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Hi there! We need some information about living expences in San Diego with two children (6 and 3 years old).
- How much is it after taxes?
- How much on groceries a month?
As we can see there is accommodation for around 2000. Thanks a lot for your answers!
Your net income would greatly depend on your deductions/allowances/exemptions on that 75k. Try using one of the many paycheck calculators online. Otherwise, groceries aren't any more here than they are elsewhere--and there's a great variety of farmers' markets in San Diego.
I think 75k is certainly do-able, but some on here might say it is a bit tight considering you have dependents.
Hi there! We need some information about living expences in San Diego with two children (6 and 3 years old).
- How much is it after taxes?
- How much on groceries a month?
As we can see there is accommodation for around 2000. Thanks a lot for your answers!
Doable renting. Aside from the insanity of real estate prices, everything else in the area is on par (and sometimes cheaper) than the rest of the country. For example, many things are much more convenient here. Grocery stores, gas stations, shopping, eateries, etc....all are within a short hop from just about anywhere in any of the more populated areas of the county. Gas is higher, sure. But taken into consideration the fact that you don't have to drive 10 miles to each stop while running errands, and it all evens out. Also, gas prices vary a lot here. I just paid 3.39 this morning, however I saw several other stations selling at 3.99 today. Find a good station, and stick with it.
Your net income would greatly depend on your deductions/allowances/exemptions on that 75k. Try using one of the many paycheck calculators online. Otherwise, groceries aren't any more here than they are elsewhere--and there's a great variety of farmers' markets in San Diego.
I think 75k is certainly do-able, but some on here might say it is a bit tight considering you have dependents.
Absolutely thepinksquid is correct It's all relative and it also depends on the type of lifestyle you live. $75,000 to one person might be enough but for another it's no where enough. So it all depends on your quality of life. You have to see what your spending where you live now. I've posted it many times but you MUST make a spreadsheet with every single expense you spend to figure out what comes in and especially what goes out.
Just make sure to properly figure in ALL taxes including State and local. The tax burden here is higher than many places.
Also, much of how much you spend on groceries just depends again on lifestyle. Like you we have two kids (3.5 years old and 2 years old) and we spend around $500 a week on groceries (to include things like diapers and household cleaning supplies). I tell some of my friends that amount and they look at me like it would be impossible to spend $2,000 a month on groceries. But we find it easy to spend that much on groceries. We don't particularly watch what we buy and eat a lot of meat and fresh fish which is not so cheap. We once in a while go to Whole Foods but it's mostly at Albertson's, Ralphs or Stater Bros.
But my point is that it just all depends on what you normally buy. As someone else mentioned, the grocery stores here aren't too much different than many areas around the country. As others mentioned, there are great farmers markets here. Just about every area has their own farmer's market. You can see many of them here: Farmers Markets in San Diego - Find locally grown produce: San Diego County Farm Bureau
The biggest expense will be on housing. Either buying or renting. With 2 kids I'd think you want to be in a really good school district so you have to see what size property you need and look at what rents are in the school district you want to be in. Also, if you have a 3 year old, you have to factor in pre-school at least 1 year and probably two years. Most pre-schools are around $900 per month so make sure to factor that in.
I also agree that $75,000 is probably doable with no kids but a big part just depends on what type of quality of life you live and also what revolving debt you might have. With kids and also keeping in mind saving for retirement, and also 2 college funds, I'd say $75,000 isn't enough with 2 kids.
We couldn't make it here on $75,000 a year with 2 kids but I'm sure many people can and do. Do yourself a huge favor and put down on a spreadsheet what you currently are spending each month where you live now. And be realistic and include ALL expenses including things like toys for the kids, clothing for the kids, entertainment with the kids, etc. I see so many budgets of people and they don't include regular and ongoing expenses like that and you MUST if you have kids.
Automobile fuel is also much higher here vs. other places around the country. I wouldn't discount this expense, especially considering you will most likely have 2 cars and depending on where you live you might be going longer distances.... Also, many cars you have to use the premium fuel or if you use Diesel it's much more expensive here vs. other places. Part of this year diesel here was as high as $4.70 a gallon and even now most places are still over $4 a gallon. I bought a diesel SUV and the fuel efficiency is better but it's pricey filling up.
Some things are less like car insurance. That was a nice perk to find out car insurance was cheaper here vs. other places we lived. But I wouldn't let anyone tell you that there are many things here cheaper than other places around the country because that isn't the case for the most part.
Look at all your tax obligations and also any revolving debt payments and see how much you have going in and how much you have going out. Also, be VERY realistic and set yourself up for the future. Don't just live pay check to pay check and see if you can get by. Make sure you are stocking away savings for your retirement (you don't want to wake up at 50, 60 or older and figure out you have no net worth or significant savings) and if possible something for the kids education. There are plenty of other places around the USA where $75,000 will allow you to get "ahead of the game" but here in San Diego it's going to almost be impossible to really get ahead and plan for the future with 2 kids... but if you can REALLY afford it....... San Diego to me is paradise...
Last edited by earlyretirement; 12-14-2011 at 08:48 PM..
75K is about $4500 a month with 4% in a 401K. I am in a similar tax bracket and after I am done with insurance, taxes, benefits, 401k etc end up with around 72% of my gross. If you spend 2K on rent, here is a sample budget
Rent - $2000
Gas - $300
Insurance - $100
Water - $50
Heat and Electric - $150
Cell Phones - $100
Gym - $30
Groceries - $500-800?
