California suburbs to Indiana suburbs

[ImmerLernen]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

Sales tax in Indiana is 7%. This is to offset low property taxes. Sales tax in California is 7.25%.

Renewing my plates cost just under $50.

Sales tax in my city in LA County, CA is 10%. It's 9.75% in the city next door, but our voters approved the extra .25% last year. Hardly anyone votes (percentage-wise), and if a proposition is advertised as "for the children" or for "public safety" it will pass.

Just got my bill for renewing my plates on a 2002 sedan...it's $144...and I need a Smog Check at a special station. (I'm not against the smog check, but it is an extra expense on a bi-yearly basis.)

[sheerbliss]

My car, whose plates I updated for $50, is a 2003 sedan. No smog check required here. Not sure how Indiana isn't overall dramatically less expensive than California.

California is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[ischyros]

Originally Posted by Caliraiderette

Ischyros- I will look up Meijer. Ive never heard of that. But I love suggestions. Yes I knew there was a tattoo shop in Carmel. It was the first thing I looked up! And I wanted to see if they needed any help, like a receptionist because I would fit right in! Also thanks for the suggestion about bug candles. Its worth a try. Although my cats love to knock over candles so Im limited on where I can put them! 9pm sunsets? And the bugs are only bad around that time?? Is this just in the summertime? Im thinking its too cold for skeeters in the cooler months? I do love sunset... its my favorite time of day to enjoy being outside. I always watch the sun set over the ocean and its one of the most beautiful sights. But at least that means most of the day you be outside bug free??

Winter is definitely bug free and a good, long cold period during winter is necessary to kill off bugs that are trying to keep alive until spring. As cruel as that sounds, summers after a mild winter typically are buggier than summers after a very cold winter. A wet spring can also lead to more mosquitoes and unfortunately April and May are typically our wettest months of the year. There is usually a very nice period in Spring and Fall when it's cool enough that bugs aren't an issue and warm enough to still feel comfortable outdoors, though maybe not in shorts. It's typically the humid, muggy evenings in summer, when you may not feel like being outside anyway, that are the worst for mosquitoes.

Originally Posted by popcorn247

Regarding ponds and mosquitos: Ponds have fish in them. Fish LOVE to eat mosquito larvae. Its the puddles left after a heavy rain..... that stay for several days - this is the type of water that mosquito larvae might be present and hatch out. Ponds are not a problem.

I could not have said this better myself. Those ponds are just retention ponds but usually spruced up with fountains and stocked with fish. The ponds don't cause mosquito problems, as long as they aren't just stagnant (thus the reason most have fountains). It's when there are places water is allowed to pool after a rain and just sit for a few days. That's where mosquitoes come from. Making sure your property doesn't have any place like that can help keep mosquitoes at bay.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by ndindy

You can look up rents and housing prices without our help, and while it’s more affordable, it’s not like there are 500/month apartments and cheap houses where everyone wants to live. Those highly sought after places do have a premium with prices that can approach Southern California.
The weather is variable. Some years have mild winters-others have winters than are cold, dreary and never seem to end. Hope this is helpful.

I think Indiana is much cheaper than what I've seen and heard from when compared to southern CA. In the Indy metro area, a very nice apartment can be had for $800ish/month. If you want downtown urban living, you can find very nice at $1,100, but you can still find no frills, but clean and near Mass. Ave. for around $800 if I recall correctly (this means no pool, no fitness center, no granite counter tops, no stainless steel appliances, etc.). Everything I hear about LA and San Diego is that a nice apartment there could be around $2,000/month. $11Kish more a year for rental housing is a lot of money. That being said, if someone is making $85K/year, it might be worth it to live in LA or San Diego. If someone is making only $50K/year, then that just means a lot less money to do anything with. My relocation is still up in the air. I'd like to be near mountains and closer to a nice beach. S. CA offers all of that, but unless my wife and I drastically increase our income if we moved there, I just don't see it as a place to be. We have a brand new, all brick, 2,000+ sq. ft. ranch on a basement and any similar house out there (from what I saw a few months back) would likely be about twice the cost or more ($700K-$1M depending on the location).

My industry pays around $110-$120K in the metro areas, with OT available. I hear it is common for those in the business to make $150Kish. However, I also hear even that isn't much for a single family income, and even if the spouse brings in $50K, $200K is pushing it if you ever want to own a home and be able to save money for the future. $500K will get something that looks OK in El Cajon, but it will be an older home, average updates, small lot, and small living space. We'd both need to make at least $150K/year to match our day-to-day style of living here in Indiana.

[ndindy]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

My car, whose plates I updated for $50, is a 2003 sedan. No smog check required here. Not sure how Indiana isn't overall dramatically less expensive than California.

California is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

State taxes in Indiana. Yes, the state tax rate (payroll tax) is 3.23%, but you have to pay locality taxes to the city, county and township in some cases. Marion County has an additional 2% on top of the 3.23%, and they you have the city and township. Most people aren't paying less than 7% in state and local taxes in their paychecks. You aren't paying 7% in the state of California unless you make more than $230K/year.

The sales tax is 7% in Indiana and 7.25% in San Diego. (I know LA and San Fran are higher.) Indianapolis charges 9-10% sales tax on food and beverages, making dining out more expensive.

License plates...if you have an older car, yes your plates are inexpensive. My Lexus was $689 in Indiana and then $244 in California. (it would have been less, but it was an SUV)

Where does California cost more.......housing. Anywhere, close to a large city or nice suburb is PRICEY. I totally concede that. In San Diego, the entry point for a single family house is probably $400-$500K, way above what you could get in Indiana. And that probably won't be something you can raise a family in or entertain easily. In a good school district in a newer, "suburban" style home, you are looking at 700-800k. I do get this is makes it a significant challenge for most families.