As one can guess, higher paying jobs leads to higher costs of living. In fact, more than half of the 20 cities surveyed by the US Census Bureau are based in California. Let’s look at where Americans pay the most to live and why.
How is it that California is so dominant in the expensive costs of living category? The mass of settlers first arrived on Plymouth Rock 300 years ago. And 3,300 miles is a long way to travel, especially on horse and foot!
Besides the gold rush, the main reason for the unfettered move out west is warmth and sunshine!
There is a reason why the 2nd most number of billionaires live in San Francisco (48). California and Hawaii are two of the best states for retirement.
High Costs Of Living And More Sun
Every time I vacation in Hawaii, I always ask myself, why the heck ain’t I here for good. Let’s face it, more sunshine equals happier people. Sunshine is the classic zeitgeber to help us wake up and get us motoring in the morning. No sunshine leads to no photosynthesis, which means no plant life, and therefore no ecosystem.
After 10 years of living on the east coast, I can still feel the grey skies weigh down my soul every winter. Don’t get me wrong. I love the winter snow during the holidays. But I just love being in a cheerful mood more. Here are America’s most expensive places to live based off median monthly housing costs.
Top Cities Where Americans Pay The Most To Live
1. San Jose, Calif. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,828
2. Bridgeport, Conn. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,793
3. Oxnard, Calif. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,780
4. Washington, D.C. Area Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,706
5. San Francisco, Calif. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,660 (Here!)
8. Honolulu, Hawaii. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,532 (There!)
15. Trenton, New Jersey. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,401 (So not there!)
19. Seattle, Washington. Median Monthly Housing Costs: $1,368 (On the West Coast, but not as expensive likely due to rain)
Source: Forbes
Related: The Top 20 Cities To Buy Real Estate Today
Go To Paradise And Make More
So there you have it. Did the cities with the highest costs of living surprise you? Would you be willing to pay $131/month more to live in Honolulu, Hawaii than Trenton, New Jersey? You bet your buns of steel I would!
The next time you are feeling a little glum, look outside and see if the weather has anything to do with it. And if so, come back to this post and plan your move out west.
If you’re paying high costs of living might as well be in the sunshine.
300 years ago, it would have taken you months to come out west. Now, all it takes is a two week bus ride at most. Don’t be afraid to pack up your bags and move, even with a family.
Leo from Zenhabits, with his 6 children are moving to San Francisco from Gaum, and Ryan from Planting Dollars left Wisconsin for Hawaii, why can’t you? After experiencing 10 years on each coast, there is no doubt in my mind that living in a warmer, sunnier place is the way to go. See you on the beach this winter!
Related: West Coast Living – It Really Is that Much Better!
Recommendation: Invest In Real Estate
If you’re looking to buy property as an investment or reinvest your house sale proceeds, take a look at Fundrise, one of the largest real estate crowdfunding platforms today. They allow everyone to invest in mid-market commercial real estate deals across the country that were once only available to institutions or super high net worth individuals.
They are the pioneers of eREIT funds and they are creating an Opportunity Fund to take advantage of tax-efficient Opportunity Zones. Thanks to technology, it’s now much easier to take advantage of lower valuation, higher net rental yield properties across America.
Can I get some tips for relocating to California or Hawaii? Which is better for schools? How much should I earn to make a living there? It would be me, my husband, and 2 kids moving there.
Depends where you are relocating from Kelly. California is more expensive than anywhere on average except for Manhattan, and perhaps Honolulu, HI.
What level schools are you talking about?
@The Financial blogger
I really loved this article. It describes my viewpoint completely. I currently live on the east coast in Northern Ohio. Now, let me tell you that winters here in Ohio take up 3 quarters of the year. Yes, it really puts a damper on my spirit. Not only are the winters long, but even the summers are cloudy and dreary. I’d say it’s cloudy 85% of the time, the skies here are cloudy, overcast skies. When I go to the store, you can see it in the people’s faces that they are affected by it. I live for sunshine. Who doesn’t love sunshine!? I plan on moving to either Hawaii or California whenever I can. The only problem is money. I am a stay at home/work from home mom and my husband works all the time. I’m all for taking a risk and making a new life somewhere warm, but I can’t convince my husband to give up his job. I’ll still be able to keep my job as a medical transcriptionist since I’m employed nationwide, but my husband will have to start all over somewhere else. He works for an excavating company, and I don’t think there are many excavating jobs in Hawaii, maybe california. Anyway, point is I hate the cold, cloudy weather here and I refuse to live my whole life in Ohio.
Life is too short to live in Northern Ohio Kelly. Trust me when I tell you , you will be SO MUCH happier not living there! Whatever job you have in Ohio, you can DEFINITELY find it in C or HI!
@NorCal_lost
Hmmm.. an hour South of Atlanta doesn’t sound that great. 200K houses though, what a steal! :) I hear ya. Today was 70 degrees with no humidity. Went for a hike and played tennis.
Taxes here are killer though… but it’s worth it being happy. Although, chilling at the Wal Mart parking lot sounds fun!