What is the cost of living in California? Please help!

[Marv101]

Columbus has grown a ton over the past 30-40 years while Cincy & Cleveland continue to lose residents by the thousands; I'd go to Ohio St., which is a very good public university, and pursue your career and education there.

[mitsua1]

Nope, not sour grapes at all. I said CA is a beautiful place to live; just not affordable on a $2000 a month income. And the food prices, housing, gas and general cost of living plus the lack of medical services outside the metro areas doesn't make it suitable for retirement.

I moved here from a metro NYC area (NJ) so it's not like I moved here from a rural community and so wasn't prepared for the prices. But i can say that the cost of living here is higher than the NYC metro area and you get more house and more land for your money back east.

THere are many affordable (not undesirable and very safe) areas of NYC and NJ which still provide access to major medical centers, education. etc, but there are no affordable areas of CA near major metro areas. I checked out LA. SF, and SB. A million minimum for a decent home with some land in these cities. $600k-$800K buys you a tract home; maybe a nice home but still in a tract development.

It's true property taxes are higher in NJ, but utility and water costs are way lower, plus libraries stay open longer and they don't charge to borrow books.

As far as the comment last gasps from the defeated -- that is exactly the type of elite superiority and smug attitude I found in the folks who are living well here and have enough income from whatever source to find it amazing some mere mortal wouldn't be able to manages.

[Marv101]

California is not a haven for retirement unless you're extremely well-off financially, and that's been the case for over two decades.

There's an excellent cost-of-living calculator on the http://www.cnnmoney.com website.