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Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Old Aug 27th 2020, 11:22 pm
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

"They have an irony deficiency"... guess that rubbed off on Pulaski too!
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 12:04 am
  #77  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

This thread has been a glowing sales-pitch for CA
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 12:20 am
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by johnwoo
Your alter ego didn't fare to well in the South,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKcJ-0bAHB4
This is just TV , it's not real. It was all staged.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 12:25 am
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by mrken30
This is just TV , it's not real. It was all staged.
Oh really. I would never have guessed
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 1:43 am
  #80  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by tom169
This thread has been a glowing sales-pitch for CA
No, the OP just asked for information regarding employment in California, and for some reason some posters started bashing and painting a false picture of California, so others rightly replied to correct the picture.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 1:46 am
  #81  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by vespucci
No, the OP just asked for information regarding employment in California, and for some reason some posters started bashing and painting a false picture of California, so others rightly replied to correct the picture.
If you haven't already you'll realize that it doesn't take much to send posts on long tangents. Just be thankful OP didn't ask about the different types of washing machines.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 1:54 am
  #82  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by tom169
If you haven't already you'll realize that it doesn't take much to send posts on long tangents. Just be thankful OP didn't ask about the different types of washing machines.
Didn't Pulaski have his washing machine in pieces a few years back or was that someone else?
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 2:03 am
  #83  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by mrken30
Didn't Pulaski have his washing machine in pieces a few years back or was that someone else?
Does sound like a Pulaski thing to do.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 4:26 am
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Well, this thread is Festivus-worthy. Definitely "airing of the grievances" stuff. A microcosm of America for sure. Appliances. Who is it on here that raves on about Miele appliances? That's another touchy subject IIRC.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 5:11 am
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

I was thinking about the comment that "California taxes are high". According to this calculator, https://smartasset.com/taxes/califor...tor#n3z7lBRzDy the state tax due on an income of $150k in CA is $10,696. The state tax due on an income of $150k in NC is $7,350. ( https://smartasset.com/taxes/north-c...tax-calculator ). (Georgia is similar). So CA will cost you an additional $3,300 in taxes. Property tax in NC is just under 1%; property tax in CA is about the same. Difference not worth discussing.

But the median income for a senior software engineer in Charlotte, NC is $108k. Same job in San Francisco has a median income of $138k - a difference of $30k. So - are you better off making $30k more in income and paying $3k more in taxes? (these figures both from salary.com).
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...n-francisco-ca
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...y/charlotte-nc

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Old Aug 28th 2020, 6:41 am
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by Steerpike
I was thinking about the comment that "California taxes are high". According to this calculator, https://smartasset.com/taxes/califor...tor#n3z7lBRzDy the state tax due on an income of $150k in CA is $10,696. The state tax due on an income of $150k in NC is $7,350. ( https://smartasset.com/taxes/north-c...tax-calculator ). (Georgia is similar). So CA will cost you an additional $3,300 in taxes. Property tax in NC is just under 1%; property tax in CA is about the same. Difference not worth discussing.

But the median income for a senior software engineer in Charlotte, NC is $108k. Same job in San Francisco has a median income of $138k - a difference of $30k. So - are you better off making $30k more in income and paying $3k more in taxes? (these figures both from salary.com).
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...n-francisco-ca
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...y/charlotte-nc
Sounds crazy to me and the higher paid job seems worthless if you have years of worries hoping your job will pay the mortgage. It's hard to believe that in Europe our mortgage for a main home and holiday home would nearly be your property tax. Of course one can argue that people in Europe also pay high prices in cities but this sounds unsustainable.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 10:41 am
  #87  
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by Steerpike
I was thinking about the comment that "California taxes are high". According to this calculator, https://smartasset.com/taxes/califor...tor#n3z7lBRzDy the state tax due on an income of $150k in CA is $10,696. The state tax due on an income of $150k in NC is $7,350. ( https://smartasset.com/taxes/north-c...tax-calculator ). (Georgia is similar). So CA will cost you an additional $3,300 in taxes. Property tax in NC is just under 1%; property tax in CA is about the same. Difference not worth discussing.

