Is California really worth the cost? (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: mortgage, how much, house)

[floridadreamer]

Seiously though, is California really worth the outrageous cost of living? And what is it that makes California worth it? I'd love to hear from people who have lived or at least traveled extensively outside of California.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

Seiously though, is California really worth the outrageous cost of living? And what is it that makes California worth it? I'd love to hear from people who have lived or at least traveled extensively outside of California.

in my opinion, yes, it's worth it. I've been to almost every state in the union.

[Roma]

YES!!!!!!!! I want to come back!

To my husband and I, it is worth it.

I wanted to add that I have lived in 3 different states. None of the other states come close to what California has to offer. So without a doubt it is worth it to us.

[cleosmom]

I've been all across the US with the exception of the New England area and in my view, no CA is not worth it, most I know that still live there are "house poor" or can't even afford to get into one. Having said that, even if I were able to 'live the life of Riley', I still wouldn't choose CA.

The question you gave isn't going to answer it for you if you're considering moving there. You need to get out there and form your own opinion, try and visit it for a few weeks and hit the place you would on a normal day; grocery stores, malls and the like to see if it's affordable for you.

[Charles]

It is if 1) You've owned a house in a nice neighborhood (no LAUSD) more than five years (You're "in" already), 2) You don't have to commute more than an hour to your job (and also to where ever your next job will be), and 3) You spend more than three hours a week outside.

If you have to buy now OR you have to commute more than an hour in traffic OR you don't spend too much time outside (thus eliminating the weather premium), then it isn't worth it.

Some people feel the "vibe" and diversity and obscure dining opportunities are worth the price to live in Southern California. However very few people say "Ya, Southern California is a great place to raise a family."

I guess the other reason to live in SoCal is if it is the only place you can work (movie industry?) I'm an engineer. Engineers get paid about the same (+/- ten percent) no matter where they live. I can work in just about any medium or large city. I don't need to live in LA. I pro-actively searched for jobs outside of LA, targeting Colorado Springs. Public schools here are the quality of private schools in LA or the Conejo School District in Thousand Oaks.

Some people laugh at folks that live (or have moved) to the midwest or the south. Those people are laughing at east and west coasters killing themselves to pay the mortgage on a $500/sqft house. (See attached 1036 sqft house, 3BR/1BA, for $515K in LAUSD's Reseda. The sellers are throwing in that lovely blue tarp too.)

[Twinkle Toes]

It is worth it to me. We moved out of state and are moving back to CA in a week and a half. CA isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for me and my family. Yes, it's expensive but it also depends on what you do for work and how much money you make. Another thing is there are places other than Los Angeles to live in. Everyone who talks about CA always seems to refer to CA being a hole or some other negative connotation because they are talking about Los Angeles. There are many, many nice places to live (and work) in CA that don't require you to be near Los Angeles.

[midnightbirdgirl]

Originally Posted by floridadreamer

Seiously though, is California really worth the outrageous cost of living? And what is it that makes California worth it? I'd love to hear from people who have lived or at least traveled extensively outside of California.

It is no longer for us. It really depends on what you want. I have lived in many other areas in the country, and, I prefer wide open spaces, I don't like neighbors within spitting distance.
But that is just me.
We are blessed that even when we leave, we have family at the beach we can visit if we ever have the desire.
MBG

[EscapeCalifornia]

It would be worth it to stay if I could make $200k/yr working 40 hrs a week without having to drive 3+ hours a day commuting. Since that's not going to happen, its not worth it economically to stay. In my present situation, staying would mean never having kids and being house poor for at least the next decade while my income slowly caught up to the huge house payment I already have.

[Californiaguy2007]

I totally agree with you....I hate it when people think all of CA is like Los Angeles,and you are right that their are many nice places to live in CA.

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

It is worth it to me. We moved out of state and are moving back to CA in a week and a half. CA isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for me and my family. Yes, it's expensive but it also depends on what you do for work and how much money you make. Another thing is there are places other than Los Angeles to live in. Everyone who talks about CA always seems to refer to CA being a hole or some other negative connotation because they are talking about Los Angeles. There are many, many nice places to live (and work) in CA that don't require you to be near Los Angeles.

[Californiaguy2007]

Some parts of CA are worth the cost,while other parts are not.

I"m happy to say i'm living in a location in CA that is worth the cost...Beautiful Kern County :-)