Shopping - $200
Misc - $100?
About $3800..left with $700 to spare. You decide if this works for you.
You may get more deductions for 2 kids.
Definitey doable.
Although it depends if you need day care-is the 75k single or dual income? b/c dual would be rough-childcare costs are high anywhere.
Regarding school districts, and places where you can find a rental for 2k, these are my recommendations [based on living in SD in 3 different areas for 9 yrs total; i have children and we make less than 75k-but it's very tight for us.]:
Poway
Clairemont
Rancho Bernardo
Rancho Penasquitos
Carmel Valley
Carmel Mountain Ranch
Le Mesa/Mt. Helix
The top districts are Poway and Carmel Valley; finding a house for 2k in these areas will require looking, esp. carmel valley b/c they are all mainly 4 bedroom, but there are nice, upscale condo complexes there that would fit your budget, with all the resort amenities [pool, tennis, etc]. These are a great bonus when you have young children, we have found! Free entertainment close to home....(:
Poway is a good possibility for you.
The others will vary in terms of what you can find for 2k monthly, and schools vary in these districts. Check greatschools dot org for reviews and google the specific name plus school district for a list of schools. Also, check craigs list for some photos and ideas of what's available in your price range, in the mentioned locations.
Good luck.
I also think SD offers year round produce at great prices, and a ton of chain type deals. So eating healthy or unhealthy is doable and pretty affordable, IMO.
You know, I'm getting sick and tired of seeing the "you can't live there without making at least x dollars" posts when x dollars is significantly higher than the median income of the area.
Yes, if you just have to spend your money buying a house full of crap that you just end up putting in storage and have to buy a new car every three years and have the need to "keep up with the Jones" even though you hate their guts, maybe $75K isn't enough.
If, on the other hand, you actually take the time to be smart with your money -- do you really "need" a new car when the one you have is only four years old, for example -- then you can get by just fine.
It's all about prioritizing. Way too many people I know spend a lot of money on crap they don't need to impress people they don't even like.
One of my father's friends lives in La Jolla, and has a nice house with a view of the ocean. Know what kind of car he drives? It's not a Mercedes, Lexus, Maybach, Porsche, BMW, or Range Rover.
He drives a Prius. And his wife drives an Avalon.
He uses coupons when he goes out to dinner. His wife rinses off plastic plates and if they aren't scratched, she reuses them.
Does this mean they live a worse life or don't enjoy it? Absolutely not.
But if you listen to some people, since they don't drive the "right" car and eat off the "right" china and go to the "right" restaurants, they haven't made it.
There's a term that I can't repeat fully here. The sanitized version is "n-bomb rich." It seems that too many people are that way, and spend what little money they have on things that are irrelevant instead of being smart with their money. That's why they say you can't make it on x dollars, when thousands, no millions, of people are doing so with less.
You know, I'm getting sick and tired of seeing the "you can't live there without making at least x dollars" posts when x dollars is significantly higher than the median income of the area.
... It's all about prioritizing. Way too many people I know spend a lot of money on crap they don't need to impress people they don't even like. ....
I think there's a lot of truth in what you wrote, but it applies more to single people with no dependents. They have complete freedom in where to pinch pennies and where to spend. And if they find themselves suddenly needing a Plan B, they have much more flexibility in what they could choose to do.
For a family with children, it really is more expensive here in many ways than in, say, the midwest. That's simply financial reality. Is it worth it? That depends on all of the people involved in the move.
I think there's a lot of truth in what you wrote, but it applies more to single people with no dependents. They have complete freedom in where to pinch pennies and where to spend. And if they find themselves suddenly needing a Plan B, they have much more flexibility in what they could choose to do.
For a family with children, it really is more expensive here in many ways than in, say, the midwest. That's simply financial reality. Is it worth it? That depends on all of the people involved in the move.
Absolutely. I totally agree with this. Having the 2 or 3 kids is what is the "game changer" here and makes all the difference on trying to get ahead of the game here in San Diego.
I don't care about all the keeping up with the Jones stuff. I do live in a great area and drive nice cars but that's because I like them. I could care less what anyone else thinks about it.
But I still say living a good quality of life here with 2 kids and saving enough for a comfortable retirement is not going to be easy on $75,000 a year salary.
Tony does make a good point about people living a lifestyle they simply can't afford. There are tons of those types here. But there are everyday people with 2 or 3 kids that figure out that $75,000 salary isn't enough to live here. (Tony are you married and do you have kids? It doesn't sound like it.) Living in San Diego single or even married with no kids is quite different than having 2 or 3 kids.
We have plenty of families every few weeks that moved here at the beginning of the school year at our daughter's preschool and several of them have already decided to move as they figure out that they don't make enough here to live comfortably. Several families move out here with one spouse not having a job and thinking they will find a job much quicker. In many cases it takes quite a bit of time to find a job even if you are highly educated with a lot of experience.
I don't think anyone is saying "you can't make it here on $x salary". I think people are just giving you objective advice and what to look out for. And I wouldn't just go by what the median income is for the area. Many of these people making the median income are struggling and I'd venture to guess a very high percentage of them aren't saving adequately (if at all) for their retirement.
Just understand all of these things when moving here with kids. No one is saying you can't make it here on $75,000 a year. You just have to be objective about everything.
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