But the median income for a senior software engineer in Charlotte, NC is $108k. Same job in San Francisco has a median income of $138k - a difference of $30k. So - are you better off making $30k more in income and paying $3k more in taxes? (these figures both from salary.com).
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...n-francisco-ca
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...y/charlotte-nc
The median Sr software engineer in Charlotte from my experience as a hiring manager is around 120k. Of course not close to a silicon valley salary.

I think you're totally missing all of the other indirect taxes that add up fast.

You're also missing the value of houses in these tech hubs. Given the property tax is a % of assessed value, the point is moot without knowing the assessed value.

NC definitely isn't the cheapest state in the union to live in, but I don't think anyone would say it's reasonable to compare to CA.

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Old Aug 28th 2020, 1:49 pm
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by Steerpike
I was thinking about the comment that "California taxes are high". According to this calculator, https://smartasset.com/taxes/califor...tor#n3z7lBRzDy the state tax due on an income of $150k in CA is $10,696. The state tax due on an income of $150k in NC is $7,350. ( https://smartasset.com/taxes/north-c...tax-calculator ). (Georgia is similar). So CA will cost you an additional $3,300 in taxes. Property tax in NC is just under 1%; property tax in CA is about the same. Difference not worth discussing.

But the median income for a senior software engineer in Charlotte, NC is $108k. Same job in San Francisco has a median income of $138k - a difference of $30k. So - are you better off making $30k more in income and paying $3k more in taxes? (these figures both from salary.com).
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...n-francisco-ca
https://www.salary.com/research/sala...y/charlotte-nc
Fair post.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 3:45 pm
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

Originally Posted by Steerpike
..... Property tax in NC is just under 1%; property tax in CA is about the same. Difference not worth discussing.
As per Tom's post above, I agree if your house has the same value - you appear to have sold a modest house for $1.2 million, my 4/5 bed home home has a tax value of about 1/6th of that. Also property tax varies by county and municipality in NC - my rate is less than 0.7%. You do the math.

You forgot sale taxes - NC varies by county but typically 7.0%-7.25%, CA varies by county/ municipality but appears to be typically 9.0%-9.5%, so that could add on another $2k/yr +/- for a household, depending on income and expenditure.

Price/ tax on gas - currently appears to be north of $1/gal difference.

Using the Smartasset web calculator you used, I used their cost of living comparison calculator to compare my area to a variety of locations in the SF suburbs and hinterlands. Places such as Concord, Walnut Creek, and Pleasanton come in at 23-25% more expensive than where I live, further out Stockton, Modesto, and Sacramento are 11%-13% more expensive. I checked similar suburbs and satellite cities around LA and San Diego, and as with SF, I deliberately avoided the urban centers and known expensive areas as that wouldn't be a fair comparison with where I live, and came in with a smilar range as around SF i.e. the cost of living is 20%-25% higher in closer suburbs, and 12%-15% higher further out, although around San Diego the "further out" is around 18%-20% higher. ..... FWIW Bakersfield is only 4% higher.

All in all, I believe that your "extra" $27k after taxes is entirely illusory. Also I do have direct experience of moving between high cost and low cost areas - my posts are based on experience, moving from the commutable suburbs of NYC to NC, and found that taking a paycut paid massive "cost of lifestyle" dividends - we paid less for our monthly (15yr) mortgage on a 2,750sqft house than we did on rent for a 1 bed apartment 25 miles from Manhattan. A sit-down meal out about halved in cost.

Last edited by Pulaski; Aug 28th 2020 at 4:41 pm.
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Old Aug 28th 2020, 4:23 pm
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Default Re: Wanting to move to California - what can I do there?

I think house price inflation is also higher in California compared to many States. I do think a lot of Californians are house poor, but often they also can make a lot of money when selling their house and moving to a less expensive area. But like buying a house in Richmond, who in their right mind would want to live in Richmond, London? But many do.
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