Aside from property prices, property taxes and gas, is California that much more expensive than other states ? (Fresno: income, living)

[saibot]

Originally Posted by BeccaJune75

I find that grocery prices are also much higher

That depends a lot on where you choose to shop, unless you live in an area where there aren't many choices.

I can buy a bunch of organic cilantro at Whole Foods for $1.49, or I can buy a similar bunch at the ethnic market for 15 cents.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Did you have to take a salary cut or were you able to keep your California salary while working remotely?

No salary cut. I actually moved here to restart my business as I thought it would be a better environment. I had been investing in real estate and saved so much living here I was able to buy more real estate. In the end I was making more money from rentals than when I ran my business so I never restarted it. Instead of buying a house I rented as it was cheap and used the money to buy rentals.

For me I make the comparison based on my income here which would be the same if I lived in California. What I bought here I couldn’t come close to duplicating in California.

I know salary is a big deal as to whether you come out ahead. My friend moved out of California a year before I did and worked for Cisco and kept his same salary. He was able to buy a nice new home but couldn’t when he lived in San Jose.

Had I started my business my rates would have been the same, but it’s way different for me than for others who look for salaried work.

When you came out here, was your salary going to stay the same?
I see you are in Danville, one of my favorite towns. At one time for several years I had hoped to someday buy a home and live there.

[BGS91762]

Originally Posted by saibot

That depends a lot on where you choose to shop, unless you live in an area where there aren't many choices.

I can buy a bunch of organic cilantro at Whole Foods for $1.49, or I can buy a similar bunch at the ethnic market for 15 cents.

That’s very true. I find that if I shop at places like ALDI or the ethnic markets the prices are great especially for fruits and vegetable. Go back to my parents in Minnesota and am shocked at the prices.

[evening sun]

Plus the freshness of fruits & veg from Farm stands is wonderful.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by evening sun

Plus the freshness of fruits & veg from Farm stands is wonderful.

That is true, but not unique to CA. However usually a wider variety.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by Racer46

That is true, but not unique to CA. However usually a wider variety.

And...year-round, whereas in many states farm stands/farmer's markets are seasonal.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

When you came out here, was your salary going to stay the same?
I see you are in Danville, one of my favorite towns. At one time for several years I had hoped to someday buy a home and live there.

At the time, it would've been a modest pay increase for me and I would've come out ahead. The role would've represented a promotion, but with a different company.

I was looking at homes in the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area and would've been able to pay for all/most of it with the equity I have in my current place. I have since joined another company and my salary is well above where it was 3 years ago at my prior company, mostly in the form of stock. I actually didn't have the competing offer at the time (was a year later when I took my current role), so that wasn't a factor.

I really liked Atlanta. Alpharetta is a bit like Danville, although seemed a little more conservative (I tend to skew a bit liberal on social issues and moderate on fiscal issues). That wasn't the main factor. I turned down the offer because I didn't like some things I noticed about the company culture when I was out there interviewing (don't want to mention this publicly on this board).

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

At the time, it would've been a modest pay increase for me and I would've come out ahead. The role would've represented a promotion, but with a different company.

I was looking at homes in the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area and would've been able to pay for all/most of it with the equity I have in my current place. I have since joined another company and my salary is well above where it was 3 years ago at my prior company, mostly in the form of stock. I actually didn't have the competing offer at the time (was a year later when I took my current role), so that wasn't a factor.

I really liked Atlanta. Alpharetta is a bit like Danville, although seemed a little more conservative (I tend to skew a bit liberal on social issues and moderate on fiscal issues). That wasn't the main factor. I turned down the offer because I didn't like some things I noticed about the company culture when I was out there interviewing (don't want to mention this publicly on this board).

Alpharetta is nice, but I love Danville a lot more. Since you could easily afford both I think I also would have chose Danville all other things being equal

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

Alpharetta is nice, but I love Danville a lot more. Since you could easily afford both I think I also would have chose Danville all other things being equal

Yeah. If I were to make the move at this point, I'd probably look at one of the communities ITP.

[citizensadvocate]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

People generally don't choose moving to LA or the Bay Area due to the cost arbitrage (see other thread).* On the other hand, there are times when their incomes more than make up for any cost of living adjustments.

Interesting. I guess you mean people avoid the Bay Area and LA because its too expensive. Though many people's jobs do require them to be in those cities. Though I heard that medical and nursing careers pays most in Central Valley where cost of living are lower.*
I guess if you are Celebrity, actor or singer, people*who can earn a star on Hollywood Blvd, your income would make up for cost of living adjustments and be able to afford a mansion in among the most expensive zipcodes*in the country.*

Sierr

Originally Posted by janellen

So it's hot there for three months huh?* Hey that's no hill for a climber. I'm an inland California resident and I turned on my ac at the start of May and it will run pretty much continually until mid October. We've had 42 days of 100+ here so far this summer. Let's face it, unless you live pretty close to the ocean, California is hotter'n hell in the summer.* Even just up the road from me in the as, they've been having quite a few 90+ days, and that's at around 6,000ft. With the exception of the coast and maybe parts of the mountains, California weather kind of sucks. It's not only hot in the summer, but it can get foggy/overcast cold in the winter. Spring and Fall are super nice, and spring

Many posters saying it only gets two weeks that you wish you have A/C I find that is a big misconception at least where the bulk of the population lives in this state at least outside of San Francisco and Eureka.* Even though its true that it may not be as hot as other parts of the desert southwest nor as uncomfortably humid as the South and Southeast of the US. Anywhere 5 miles to 30 miles inland especially in the southern half of the state which the bulk of the population lives in, gets a good amount of days that warrant use of A/C thus anyone that says its*only two weeks is covering up the truth or pretending it that way. Remember Irvine/Santa Ana/Tustin is about six miles inland. In reality its two to four month worth total of heat enough to trigger the A/C for at least an hour a day even if its always set at a sweltering 84 degrees F in a contemporary home/apartment, one month or up to two recently with humidity recently, Hello climate change, no longer a dry heat? Also triple digit or 38C+ temperatures can occur for week long episodes anytime between May and Halloween.* Also recently an increasing number of years the monsoonal moisture cuts off the cool seabreezes on the beaches as well thus makes beach side apartments especially upstairs ones that face west unbearable as well. Surprisingly I am surprised that so many households that are quite inland still holding out on getting even a room unit as well as homes built as late as 1993 without standard A/C, even though they have no crossbreeze as they are built in the A/C age. Though don't that doesn't mean that its always comfortable in CA just that people are stubborn or the powers make it too expensive as to discourage it.*