I’ve been thinking about the same points you made in your post. It’s foolishness to pay a 300-400% premium for nothing, it’s insanity.
I’m expecting a total meltdown in SoCal RE, if not I’ll be packing my bags as well. I am in IT so Austin or Atlanta is what I am eyeing. I’ve checked wages there and it’s about 10% lower than SoCal, so imagine THAT! Earn 10% less but enjoy a 50% lower overall cost of living…sounds enticing enough. I do love the beach though but with the money saved I guess I could just take 2 extra vacations each year 😛
Also wanted to mention that although TX has high property taxes there is no state income tax so that’s a 9.3% savings right there!!!
