Raleigh vs Colorado Springs vs NOVA vs California vs other (population, people)
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Like I said earlier, you get what you pay for. there are some really great cites in California, But it would be almost impossible to live comfortably with blue collar wages.
I don't think of Raleigh as a exciting place, (never been there) nothing like say San Diego or San Jose or Hawaii. But after blowing all my money living the good life in Hawaii, its time to let the rich have there playground all to themselves.
I am continually amazed how people often pass subjective judgment on somewhere in particular without ever having been there.
I am continually amazed how people often pass subjective judgment on somewhere in particular without ever having been there.
Sorry, I thought it would be a given that if I put "I've never been there" you would take for granted that my Opinion holds no weight. let me correct myself now just for the record. I have no idea if Raleigh is boring compared to Hawaii or Seaside of California. BTW even tho I have no idea, I still may be right.
If you have "some money" you can live comfortably in Raleigh. You have to be a millionaire to live comfortably in Santa Barbara.
Average household income in SB is $59k, average home price. $900k
Average household income in Raleigh $51k. average home price $250k.
Raleigh and especially it's suburbs have many upper middle class neighborhoods filled with high-tech and university employees...hardly "blue collar". Probably one of the most white collar and LEAST blue collar metros in the country.
If you win the lottery, Santa Barbara might be the ideal option. However if you are a "99%er", Raleigh is the far more ideal choice
Santa Barbara lost population in the last census while Raleigh grew faster than almost any other city/MSA. This suggests that SB is not just expensive, but in fact, OVERpriced.
I guess it depends upon one's definition of "some" money. $250K a year isn't rich anymore.
Sorry, I thought it would be a given that if I put "I've never been there" you would take for granted that my Opinion holds no weight. let me correct myself now just for the record. I have no idea if Raleigh is boring compared to Hawaii or Seaside of California. BTW even tho I have no idea, I still may be right.
Fair enough but why even speculate if you expect us to take for granted that your opinion holds no weight? I didn't mean to pick on you in particular; it's just that C-D is filled with speculative comments from lots of people who have never been to a particular place for which they pass some sort of subjective judgment.
Someone mentioned San Jose in an earlier post. I grew up in San Jose and go there often on business trips. I actually find Raleigh more fun. Then again, my perspective is from someone who lives in DT Raleigh, not the burbs.
Fair enough but why even speculate if you expect us to take for granted that your opinion holds no weight? I didn't mean to pick on you in particular; it's just that C-D is filled with speculative comments from lots of people who have never been to a particular place for which they pass some sort of subjective judgment.
Someone mentioned San Jose in an earlier post. I grew up in San Jose and go there often on business trips. I actually find Raleigh more fun. Then again, my perspective is from someone who lives in DT Raleigh, not the burbs.
Again, in Santa Barbara...it probably isn't. In Raleigh; $250k/year is fairly well off and gives a person a lot of buying power across the board.
With that sort of income, a family of four in Raleigh could live in a very large home in a very nice neighborhood and send the kids to private school. If they lived somewhat more modestly but still comfortably, they could buy a second home at the coast or in the mountains for weekends/holidays. I would imagine a similar situation for Colorado Springs (without the access to the ocean) I just checked an online cost of living comparison calculator and it said that Santa Barbara was 101% more expensive than Raleigh.
With that sort of income, a family of four in Raleigh could live in a very large home in a very nice neighborhood and send the kids to private school. If they lived somewhat more modestly but still comfortably, they could buy a second home at the coast or in the mountains for weekends/holidays. I would imagine a similar situation for Colorado Springs (without the access to the ocean) I just checked an online cost of living comparison calculator and it said that Santa Barbara was 101% more expensive than Raleigh.
People are voting with their feet on this one. Santa Barbara's population shrank by 4.4% in the 2000s...Raleigh's grew by 47%. If SB were such an amazing place to live that it warranted such a high COL with a very disproportionately low avg income...wouldn't its population still be growing? And on the flip side; if Raleigh was only affordable because it was such an undesirable place to live...wouldn't its population be decreasing?
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) I just checked an online cost of living comparison calculator and it said that Santa Barbara was 101% more expensive than Raleigh.
