Offered a job in Chula Vista (live in Waco TX) (Los Angeles: hair salon, apartment)

[JorgeZepeda]

I was recently offered a position in Chula Vista as an engineer at UTC Goodrich. I have been to Chula Vista a few times and really like the area. However I am a bit concerned because I was offered significantly less than I currently earn in Waco. My motivations for moving include the fact that I am from Southern california and my family and friends all live in Los Angeles. So me life will be better personally in Chula Vista as I will have access to all of them. However, can a single male live a good life for less than $80k in Chula vista given taxes and cost of living? Texas is much cheaper and I do expect to have to make some sacrifices...but I am concerned I will be underwater accepting the position.

[hitman619]

80k for a single male?
You'll be just fine.just live within your means and you should be able to live very comfortable here.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

So, if you are making more there and the COL is lower there, what do you think you would be missing financially by moving here?

The point is there are folks that make more and make less than 80k and live in CV. Its totally subjective, but generally speaking you should be fine.

[sfosyd]

Bear in mind your pay cut will feel like a lot more because of the income tax in California as well as the hugely increased cost of living.

Yes, overall a single male can live well on 80k in the area but I would ask myself is this job going to help my career? Will I learn a lot, is there opportunity for advancement? It's always tough to take a pay cut, and this would be an especially bad one because of the cost of living difference and because it is voluntarily so weigh your options carefully and don't do something you will regret just to get out here.

I know some folks who work there and they end up travelling a lot to Hartford and Montreal, both of which are very difficult to get to from San Diego.

Good luck

[earlyretirement]

Well it's impossible to answer that without knowing how much of your higher salary you make now you are banking? Do you have a spreadsheet of what your NET income is and what your total expenses/obligations are each month? Because that's the first thing you should do.

What is "significantly less"? How much less? And sfosyd makes an excellent point it will feel much less because of the State income taxes here in California which is some of the highest in the country vs. Texas' 0% State income tax. The cost of living here in California is much more than Waco, Texas. I mean Waco is in the middle of nowhere as you know. Rent there is DIRT cheap compared to the San Diego area (even in the Chula Vista area).

Be honest with yourself and see what kind of a lifestyle you lead/live. What are your goals in life? To rent forever, to buy? Where? Etc. Will you be an eternal bachelor? Will you have a family someday, etc?

You need to factor in all of these things. If you are asking if $80,000 salary is enough to support a single guy in San Diego? Absolutely.

Figure out how much you will have at the end of the month after ALL expenses and debt obligations and what your goals are in life.

Doing a quick check of what your net paycheck would be with single filing status with 1 Exemption it's around:


Monthly Gross Pay $6,666.67
Federal Withholding $1,200.31
Social Security $413.33
Medicare $96.67
California $420.02
SDI $66.67


Net Pay $4,469.67 per month in San Diego. $53,640 per Year in San Diego.


So you have to ask yourself what are your expenses each month including any debt obligations? Make a spreadsheet and what do you come up with as your total expenses after you add ALL of these things (ignore what is not applicable to you as a single guy).

Monthly Cost of Living


-Mortgage or Rent
- Property taxes if you own
-Phone (Land line and Cell phone, blackberry, etc)
- Utilities (gas, water, electricity, cable, internet, etc)
- HOA fees (if you own vs. rent)
- Maintenance and repairs (if you own a property)
- Car payments
- Car insurance
- Auto Fuel each month for each car
- Registration fees for your car each year
- Maintenance on your car to include car washes and oil changes
- Home/rental insurance for your property
- Life insurance
- Health insurance premiums
- Dental insurance premiums
- Medical/Dental expenses (what insurance won't cover)
- Prescription medications
- Annual fee for Credit Cards
- Clothes budget
- Dry Cleaning
- Health club / gym
- Beauty (hair salon for hair cuts, color, nails, make up, etc)
- Extracurricular activities dues/fees
- Entertainment (movies, theatre, plays, Seaworld, Zoo, concerts, sporting events, etc)
- Magazine/newspaper/Ipad subscriptions
- Dining out at restaurants
- Grocery budget
- Retirement savings contributions
- Charity/donations
- Travel / vacation expenses
- Federal/State/local income taxes
- Any revolving debt payments you might have
- Bad habit type stuff (alcohol, smoking, etc --- this doesn't apply to me but it does for many people)
- Emergency savings fund for any major health issues
- Non reimbursed office/work expenses and supplies


Tell me what your total expense when you add up this list is and I'll tell you if I think you can afford it or not.

