Caveat…I did not read all the posts, its a sunday, and because now I actually work and cannot post all I want.
Move away!
Maybe the shine has not yet warn off, but Northern california certainly has greener grass!
You can make half as much and have twice the standard of living with more content people around you to boot!
The half as much is a myth by the way, because a comparable job in sacramento is making more than san diego at least from my limited data point.
The housing market down their is screwed, and without 1 in 2 mortgage owners declaring bancruptcy (which they should given their DTI) the market will not realize gravity, or at least not for another 10 years. Sun and clement weather has a way of denying gravity.
So move away or constantly be pissed at living responsibly…people do live cheaper in other states and markets. Or maybe I just moved to a place with fewer smart people, either way, I don’t care. Because everything feels better up here.
I may have a less of a poke the bear response to follow. But that is just my initial impression from my first week in sacramento.