Does the COL ever turn you off? (San Diego, San Jose: 2014, lease)

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by branh0913

Silicon Valley isn't a bad place to work. But sometimes I think it's hard for me to enjoy living here due to the Cost of living. Everything is just so relentlessly overpriced, it's pretty hard to get the energy to want to do anything. Sometimes all I want to do is sit at home and work on work related stuff. I'm normally very outgoing, but with the COL what it is, I just choose to sit at home even on weekends and work. Or I'll just look at movies on my laptop. People who live here seem to really love it, but I noticed a lot of people were born and raised here and have a certain hometown pride. However objectively speaking it's very hard to like it here. Not to say that I'm miserable here, but if I were to get fired tomorrow and have to move back to the state my mother lives, I dont think I'll mind one bit. Is there anything here so appealing to make someone want to just overlook the COL and just love it here? I stayed in NYC for awhile and while that place was very overpriced, I still enjoyed the city.


I'm not much of a nature lover though. I like city like amenities like bars and the occasional club. But I also like to meet people which is more pleasant than say Seattle. Still sometimes I feel that mentally I never give this place a fair shake.

Yes, people pretty much say this all the time.

The thing that drives real estate costs to ridiculous levels in the Bay Area (besides being built up, which is a partial contributor) is in one word: NIMBY-ism. NIMBYs of both the environmentalist and the "I don't want more traffic in my neighborhood" variety have made it extremely difficult and expensive to build new housing. This limits supply and jacks up prices to ridiculous levels.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I know that I am not paying over 1500 dollars for heating oil/ propane like many of my east coast family and friends...

$1500 per how often ?

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Besides housing? Well that's kind of a ridiculous question right there, because housing is the biggest item (by far) on almost everyone's budget.

Other things that are higher than most places:

Taxes (overall tax burden)
Gas (mostly because it's taxed more)
College tuition (used to be among the cheapest states...no so much anymore)

Again, blanket statements. Specifics, please...

I admit that housing in the SF Bay Area, is high. My problem is when people claim that the overall cost of living, besides housing, is soooo much more expensive in CA. It's just not true.

Houston is recommended often on the forums. So, for grins, I checked gas prices this morning:

San Jose: $3.55
Houston $3.05

Gas Price Report - GasBuddy.com
Gas Price Report - GasBuddy.com


So, 50 cents per gallon. My old Toyota holds about 13 gallons, I think. So, a tank will cost me $6.50 more per gallon in San Jose today than in Houston.

College tuition? Puleez! First of all, we're talking about people who have already received their degrees complaining about the cost of living. But, for grins, I'll indulge you.

You do your first two years at a community college, then transfer to a university, if you're smart in CA.

But, let's say you do all 4 years at a university. In the Bay Area, that would be UC Berkeley.

Tuition: $12,864

UC Houston:

Tuition: $9,318

So, $4,000 more to attend a world renowned university for 4 years.

Overall tax burden?

I'm not going to try and figure out all the Houston, TX tax rates. But what I could easily find online is the local sales tax rates:

Houston: 8.25%
San Jose: 8.75%

So, if I buy something for $100 it will cost me in:

San Jose: $108.75
Houston: $108.25

A whopping 50 cents more.

State income taxes? Yes for CA, No for TX.

Property taxes? Well, we have Prop 13 in CA, which minimizes property tax increases.
TX has higher than average property taxes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/us...inds.html?_r=0

Do you make more money in SV?
Are other costs lower in SV?

Anyway, you are right on these items. But, it's obviously not HUGELY more expensive in CA. And the salaries, as I understand it, are definitely higher here.

And just wait for prices of housing to soar in Houston. The law of supply and demand works in TX, too.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by jm1982

$1500 per how often ?

some are paying that for three months, others for one month (My brother, for example who has a good sized home in Boston). Some are paying even more.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Are other costs lower in SV?

One thing possibly lower in cost in Silicon Valley vs. Houston: Utility bills - particularly in the summertime. Don't need to run the A/C as much over here.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

And why do people stay here, if they can do so much better somewhere else? I hereby give you permission to leave CA for better pay and cheaper everything else...

I did just that and am still doing so as we write. Does that make you happier or less prone to argue with anyone who asserts that CA is expensive? True, not everything is cheaper elsewhere (produce is an especially good example) but the exorbitant housing prices many times offset the extra dollar I have to pay for a lemon.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by otterprods

I did just that and am still doing so as we write. Does that make you happier or less prone to argue with anyone who asserts that CA is expensive? True, not everything is cheaper elsewhere (produce is an especially good example) but the exorbitant housing prices many times offset the extra dollar I have to pay for a lemon.

We who choose to stay in our favorite state-by-the-sea are happy for those who have made the decision to move to greener pastures more suited to their pursuits.
Much moreso than for those who choose to remain and endlessly crab about it. Gets irritating fast.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

We who choose to stay in our favorite state-by-the-sea are happy for those who have made the decision to move to greener pastures more suited to their pursuits.
Much moreso than for those who choose to remain and endlessly crab about it. Gets irritating fast.

Amen. It's time for me to take a different tack. Yes! It sucks in CA! Whatever you do, don't move here! And anyone who can get out, go now!

Then maybe our housing prices will go down, once the demand isn't there...

It's really amazing when you think about the demand. The prices can only be sky high because there is a line all the way to New York to move here. As much as it sucks here. Go figure.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Then maybe our housing prices will go down, once the demand isn't there...

Of course, then everyone would just move right back, right?

If my own experience is any indication, it's an over-simplifation to say that hordes of people are moving away due to housing costs or other purely economic factors. Housing was a major reason for us, but there were many other factors, like traffic, having family elsewhere, and just wanting a change. It's worked out very well for us but for many it doesn't due to poor planning, unrealistic expectations, lack of resilience, etc... The fact is that I really don't encourage people to move away from there if they have good lives that are working for them and meeting their basic needs.

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

The prices can only be sky high because there is a line all the way to New York to move here.

More like a line all the way to Asia, right?

You can't under-estimate the value of good career opportunities coupled with very good weather. I think that's why, no matter how expensive, crowded, or otherwise challenging it becomes to live there, you will never see a real DECLINE in population. For every one person like me who's reached the right time in their life to exit toward 'greener' pastures, there are at least 5 more around the world ready to move there in a heartbeat to take advantage of all it has to offer. Housing prices are probably seen as either a temporary drawback (thinking they'll only stay long enough to get things rolling) or as a relatively minor obstacle that's offset by higher pay and other benefits of Bay Area life.

[SportyandMisty]

Bay Area luxury home sales take off - SiliconValley.com