San Diego
1,471 posts, read 3,340,069 times
Reputation: 623
when you say you have a "combined income" does that mean you are self employed and you can do your work here, or you assume you will both get jobs here for what you are making there? If there is an assumption involved- honey, don't do it.
If it is the former...then I personally would go for it. Having lived in FL for many years I would be willing to make some major adjustments to live here instead. It is a 1000 times better here-if you can make ends meet. That said I would rather be in FL for 200,000 then moving to S. cal without a job and assuming I would make the same here. Assuming is disastrous
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Old 06-11-2011, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Over There
402 posts, read 1,406,517 times
Reputation: 779
Cool San Diego with kids. . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by sperbarn View Post
. . . San Diego. . . .combined income of around 200K. . . . and we have a 1 year old and 2 year old. Right now we own a beautiful renovated home with 1/2 acre, 2600 sq ft, a pool etc... I love the idea of SD and the weather etc BUT am worried that making this move will really kill us financially! Is the cost of living out there really terrible? I have been looking at houses for rent and it seems pretty crazy! Of course I have NO idea of the areas I'm looking at! Has anyone out there done this move with little kids? I would be looking for something within a reasonable commute to the Bay Front area of San Diego...and great schools. Any help would be great!
Thanks!
I am not exactly sure what your complete financial picture looks like. If you own your FL house outright, have a 200K income, little to no debt, and good credit--you SHOULD have no trouble qualifying for a nice house in a nice neighborhood within a great school district. As for COL: you make enough money to live in SD without a doubt.

Search school districts first. Poway usually has some of the highest ratings, but there are many "Distinguished Schools" in SD County. There are also many places within a decent commute of the Bay area.

When I first moved to SD County, my son was 18 months old. SD has so many great attractions & activities for small kids: museums, concerts (Seasme Street, etc.), beaches, Sea World, Legoland, the Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park, etc.

If you want more info, message me.
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