value of living in CA (environment, student loan, debt)

[samssf]

I am a young 26yr old guy who is considering a move to SF. I am from Denver and want to live in a more urban, hip environment... with better weather, etc. Anyway, I am currently undecided, so I thought I'd get an idea for how much people value living there.

I'd basically lose about $1000 per month in income by living there, and have a somewhat smaller place to live. The size will be ok since I've been downsizing and getting rid of most of what I own. My question is: to any who has lived in both SF (or other parts of CA) as well as more rural areas with poorer climate, would you rather have an extra $1000 a month in income for spending or saving, or would you rather enjoy living in CA?

Thanks for any advice you can give regarding CA =)

[gccpsy]

Hi Samssf,
I moved to SF in March 07 from Denver. I have a great job and enjoy the weather but personally I would rather live somewhere else. I left a 3,000 sq ft home in Dener and initally moved to a 510 sq ft apt. That got old fast and I moved to the Pennisula and like it better. I have lots of room and its quite lush, and I am only 30 min from the city. The problem is it's still very expensive out here. I mean everything. Gas, food, clothes, housing, etc... it's hard to save $$ for a home if you are not making a good 6 figures. I would suggest a visit and talk with some of the locals your age (lots of them here) and make a decision. It is definitely a great place for a while, which is what I am doing. Also, the city can be a bit mean.... hard to make long term friends... not like Denver or other places I have lived. Best of Luck.

[EscapeCalifornia]

In a few years when you're married and thinking about kids, you'll wish you'd stayed in Denver where you can afford a nice house without needing to make $200k/yr. I've lived in California all my life and at some point, the weather becomes less important and being able to afford a decent house and to support a family becomes more important.

[fam421]

I moved away from the Bay area years ago and wished I never had. There is nothing like the Bay area. You really can not generalize California. Living in California and living in the S.F. area are like comparing apples and oranges.
The Bay area has so much to offer when it comes to quality of life. I do know that quality of life is different for everyone. But for me quality of life is a mild climate, not too hot and not dealing with heavy snowy winters, diversity, culture, entertainment, beatiful cities, lots of outdoor sports like surfing, saililng, hiking, cycling, the snow is only 3-4 hours away if you want to ski or snow board. The city stays alive until late at night. Just unlimited things to do.
At 26 you will have a blast and if you get one of those 6 figure paying jobs you can raise a family and never leave.
I left and now it is very difficult to go back. Because of the housing market. It is very hard to go from what you have in another state and move into something much smaller for twice the price. That is the down side.
I think at 26 you should go for it and see what S.F. has to offer you. I think you will love it. If it does not work out you can always move back to Denver.
Good luck.

[vastlife]

well i'm about to move from sunny southern CA (just west/north of malibu) and i cant wait to be near a city. Yes, the weather and beach access is great, but there's nothing to do. I'm single and north of my 30s and most of southern CA is suburbia,spreadout and families.

I'm originally from NY, lived in various areas around the US and am pretty happy to be moving to the san fran area - probably the east bay.

[AA702]

I think if your single, the Bay Area is a good place to live. If you have a family, you better bring home 2 6 figure incomes. They say if you are to buy a 300K home you should make 100K. Most decent homes are 500K and up.

But if you want to put more money aside and buy an affordable home..its not the place. I grew up in the South Bay and I struggled to make ends meet and I made 80K. I was paying taxes up the ying yang because I had virtually no tax write-offs. I wanted to live comfortably and put aside money every month instead of blowing it on the cost of living.

[samssf]

Thanks for the reply. I make about the same as you, so you'd be a good comparison. You say it was hard just to make ends meet... was most of your income spent on housing? What size was your apartment? Roommates? Did you have debt?

I don't need a whole lot - I actually have no debt, so I wouldn't be spending money on a car payment or student loan, etc. I plan to keep my current job (software developer) for a little while once I am there, and work from home. Tech jobs in CA don't seem to pay much more than that for 3 yrs experience. I also don't need a big place since I've sold a lot of what I own, and just have a few pieces of simple furniture and my laptop.

Originally Posted by AAPoolServiceLV

I think if your single, the Bay Area is a good place to live. If you have a family, you better bring home 2 6 figure incomes. They say if you are to buy a 300K home you should make 100K. Most decent homes are 500K and up.

But if you want to put more money aside and buy an affordable home..its not the place. I grew up in the South Bay and I struggled to make ends meet and I made 80K. I was paying taxes up the ying yang because I had virtually no tax write-offs. I wanted to live comfortably and put aside money every month instead of blowing it on the cost of living.

[samssf]

Thanks for the info. I definitely don't make a 6-figure salary (more like 80k), and doubt I'll find much more than that out there since there's a lot of competition for jobs and I don't have a very impressive resume. However, I don't need a whole lot either - I don't have debt and I'm not planning on getting married any time soon, and I don't have a lot of belongings. 510sq ft is very small, but I only have a few simple pieces of furniture and my laptop. The more I think about it, it just seems like having a big house isn't that important unless you need it to raise a family. It's very nice, and I like the feel of having an awesome place to go home to, but at the end of the day it just doesn't seem to be worth the price one pays.

I doubt I'd be able to save much money in SF for a home, but it's important for me to be able to invest some money for the future. But I think I'd rather spend my money on doing fun things, traveling, etc.... than on a big home in Denver unless I was planning on living here for a long time, or raising a family.

Originally Posted by gccpsy

Hi Samssf,
I moved to SF in March 07 from Denver. I have a great job and enjoy the weather but personally I would rather live somewhere else. I left a 3,000 sq ft home in Dener and initally moved to a 510 sq ft apt. That got old fast and I moved to the Pennisula and like it better. I have lots of room and its quite lush, and I am only 30 min from the city. The problem is it's still very expensive out here. I mean everything. Gas, food, clothes, housing, etc... it's hard to save $$ for a home if you are not making a good 6 figures. I would suggest a visit and talk with some of the locals your age (lots of them here) and make a decision. It is definitely a great place for a while, which is what I am doing. Also, the city can be a bit mean.... hard to make long term friends... not like Denver or other places I have lived. Best of Luck.

[samssf]

What if you didn't start a family? How much would that change things? I'd love to live in a nice home (I only have a small condo in Denver even) but I don't plan on starting a family anytime soon, so it seems like it would be wasted space for me.

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

In a few years when you're married and thinking about kids, you'll wish you'd stayed in Denver where you can afford a nice house without needing to make $200k/yr. I've lived in California all my life and at some point, the weather becomes less important and being able to afford a decent house and to support a family becomes more important.

[gccpsy]

Not really since I am past that point.. of raising children. Sounds like you made a good decision for you and your family.
I have no regrets about the decisions I make. I am enjoying CA at the moment, I've traveled a bit and have lived in many places, this one is no different than all the others I have adjusted to eventually and I am lucky enough that I can leave if I want.

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

In a few years when you're married and thinking about kids, you'll wish you'd stayed in Denver where you can afford a nice house without needing to make $200k/yr. I've lived in California all my life and at some point, the weather becomes less important and being able to afford a decent house and to support a family becomes more important.