Is SD unrealistic for us? (Los Angeles, San Diego: low income, apartment, rent)

[NorthCountySDGal]

Agree that with a 450K price range, at least in North County, you'd be looking at Townhomes for the most part but that is totally doable and you can find these in areas with good schools. And some areas like San Marcos have a lot of Mello Roos fees in some areas, in addition to regular property tax so you'd need to check property by property, and this is true on townhomes, single family homes, whatever. As previously mentioned, that info should be on the Zillow/Realtor.com/Trulia sites. They will show as Additional Assessments, etc.


I think the salary you mention is adequate for this area. It is true in my husband's field (engineering) that salaries were not as high here as other places in the country, though the cost of living was higher here. His salary ended up staying basically the same moving from the east coast, however, the cost of living increased a lot so it was a bit of a jolt . We've made adjustments and do not for a minute regret the move. Our move was also done to move back out to be close to family, as we are both from SoCal, so that played a lot into our decision. We wanted to live relatively close to the coast and found some areas in SD county more affordable than Orange, LA, Ventura Counties.


The other areas mentioned, specifically Temecula and Murrieta are great choices as well. It's a bit further inland (in Riverside County) but they're nice areas with a lot to offer. Good luck. . .

[sdlife619]

Do you have lots of this?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !!!!!!!!!!

It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Benjamins baby!

If not, then don't bother moving here. Only the rich can survive, while the hard working Middle Class man is laughed at all the way out of the bank!

Ok I am joking, but also serious. Money..Money..Money...Money....YA NEED MOOOONEY!!! To live in SD!!!

[Surf123]

Thanks all who took the. Time to provide insight. I will continue to research but really have to weigh things out. Maybe I'll go play lotto tonight

[ctr88]

Really the main thing is you will have a lot LESS house for all lot MORE money then you would have most other places in the U.S. Coastal CA most people really have to sacrifice their living space to live to get the weather + coast of CA (i.e you have a much crappier house or rental then you would most other places). That's the main difference. Income taxes are also very high in CA. Gas is high too. So the combination of high housing costs + very high state income taxes is a double whammy making it more difficult for middle class (and even upper middle class) to get ahead financially in Coastal CA.

Don't go to Temecula, to me it defeats the whole purpose of the reasons one sacrifices to move to coastal CA. It's a boring cookie cutter monolithic suburb, too hot in summers, and a long drive to the beach.

[Surf123]

Besides he towns mentioned - are there any others I should look at? I'd be ok with a basic townhome as long as it were relatively safe and had decent schools and young families. I'm currently in the Boston metro area where you pretty much get crap for a lot of money. I guess the big difference is that salaries are higher with more jobs here. Not interested in going back to Fl. It really isn't a year round place for me unless you can stand that type of humidity. Its scary making a decision - esp when it appears that a lot of people leave SD and Cali for that matter due to how expensive it is.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Just rent for a while to see if you can afford a fat mortgage as currently rents are running at or a lil above a mortgage depending on the size of the place.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by Surf123

Its scary making a decision - esp when it appears that a lot of people leave SD and Cali for that matter due to how expensive it is.

Several things you need to consider. First, California income tax. At $110k, you need to look at what your AGI will be after deductions + outside income, and look how much you will be paying the state each year, every year for the privilege of living in California. DO this calculation. The number may be high. And you need to consider paying this amount each year, every year, for a decade or more. How much of that money could have been put into your kids' 529 plans? How much of it could have been funneled into your 401k or a Roth IRA?

Do the same calculation for everything else you will be paying for the privilege of Southern California, from unbelievably high home/rent costs to increased water and electricity costs, some of the most expensive gasoline in the nation, and on and on. San Diego is a beautiful place to raise a family. But, I have always maintained that, from a financial point of view, Southern California is one of the worst places for young families due to the punishing tax and cost structure.

You know who does well here? Retirees. People who can pen a check for a property and lock in their prop 13 tax rate for a decade or two. Retired/wealthy people who are living off of investments and pensions and social security and are not feeding the California income tax monster. Retirees who can live anywhere they want, especially in smaller condos and townhomes because there's one or two of them -- they don't have to juggle school quality, commutes, and jobs. They can pick up choice properties that would never work for your family. These are the people you are competing with for resources, and quite a few of them don't have any of the obligations you have. This matters. A lot. This is why I say, raise your family in a cheap cost-of-living area, with low taxes, and with an eye towards low in-state college costs. College is going to be on you very, very quickly, and at your income level, your EFC (expected family contribution) is going to give you a heart attack. Save as much as you can now. After you launch those kids and you've banked retirement and savings, San Diego will be here. San Diego will be here, waiting for you. And at that time, you'll have the cash, the time, the freedom to enjoy it. The sequencing of these events matters. A lot.

Finally, to your point about people fleeing California: you should see Austin, Houston, Portland, Southern Washington, even portions of Nevada. Tons of former Californians streaming in. We bought a view home in Vancouver WA, but I also am in San Diego and San Francisco regularly, and was in Austin two months ago. In fact I'm in San Francisco right now just blocks from the Embarcadero. Unquestionably our cost of living has gone way down in southern Washington, with some of the cheapest water, electricity, gasoline and insurance rates I have ever paid. In truth, we've probably cut most of our monthly living expenses by 50%. It was a real shock, but that's what happens when you have, for example, the cheapest electricity in the United States in Washington due to hydro generators along the mighty Columbia River (which our house overlooks), and I could give similar examples for just about everything, from gas to insurance to taxes. Food prices are about the same however. And man is Portland booming, tons of California tech refugees are buying up everything. Prices are getting very high. Seattle is fast approaching Los Angeles cost levels. The locals hate it.

[hitman619]

Yolo!

[snpdragr]

Originally Posted by Surf123

4. Do you feel the high cost of living is worth living in SD seeing as you can have a lot of outdoor time?

The high cost of living in CA is almost entirely dominated by housing. Once you get that under control, it can be "not expensive" or even "cheap" to live in CA. However, keep in mind that if you use a lot of services (e.g. daycare, contractors) you will pay more for that.

6. If we decide to change jobs are sr. accounting jobs hard to come by?

Check to see if the big 4 have offices in San Diego.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by snpdragr

The high cost of living in CA is almost entirely dominated by housing. Once you get that under control, it can be "not expensive" or even "cheap" to live in CA. However, keep in mind that if you use a lot of services (e.g. daycare, contractors) you will pay more for that.
Check to see if the big 4 have offices in San Diego.

You forgot state and local taxes


The big 4 do not have offices in SD but there are many smaller accounting firms. With no real corporate presence in SD there is not much demand for public company audits and the Irvine offices can handle the SD market.