Does it really cost $131,414/yr to live in CA?

U.S.A. California

Published

first let me start off by saying like everyone else, i want to move to ca from tx. the problem is i don't know where to live. so i go on this website called www.bestplaces.net and compare cost of living to get a better idea of my choices. to my horror i received some devastating information.

with my potential new grad salary of 50,500 in houston, i would have to make:

$131,414 to live in san fran,

$121,114 for san diego,

$97,603 for la, or

122,483 to live in san jose to "maintain" the same standard of living.

is this true??!!! surely there are new grads that live in these areas, and they don't make that much money? right? i read plenty of threads, and all of them mentioned how expensive it was. i got that part loud and clear, but i never thought there was such a huge gap. i was already confused, this just makes me afraid and confused. each time i check out a hospital i look up the area and i get news like this. are there hospitals with good new grad programs in med/surg that are in areas where i won't be a victim of crime and not have to eat roman noodles to survive? can anyone shed light on this or am i doomed???

any advice on programs or areas would be great. thanks

Specializes in TELEMETRY.

Hi, well I work in Orange County.... and honestly when your young, want nice things........... It gets really expensive. In Laguna Beach a studio Apartment runs 2000.00 so figure your car payment, gas 3.25/gallon.... living expenses OMG!! I some people making 60,000.00 a year are having a hard time. Just be aware.... Lok into travel nursing.... they pay for your housing which is one of the most expensive things in California.

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Specializes in ICU's,TELE,MED- SURG.

First of all, the high cost is apt. rent but... you can look to the Internet like apts.com and rentnet to see what the apts. rent out for. Remember that your salary will rise fast in high cost places and most hospitals do allow some ot.

If it were me, I would get a roommate and stick with that for awhile until I could affors a place of my own. Also, I can't compare Calif. to anywhere. It's temperate year around weather with beauty. Far safer place to live and the people are great!

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My Fiance is from Texas. We met at the grocery store when he was out here working. He loves it here and we have no intentions of ever moving to Texas. You can rent a 2 bedroom house with a small yard for approximately 1200.00 to 1600.00 a month. Depends what you want. My brother just rented a 2 bedroom home for 1275.00/mo with water paid. Its different here than in Texas. The weather for one is absolutely wonderful compared to Texas. Want to go to the ocean-its not far! How about skiing-well thats not far either. Reno, Hollywood, mountains, desert, snow, ocean, San Francisco-ITS ALL HERE. We love it here and will buy a home here. Yes, the home prices have gone up but so has homes in the rest of the country. You can't go wrong buying a house here because it is definately an investment. You do get less for your money compared to Texas but the way of life here in California is also different. So if you own a house in Texas and sell it, that would be enough for a down payment on a house in California. I have to say that when my parents moved out here it was hard the first few years but we made it and I'm so glad we moved from Nebraska to California. So much more opportunity out here than in other states.

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Try middletown california. pretty affordable area

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You can't go wrong buying a house here because it is definately an investment.

You actually can go very wrong with a home purchase in California if you're not smart about it. A lot of people are now in big trouble because they believed this and paid too much for houses that they really couldn't afford. They're now predicting the highest foreclosure rates in history because of it.

IMO you really have to be careful, especially the way the market is now. Yes, prices are falling but ... if you buy now, housing prices could easily fall further and you could get trapped in a negative equity situation where your house isn't worth as much as you paid for it.

If you buy a house that you really couldn't afford to begin with, and end up not being able to sell it because it's worth less than what you paid for it ... that's going to be a big problem ... which is the situation that a lot of California homeowners are finding themselves in now.

These are the kinds of pitfalls buyers have to watch out for. The housing boom is over and you can get trapped in a really bad financial situation if you're not careful.

:typing

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Specializes in ICU.
hi there. i work at ucsf (cvt (cardiovascular thoracic) unit) and can honestly say it is the best unit i've ever worked in ( been a nurse 11 yrs)--great learning experiences, terrific teamwork, the nurses are some of the best i;ve ever worked with)..it is a teaching hospital so everyone is really very supportive of the new nurses. when you are new, they require you to rotate day and night shifts every month and then you can put in a preference for your shift a yr after and they might give you more weeks/months of your preferred shift depending on the unit's needs. the more senior you get, the less frequently you rotate shifts but everyone more or less rotates except for the really senior nurses (20 plus yrs or so in the hosp)..but i guess its not all the same for the units because i have a friend who works in ortho and she said she never rotates (havent been there for long)....check the ucsf website as they do have scheduled new grad trainings for each yr.

