We were in your shoes a year ago. Hubby who grew up in SD when CA was the Golden State decided enough is enough and we started looking at Austin. Granted we have a second home in a tropical paradise, so scorching summers wouldn’t bother us. We bought a place in Austin with straight cash, in a great school district. You are right property taxes are 2-3%, very high for CA standards. However, because home values are lower we are paying less here than in our home in SD. Also, public schools here are as good as private schools, and I am very picky about where my daughter goes to school (she was going to private school in Del Mar before). There are also amazing private schools. Now Texas is not CA, so if I didn’t have a second home near the beach I would be missing the ocean. UT is a great school, diverse but still catering to Texan residents ( unlike UC, sadly). I would say keep your home in Oceanside until you guys settle in Austin just to make sure everybody is happy. My husband and daughter prefer it here over SD. I like the ocean, but CA’s is too cold anyway, so HI is better for me. Financially, Austin is way better than SD any day of the week. Just a teaser: my SUV in SD cost me $700 to register the first year, here it is only $62.50 (and there are no penalties for late registration). There is no perfect place, so you’ll have to weigh in all options and go for what suits your family circumstances. Austin is getting expensive though, so be ready to pay asking price and quickly. But we see CA license plates almost daily, it’s so funny. We have met people who came here from CA and different States for the same reasons mentioned about CA: lower cost of living but also sustainable future (water wise), employment future for kids, and relative safety (don’t mess with TX lol). And all of them are upper middle class or well off, despite what you see in the media. To give you an example, one of our friends traded an apartment in Manhattan with spectacular views for a home in the coveted 78704 zip code in Austin. Btw, there is abundant rain here, we just got 17 inches in two days last week (no flooding though but something to watch for when house hunting here ). Good luck to y’all!!
