I originally posted something about Bakersfield because... gross. who wants to live there.... but it felt mean. Anyways... costs about as much to live there as Pensacola. One so, so much nicer than the other... If you're arguing energy is cheaper than 1.3x Florida rate in California, you'd be wrong, food less than 20% more expensive? Wrong. Gas less than 30-40%? Wrong. the differences are so great that they actually outweigh the difference in wages factoring in every single tax type being greater. I don't know where the wage to COL numbers could come from considering the taxes are also higher. What major cost of living expense am I forgetting? Cars would be similar, though slightly more in California. Each of these other things is generally 30 to up 40% cheaper on average. I mean, permitting new build construction is as much as 4x in money and time. California subsidizing some of these expenses? When I lived in California gas was actually 100% more expensive than at one point when I lived in Florida shortly before California. I mean, yeah, the gaps are closing on COL while the wage gap has shrunk very little... if at all... but I am certain I can still get more out of 35k in Florida than 55k in California.
Median rent in Miami is LOWER than LA. that's what I checked (not like, scanning Zillow quick check). Avg apt smaller and more expensive in LA. It's in the same ballpark but it's not hard to check. As a bonus, there is more affordable housing in Miami on average than in LA. The distribution is skewed by very high rents on high end apartments, there are a sizable proportion of housing priced between 701-1500 (21%) while the proportion in this range in LA is less than half that of Miami (9%). Id' suggest affordable housing is more the concern of those on average wages (53k in Florida, 78k California). I'd guess your main point might still be right that it would be perhaps ever so slightly easier to live on 78k (-$17695 in income taxes, about -$7500 of that for California) in LA than 53k (-$4655 in Federal income taxes) in Miami. Real income is 60k to 49k. Probably renters don't really pay property taxes (even if "incorporated in rent" the rents aren't much different but property taxes appear to be 18% cheaper in LA County than Miami-Dade), no state income tax for Miami, sales tax 2.5% less in Miami, gas prices in Miami 72% of those in Los Angeles... electricity costs in Miami are 41% of those in LA (Miami is fairly expensive for Florida too, though below the average, Tampa is much cheaper, Orlando more expensive), would there really be much difference in this most expensive part of Florida (at least for major areas) and a more middle level expensive area of California?
Studies show Florida is the most unaffordable state in the Country for its residents, that it has exceptionally low wages to begin with and that its housing problem is severe.
There is no denying California is expensive. It just happens to be slightly more affordable for its residents per studies I have no reason to question.
I'm not quoting "bla bla bla", I'm quoting facts.
Oh, and of course you do realize there are plenty of parts of California that are far cheaper than the urban areas, don't you?
Florida is facing an affordability crisis, something Florida newspapers address routinely now.
And no, a "quick check" of rent in Miami does not overcome the fact that Miami rents have become more expensive than LA.
I originally posted something about Bakersfield because... gross. who wants to live there.... but it felt mean. Anyways... costs about as much to live there as Pensacola. One so, so much nicer than the other... If you're arguing energy is cheaper than 1.3x Florida rate in California, you'd be wrong, food less than 20% more expensive? Wrong. Gas less than 30-40%? Wrong. the differences are so great that they actually outweigh the difference in wages factoring in every single tax type being greater. I don't know where the wage to COL numbers could come from considering the taxes are also higher. What major cost of living expense am I forgetting? Cars would be similar, though slightly more in California. Each of these other things is generally 30 to up 40% cheaper on average. I mean, permitting new build construction is as much as 4x in money and time. California subsidizing some of these expenses? When I lived in California gas was actually 100% more expensive than at one point when I lived in Florida shortly before California. I mean, yeah, the gaps are closing on COL while the wage gap has shrunk very little... if at all... but I am certain I can still get more out of 35k in Florida than 55k in California.
Median rent in Miami is LOWER than LA. that's what I checked (not like, scanning Zillow quick check). Avg apt smaller and more expensive in LA. It's in the same ballpark but it's not hard to check. As a bonus, there is more affordable housing in Miami on average than in LA. The distribution is skewed by very high rents on high end apartments, there are a sizable proportion of housing priced between 701-1500 (21%) while the proportion in this range in LA is less than half that of Miami (9%). Id' suggest affordable housing is more the concern of those on average wages (53k in Florida, 78k California). I'd guess your main point might still be right that it would be perhaps ever so slightly easier to live on 78k (-$17695 in income taxes, about -$7500 of that for California) in LA than 53k (-$4655 in Federal income taxes) in Miami. Real income is 60k to 49k. Probably renters don't really pay property taxes (even if "incorporated in rent" the rents aren't much different but property taxes appear to be 18% cheaper in LA County than Miami-Dade), no state income tax for Miami, sales tax 2.5% less in Miami, gas prices in Miami 72% of those in Los Angeles... electricity costs in Miami are 41% of those in LA (Miami is fairly expensive for Florida too, though below the average, Tampa is much cheaper, Orlando more expensive), would there really be much difference in this most expensive part of Florida (at least for major areas) and a more middle level expensive area of California?
Thank you for your thought post.
My argument is simple.
Studies show Florida is the most unaffordable state in the Country for its residents, that it has exceptionally low wages to begin with and that its housing problem is severe.
There is no denying California is expensive. It just happens to be slightly more affordable for its residents per studies I have no reason to question.