28, married with 115k/yr. No debt. Since we don’t have family connection in southern CA, it makes no sense to live here and buy a home. Instead, we’re moving out of state and buying a 4br 2000sqft single family home for 200k. We love sunny SD, but 4-seasons ain’t bad either.

FYI – for a 30yr fixed mortgage at 6.5%:

180k loan will cost you $410k in principal & interest over life of loan.

500k loan will cost you $1.2MM in principal & interest over life of loan. Plus, more in taxes & insurance compared to the Midwest.