[quote=no_such_reality]BG, I know plenty of those Asian and East Indian immigrants. Many are in debt up to their eyeballs. And that’s inspite of both of them being highly educated, highly employed and frankly, they’re wondering how to get off the financial treadmill too.

I also know plenty that are working their backsides off scraping to build wealth and get enough capital to open that 2nd franchise or buy the next rental.

BTW, have been to fly-over land lately? Asian and East Indian immigrants are common.

Negative connotations aside of your post, you make our point, you need to down-grade your material lifestyle or make $200K plus to be in the good parts of Cali. And unless someone left you a house, $100K in Cali is lower middle income existence and it just gets worse as you go down from there. And I’m OC/LA where the housing and expense issue is even more pronounced than SD.

Regarding friends #2 & #3, yes, friend #2, was single making $100K+ and basically feeling poor. To get a house he’d have to stretch to buy crappy and in a crappy hood.

Friends #3 same, she was making $100K and hubby another $50Kish. Ironically, making more now in St. Louis.

the 8% plus sales taxes, the 9.3% income tax, just extra kicks in the shins.

And yes, all five of them where in the $100-$300K range. Elsewhere, that’s really good money. In SoCal, that’s comfy with trade offs.[/quote]

The guy making $100K wasnt paying 9.3% if he was married. Even if was single, his taxes would have been closer to 6%.

When I left CA, i was living in Carmel Valley (I think that’s a pretty good part of CA). I lived pretty well, in fact very well, spending no more than if I was making $150K a year AND I had two kids in college I was paying for out of that money. I really wonder sometimes what people think a middle-income lifestyle should look like.