I was one of those folks… left in my late 20’s, came back more than a decade later… Boy did I have sticker shock on housing. But we dug in and bought anyway. Now 12 years after coming back to San Diego, we’ve almost paid off the house we bought when we came back.
No bmw’s. I guess my SUV isn’t designer since it cost well under $40k when I bought it 8 years ago.
Once you pay for housing, California isn’t that expensive. Groceries, medical insurance, and some of the other big ticket items are cheaper here than back east. Property taxes, if you stay long enough, are a bargain. (Because of the prop13 cap). Especially if you compare it to upstate NY, or anywhere in New Jersey. Even in suburban PA – I had a much less expensive home -but prop taxes were higher.