i am originally from chicago but moved to southern ca 7 yrs ago..didn't really like it..so i decided to give sf a shot (moved her a yr and a half ago without knowing a soul in the city)... i love it here. it is a great vibrant city with the most beautiful natural setting. it is expensive if you plan to buy a home and settle here i guess but if you just plan on renting , it is very doable. have you thought about living in the city instead of out of it? ..there are some deals to be found in the less posh but still safe neighborhoods plus you dont have to deal with freeway/bridge traffic. check out www.dreamworld.org/sfguide/index.html for a very thorough guide re; the city's neighborhoods as well as craigslist.org for places to rent.....i live in the outer richmond district of sf now. 3 blks to the ocean and a block from golden gate park. it is a very safe quiet area but less expensive than other parts of the city because its foggier than the other neighborhoods and not really in the 'thick' of things. i used to live alone in the same area and found a great deal for a large 1 br w/ parking for only 1100$/mo. i've since moved in w/ roommates for really cheap rent ($500!- outrageous:)) as i plan to save some more for a future home (wherever that may be)...maybe you can rent something short term or get a roommate until you've decided on which area you want to live...anyway hope this helps and email me if you need any more info

romsy

thx romsy! i'm the same way, meaning i am moving there without knowing anyone. it gets scary at times, but people i know say i never meet a stranger, so hopefully i will meet some nice people. i like ucsf, but ther rotating nights would kill me. i interested in a med-surg floor, so maybe i will get lucky.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

Well, if it does, I'd be amazed, since I live here and our income isn't anywhere near that amount. And I live in one of the most expensive areas of San Diego County.

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Well, if it does, I'd be amazed, since I live here and our income isn't anywhere near that amount. And I live in one of the most expensive areas of San Diego County.

Yeah but, let's be honest .... when did you buy your house? For those of us who've lived in California for awhile and bought our houses at cheaper prices ... we're obviously not in the same situation.

I don't know about you but, if I had to buy my house now, my cost of living would be a lot higher, even with falling prices.

And if I had to buy a house in San Diego then, my cost of living would be through the roof. Which, of course, is why I'll never live in San Diego or San Fran, LA, etc.

While those areas are great it's just not worth it to be a slave to my mortgage payment.

:typing

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Personally, I think that northern california is a better and less expensive location to live. My dad just moved back to northern cal after living in San Diego for 25 years. I went down to San Diego a few times and got a bloody nose from the dry weather, EVERY time. It's really crowded down there and costs way more to live. There are places in California that someone could buy a house for less. IF i lived in Texas where it rained ALL the time, I'd want out too.

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Personally, I think that northern california is a better and less expensive location to live.

I agree that northern California is generally a better place to live but, it's definitely not less expensive ... unless you're living in the boonies.

A house in the Bay Area costs $125,000 more, on average, than a Southern California house. The average SoCal home costs $495,000 while the average Bay Area home costs $620,000.

http://www.dqnews.com/

So, you're probably looking at up to $1,000 more with your mortgage payment in Northern California, when you consider the extra property taxes and insurance.

:typing

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
I agree that northern California is generally a better place to live but, it's definitely not less expensive ... unless you're living in the boonies.

A house in the Bay Area costs $125,000 more, on average, than a Southern California house. The average SoCal home costs $495,000 while the average Bay Area home costs $620,000.

http://www.dqnews.com/

So, you're probably looking at up to $1,000 more with your mortgage payment in Northern California, when you consider the extra property taxes and insurance.

:typing

Well, there's what we refer to as Northern California, which includes the Bay Area and then there's the far north, where it really is a good bit cheaper than most areas of SoCal. I remember once being told here on allnurses that SF wasn't part of Northern California. I was like, ''hmmm, wonder if anyone told them that?''

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Specializes in OB, neonatal.

Hi I'm a recent Texas transplant myself (from Houston as well), and currently in San Diego. I never thought I'd leave Texas (ahem...the "Mother-land"), but now I'm totally sold on California! The weather and scenery is second to none. Yes, it's a bit hard in the beginning with all the adjustments, but you get used to it. At first, I couldn't believe the outrageous prices out here in Cali, but the higher pay does help compensate for that. Tax time was an "experience" as well. This was my first time filling out a separate form for California since Texas has no state income tax. Despite that, I am loving my "adopted" state.

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