Bay/Cali Life

What's living in Cali like? How about the bay area? I might end up relocating there from South Florida at some point, possibly to San Mateo, perhaps elsewhere. I always hear about the high cost of living, including crazy taxes. Florida doesn't have the state income tax, which is nice, but the salaries here are also comparatively lower (in general, I guess). Has anyone made a move to that city/state/area? What's good/bad about living there? How's the family life? Work life? Any thoughts/input would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have heard that the rent is very high in the larger cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Beachside living is pretty high. Like anywhere else one has to either be wealthy, in a great profession, or connected to someone in order to enjoy life in any of those areas. And then there is the issue of auto insurance. A car is pretty much mandatory over there as opposed to New York City where it isn't wise to drive a car around town because of the public transportation. Some do drive in the city, others do not, and others have cars but only drive to get out. That's what I had heard from people who moved from California.

 

Thank you. I would not consider moving there unless it were for an awesome and adequately paying job.

 

You need a career or a profession over there. I once met a group of musicians who had, in no uncertain terms, advised me to stay away from Hollywood if I were going to be a working musician. It was because of the fact that I would be in competition with over 1,500 bands and more musicians in Hollywood alone. The band Poison and other bands were competing to reach rock stardom. A regular job will not pay enough of the bills over there, unless you're a high school kid.

 

unless you are making 75 grand stay away from Cali.Higher taxes. more people.

 

I have that (a career/profession), and I would be relocating there only for a landed job in place, so that wouldn't be an issue. Actually, I'd have a much better chance of finding my ideal work there (in my niche profession) than here in So Fla.

 

OK, so what kind of life would 75K get you over there (as a single person/income)?

 

The Bay is expensive. Even living in Oakland cost quite a bit. SF is one of the most expensive cities in the state and also the country, I believe. And how high of a tolerance do you have for bad traffic. People commute across the bridges in the bay all the time and traffic is terrible. SF is a cool place, very diverse, lots of things to do. People are pretty chill in the bay, so it would be a good place to live as far as that. The main issues really would be cost of living and traffic. Also, it does tend to get pretty cold out there, but it also never gets too hot. Not sure if 75,000 is enough or not, but it would probably be cheaper to live across the bridge.....but Oakland and Richmond are across the bridge....but those are not so nice areas. Also, a car may not be completely mandatory, so depending on how far your job is from your house, you can take the BART.

 

That varies by cities. You can live much more comfortably in Sacramento or Bakersfield than you can in the Bay, LA, San Diego.

 

How much would be enough to live comfortably in San Mateo, for example? Does owning a hybrid give you any additional perks there? How are the schools? I'm sure there is more fun and interesting stuff going on there than there is here in South Florida.

 

How about San Mateo?

 

San Mateo, I really don't know. Haven't been there and haven't heard too much about that place growing up, but it's very close to SF and San Jose, so I would imagine still pretty expensive. You should check out city-data.com forums for specific questions like that. And schools? That also varies by where you live. You can have a school that ranks well nationally and 10 minutes down the road, have a complete shit school. I've heard quite a few criticisms about education in Cali, mainly public schools, but again, that varies. And I didn't know there were any perks for driving hybrids, expect for exclusive parking spaces.

 

Yeah, I've checked out different online sources already, but figured I'd ask on this forum since there are people from all over the place on here.

 

If you buy a hybrid vehicle or convert your home into a energy efficient home(solar panels, windmills, geothermal meters), you will get a tax rebate(hybrid vehicles will give you a tax rebate of up to $4,000.00 and perhaps the same or more for an energy efficient home). This works in any state.

 

Florida is only favored for the sunshine and warm weather. When I first moved to Ft. Lauderdale, I noticed right away that South Florida is both real and unreal. I was exposed to it all at once. Sometimes a move to California from Florida does do someone good. A favorite local female meteorologist moved to L.A. to work at a station there. She was a lovely blonde and it was no surprise that she would be recruited by someone in L.A.. None of us were surprised.

 

I don't know, b/c I haven't been to the West Coast since 1974, and I don't remember any of that. But I hear some very interesting things about the state.

 

I'm not a lovely blonde, but that's OK. My sweet skillz compensate for that. :lol:

 

Bahahaha! You suggesting to live in Bakersfield???? God forbid .
Sac is pretty OK to visit, has a cool atmosphere but I would never wanna live there either. SF is my favorite place bar none, but I think its too miserable cold and damp to live there. Maybe across the bridge where its a bit sunnier and warmer.

 

Oh no, I'm not suggesting moving there at all. I was just comparing the costs of living. There isn't shit in Bakersfield and I'm from Sac, so I know it's not the most exciting place to live. However, Sac isn't a bad place to raise a family. If my mom didn't move out there for work, I would've grown in SD most likely.

And across the bridge.....in Oakland/Richmond/Berkley area? Pass.

 

That's even better.