[JorgeZepeda]

By accepting the position in Chula Vista I will be taking a $7300 pay cut. They will be covering my relocation and a VERY small signing bonus of $2000. I have done some research and found that I can rent a room in CV for roughly the same cost of my apartment here in Waco. The distance from the room will be 6.22 miles, whereas here in Waco I travel 18 miles (w/o traffic).
The position will not advance my career any, but it will also not be a step backwards in any way except the salary. I am not sure if there is really too much opportunity for advancement. I am a Sr. Engineer here in Waco an will be also in CV.
Here are some of my reasons for considering the move. In Waco I bank roughly $1850 per month (after bills paid)... So the money is really good. HOWEVER, I am alone in small town Texas and find myself traveling to fond any fun. True, I have traveled around the US now (as I have extra surplus income)...but in between travels i am VERY bored. There is almost NOTHING to do here even with friends. In fact most local friends are also leaving Waco.... 3 leave this month. My position here in Waco is stable but with budget cuts in military spending my role is being changed dramatically to something I dont care for.
In CV I will be close to friends and family who live in So Cal... which means no more flying home every 2 months. I think that there should be more local activity providing me with things to do on the weekends. However, as mentioned the income is drastically different.

[blakesq]

Jorge,

sounds like you are looking for a change. Go for it. Remember, nothing is permanent, if you do not like it, you can move back. good luck!

[phoenixmike11]

It sounds like while you will make less the quality of life will be better for you in san diego (which u can not put a price tag on)-your friends and family will be pleased you are nearby and there are a lot more things to do in LA/San Diego than Waco.

[ShelbyGirl1]

It's not like you would be poverty stricken. If you determine you can live on the new lowered salary, I would say "Welcome to Ca"! Family, friends and quality of life, rank high in my book! Wishing you luck in your decision.

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by JorgeZepeda

By accepting the position in Chula Vista I will be taking a $7300 pay cut. They will be covering my relocation and a VERY small signing bonus of $2000. I have done some research and found that I can rent a room in CV for roughly the same cost of my apartment here in Waco. The distance from the room will be 6.22 miles, whereas here in Waco I travel 18 miles (w/o traffic).
The position will not advance my career any, but it will also not be a step backwards in any way except the salary. I am not sure if there is really too much opportunity for advancement. I am a Sr. Engineer here in Waco an will be also in CV.

Here are some of my reasons for considering the move. In Waco I bank roughly $1850 per month (after bills paid)... So the money is really good. HOWEVER, I am alone in small town Texas and find myself traveling to fond any fun. True, I have traveled around the US now (as I have extra surplus income)...but in between travels i am VERY bored. There is almost NOTHING to do here even with friends. In fact most local friends are also leaving Waco.... 3 leave this month. My position here in Waco is stable but with budget cuts in military spending my role is being changed dramatically to something I dont care for.
In CV I will be close to friends and family who live in So Cal... which means no more flying home every 2 months. I think that there should be more local activity providing me with things to do on the weekends. However, as mentioned the income is drastically different.

Thanks for taking the time to post back. Nothing worse than "1 post wonders".

Well, NO WAY I could live in Waco. So I understand your point there. You are really in the middle of nowhere out there. It sounds like you're a good Engineer so you will probably have opportunities and options in the future.

Before deciding to take the Chula Vista position, what about possibly a compromise to moving to a bigger city like Dallas so you aren't in the middle of nowhere yet you still take advantage of the no state income taxes PLUS there it's not hard to meet people there. Dallas is night and day different than Waco.
Plus I bet you could make more in Dallas vs. Waco.

Still, if you're determined to move back then you can easily afford it. You will still be able to bank $1250 a month assuming you spend the same. But I think you are still taking the "best case scenario". Instead of budgeting for renting the room in someone's house/apartment it's better to budget for renting your own place so your budget is more realistic.

People when moving often times make the mistake of trying to force themselves into thinking they can live as cheap as they did back home. San Diego is a different type of market. And plus you never know if that roommate situation will work so better to budget from the standpoint of what does a nice 1 bedroom apartment go for if you had to move out and live on your own.

Plus you WILL spend more in San Diego vs. Waco. You will be out and about and even though you live close to work you will still be out and about on your free time, etc.

As well at least you are honest and being realistic when you said "the position will not advance my career". I think it's ok to make lateral moves as long as you're not losing a lot of seniority to walk into a "time bomb" dead end job. Know what I mean? So think about that as well.

You can definitely afford it after reading your post but just change your budget to assume you will have your own place so it's more realistic. I'm not sure how old you are but I'd figure at least late 20's or early 30's? And at that age being a professional, do you really still want roommates? If so, how long? So budget more realistically from the housing standpoint.

Unless you have roommates in Waco, then I wouldn't budget using something totally extremely different. Best when making a move to do an "apples to apples" comparison with the same living conditions. That way you will be pleasantly surprised if you do decide to do the roommate thingy but if not, you don't want to be behind the '8 ball' and automatically have your budget all wrong. So see how much you have left over assuming you get your own place.

But definitely I totally understand your desire to move out of Waco! Good luck and let us know how it goes.