what is the average cost of living in California?
608818
a lot more than Colorado.  its hard for a family to have 100 grand a year and not live paycheck to paycheck.
1108626
I lived at the beach in Los Angeles for twenty years.  Los Angeles is NOT better than the rest of the country, they just THINK so.  When you're living there you get all wrapped up in how fortunate you are to be there, and when you visit anywhere else you're often driven crazy by the slow pace of life, you miss the constant movement of LA.\n\nIt used to be, in my lifetime, that everybody wanted to move to California, envied the people who lived all year round in such nice weather and where movie stars are.\n\nBelieve me, it's not that way any longer.  I would recommend that Californians visiting other places in the USA not advertise where they are from, as predjudice runs high.\n\nMany towns and cities in our country, particularly in the western states, have had their economies and other things ruined by Californians.\n\nSay you sell your little bitty two bedroom house in California - maybe in Manhattan Beach, say - and you get half a million dollars for it because somebody wants to build a fancy place on your lot.  So you move to, say, Spokane Washington, where that half a million dollars will buy you a lot more house than it would in California.\n\nGreat.  You build it up on a hill because you've always figured rich people live on hills.  The cost of housing in that area goes way up because you built this big house, and people that have lived there for generations can no longer afford to live on their family's land.\n\nYou have never lived where it snows, and when winter comes you find that the scenic twisty little road you built to your new house doesn't allow you to travel it in winter.  You raise a fuss and county road crews have to either dig you out or clear the way for you to get home.  So county taxes go way up because they have to cover these costs.\n\nYou've told your friends back in California, how affordable everything is where you live now, so they all do the same thing.  Entertainment costs go up, food prices go up, property taxes go up, and when you all get involved in local politics, everything goes haywire and nobody is happy.  You've made the little paradise you found into just another clone of where you lived in LA.  Crime rises, gang members find their way there, too.  People have to lock their doors for the first time in their lives.  Life for the locals isn't better because you came, it sucks, and in the end you're no happier there than you were in California.\n\nNo.  Quality of life is much better ANY where else than in Los Angeles.  Don't be fooled.  And don't come to where I live, either.
867732
a little more than $9 per hour, but that depends on where u live (i live in california).
365336
Low as compared to what?  If you are comparing to California or New York, yes, it is low, but remember the cost of living in California and New York is so much higher.Eastern NC has a low cost of living and is a wonderful place to live with several colleges and community colleges in the area.
412841
Well the city that pays the most probably has the highest cost of living, so that might not be your best search criteria. For pay rates, check the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook at:\nhttp://www.bls.gov/oco/
169756
I think you would do well in California.  There is a wide variety of styles here, as it is a very large state.  Our economy is usually a bit healthier than the country as a whole, and we have a lot of beautiful places to live.\n\nI live in Santa Cruz County, near the middle of the state, and it is the most wonderful place I have ever been.  We are within commute distance of San Jose and the silicon valley, but on the ocean.  People are friendly, but not too in-your-face, and respect privacy.  Newcomers are welcome if they bring marketable skills and have enough resources not to need public assistance.  There is a general tolerance, as there are many different ethic and racial backgrounds in California and in Santa Cruz in particular.  You have to appreciate weirdness, though!
22735
Depends on how long you plan on being here and if you can afford it.  In the bay area, houses are still SO expensive...we pay 700,000 for small 2 bedroom homes here!  Southern CA isn't as bad though and out in the middle, it's still reasonable.  \n\nIf you're only here a couple years, renting might be best, but if you're here long term, it's a good investment.
519391
Hi!\n\nHere is a link to Yahoo Hot Jobs.  They have a special, very easy to fill-in-the-blank to find out what you should be paid in your area of the country.  As living costs are higher in Los Angeles or New York, as compared to the MidWest, salary is proportioned to where you live.  Hope this helps!\nJenna
183616
It will depend on your market and your experience, but $20.95 to $30.27 in California.
599102
Lotsa people live in OC without papers. But, at current RE prices, I wouldn't want to buy there unless my income was high enough to not make it a big priority.
491242
Actually, Denver can be somewhat pricy compared to other regions.  But still far cheaper (almost 40%) than Cali.  I live in Utah where it is a little cheaper than Denver but closer to Cali if I want to visit the ocean.  And you may want to think of gas prices if you plan on visiting "home" often.  Try this link..\n\nhttp://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp\n\nYou can also put in 2 different cities you are thinking of moving to to compare them.  If you pt in Denver and Salt Lake you will see Salt Lake is only 4.5% lower in cost of living than Denver.  You also need to look at job availability and average pay and things like that.  \n\nI like this site because it gives you a big list of items it compares.  from housing to dr. visits to parmesean cheese.  Try it out!
526357
Pasadena, CA\nPopulation, town and surrounding area: 156,550\nFinancial City Stats Best places:average \nMedian household income\n(per year) $51,626 $68,053 \nSales tax 8.25% 6.77% \nState income tax rate\n(highest bracket) 9.30%* n/a \nState income tax rate\n(lowest bracket) 1.00%* n/a \nAuto insurance premiums\n(Average for the state) $821 $855 \nHousing City Stats Best places\naverage \nMedian home price $506,698 $315,351 \nHome price gain\n(2-5 year gain) 30.60% 14.88% \nEducation City Stats Best places:average \nColleges, universities and\nprofessional schools 71 \n32 Junior colleges and technical institutes 45 \n15 Student to teacher ratio\n(grade schools) 17.00 15.37 \nQuality of life City Stats Best places:average \nAir pollution index\n(100 is national average; lower is better) 105 90 \nPersonal crime risk\n(100 is national average; lower is better) 155 69 \nProperty crime risk\n(100 is national average; lower is better) 97 78 \nLeisure and culture City Stats Best places\naverage \nMovie theaters\n(within 15 miles) 142 27 \nRestaurants\n(within 15 miles) 10,794 3,738 \nBars\n(within 15 miles) 520 267 \nGolf courses\n(public courses; within 30 miles) 98 72 \nLibraries\n(within 15 miles) 149 60 \nMuseums\n(accredited by AAM; within 30 miles) 15 10 \nWeather City Stats Best places:average \nAnnual precipitation (inches) 21.09 37.80 \nHigh temp in July ° F 89.40° 86.11° \nLow temp in Jan ° F 44.30° 26.60°
1120586
Many variables there. What profession? Minimum wage varies from the standard to $6.75/hr in LA and Orange Counties and $8.84/hr in San Francisco. Cost of living is higher in these areas as well.
48870
It depends where you live, who you work for, and how much skill/experience you have.  The median income for a graphic designer in the 95014 zip code (cupertino, bay area, california) is $53,000
1135749
According to the census results and assuming the rates of growth stayed the same for the last year, we can estimate 36.5M in California and 301M in the US.\n\nThat gives us 12 percent or 1/9th of the population living in California.
1101783
California definitely has the higher cost of living.  The sales tax you pay is can be as high as 8.75%.  Here in Ohio the sales tax is usually no higher than 7%.  Gas in some parts of California is well over $3.00 a gallon.  Gas in Cincinnati yesterday was $2.69.  Housing is much more expensive in California.  My parents were wanting to retire in southern California and gave that up since they could only buy a shack for the same price their house is here in Ohio.
186911
Go to Texas.  Much more reasonable cost of living.