Let's get really really real about the cost of living in SoCal (Oceanside: transplants, sales)

[thx316]

First, I will say we are coming from 45 min. outside Boston in Massachusetts. So we are coast to coast movers, comparisons to Buffalo, St. Louis, Tulsa, etc. will be different, but here is my first hand experience.

1) Apartments. Same price. We found a 2 bedroom, 2 bath in a nice complex for $1560.00. Olympic size pool, gym, laundry, security. 940 sq. ft. We found 15 additional apartments at or under our $1,800 per month budget. We are in Vista. 14 min. to the ocean via Carlsbad. The other 15 apartments ranged from Oceanside to Otay Ranch. Most had pools, gyms & nice grounds.

2) Gas. Gas is nuts out there. $3.40 vs $2.65 in MA. We will have to pay attention to our travel, and utilize public transportation when possible. That being said.... We are 15 min. to the ocean, not 90 like at home, so less driving.

3) Food. Here is a list of things that are actually CHEAPER in CA: Strawberries, Raisins, blueberries, cereal, wine, watermelon, cherries, MOST fruits and vegetables. Fish. Tacos, all Mexican takeout. Fast food burgers (in-n-out VS five guys) and this was a survey of the stuff we usually would buy.

4) sales tax: 3% higher than Mass.

5) tolls. Zero tolls in CA. $50+ a month to get anywhere in eastern MA. Offsets the gas a bit.

Overall the difference are negligible. We spent last week there getting everything all set. We move in late July.

Once there I'll answer any questions for potential transplants.

I also wanted to thank everyone for answering all my dumb questions. It was a huge help in deciding what to do.

[mascool]

We are moving to north county in a week. Are your views still the same? We are looking in Carlsbad and surrounding areas.

[BodegaHead]

North county SD is cheaper than other areas of SD though. I've been thinking about moving to the Oceanside area cause the Bay area is ridiculously expensive & I'm not in the tech industry. So yeah, CA isn't too bad in parts compared to other parts of the country but if you wanted to rent in LA Jolla, Del Mar or up in parts of Orange county the rent would be way higher than Vista. So really real, parts of SoCal are semi affordable or moderately expensive while the rest of the areas are insanely expensive!

[bloom]

thx316 or anyone: What's the income tax rate difference between CA and MA ?

[sfosyd]

The difference for most people is about 4.2%

Mass has a flat tax of 5.15% for all incomes while CA has a 9.3% rate on income between 50,000 and 250,000. The CA tax rate can go all the way up to 13.2% on incomes over a million. If you make between 18k and 28k you will come out a bit ahead in CA with only a 4% rate but I would not wish that income on anyone in CA!!

My guess is the OP is from the Worcester area because of the mention of tolls and being 45 minutes from Boston. The big difference is buying real estate, for 300k around Worcester you can get a nice home in a better school district than almost anywhere in CA, Mass schools are ranked #1 in the U.S.

300k in Vista will get you a condo or a shack with poor schools.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by thx316

We are in Vista.

Stopped reading right there. So you basically live in Phoenix, but at twice the price, and with much worse housing and amenities. Congrats.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by USDefault

Stopped reading right there. So you basically live in Phoenix, but at twice the price, and with much worse housing and amenities. Congrats.

Um, no. Phoenix is not comparable to Vista.

[UKWildcat1981]

I heard condos in La Jolla are like 5k a month thou, that town has it going on

[Cardiff Kook]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Um, no. Phoenix is not comparable to Vista.

Agreed, that comparison is rubbish

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Originally Posted by USDefault

Stopped reading right there. So you basically live in Phoenix, but at twice the price, and with much worse housing and amenities. Congrats.

I have had plenty of issues with Vista, but that's pretty off the wall!