The cost of living lie

[rooster]

Here's a fun calculator.

Cost of Living Calculator - Cost of Living Comparison Index Tool | Bankrate

Use this cost of living calculator to compare the cost of living between U.S. cities and determine if you will be able to maintain your current standard of living in another city.

www.bankrate.com

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Exactly my point. This says a guy making 30 an hour would need 46 to make the same in California. In the union trades that guy is making more than 46. He’s likely making over 55 an hour.

Retirement benefits are also higher. You put in 10% of a 60k salary into a 401k and you have 6k a year. That guy in California even at 92k is putting in 9.2k per year.

The guy who works in California/NY/NJ has more $ at the end of this game of life no matter how you cut it.

 

[bobzilla]

Exactly my point. This says a guy making 30 an hour would need 46 to make the same in California. In the union trades that guy is making more than 46. He’s likely making over 55 an hour.

Retirement benefits are also higher. You put in 10% of a 60k salary into a 401k and you have 6k a year. That guy in California even at 92k is putting in 9.2k per year.

The guy who works in California/NY/NJ has more $ at the end of this game of life no matter how you cut it.

Then go move there.

 

[AtTheMurph]

You pay SSI on your income up to the cap for that year. Anything over the cap doesn't count.

Each year, the federal government sets a limit on the amount of earnings subject to Social Security tax. In 2021, the Social Security tax limit is $142,800, and in 2022, this amount is $147,000.

I fully understand how the taxes are paid. I also understand that SSI payments are not some sort of pension where you accrue money and it is paid back.

SSI is simply a tax and payment scheme were current workers pay for current beneficiaries. There are only so many workers and they are paying outsized benefits to some people over others. Seems to be a scam to me when those people who worked in higher cost of living areas as workers now receive more $$$ and can move to lower cost of living areas. It's like double dipping.

Perhaps a cost of living adjustment should be added to SSI benefits just as they add an inflation adjustment.

 

[Route 45]

Then, what's unpleasant or dangerous? Sitting in traffic for hours is unpleasant. Living cheek to jowl with your neighbors is unpleasant. Dealing with homeless people defecating in front of your house and stealing anything not nailed down is unpleasant.

Yes, because every person who lives in California, the third largest state in the nation, lives in a $5000 a month, 700 square foot apartment in a skyscraper and has to clean the bum **** off of their Birkenstocks when they arrive home after dodging hordes of MS-13 gang bangers during their 10 mile, 5 hour commute in a state-madated Prius.

Or maybe not.

California's 11 Most Affordable Places to Live

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Here are the most affordable places to live in California right now.

www.california.com

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Yes, because every person who lives in California, the third largest state in the nation, lives in a $5000 a month, 700 square foot apartment in a skyscraper and has to clean the bum **** off of their Birkenstocks when they arrive home after dodging hordes of MS-13 gang bangers during their 10 mile, 5 hour commute in a state-madated Prius.

Or maybe not.

California's 11 Most Affordable Places to Live

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Here are the most affordable places to live in California right now.

www.california.com

Hence "big wage metropolitan areas on the coasts" in my post and not "state of..."

Note the median wages in some of those cities are less than that of Indiana.

I've traveled through the rural areas of both CA and NY. I'm well aware it's not all LA and NYC.

 

[Twangbanger]

Exactly my point. This says a guy making 30 an hour would need 46 to make the same in California. In the union trades that guy is making more than 46. He’s likely making over 55 an hour.

Retirement benefits are also higher. You put in 10% of a 60k salary into a 401k and you have 6k a year. That guy in California even at 92k is putting in 9.2k per year.

The guy who works in California/NY/NJ has more $ at the end of this game of life no matter how you cut it.

You're still missing the point. There are multiple reasons CA employers have to pay their workers more. Cost of Living is just _one_ of them. It's not that anyone is "lying" to you. You are simply not grasping all the reasons for the difference.

I'm just curious - why was the mere introduction of kids into your situation sufficient to stop you from moving there and reaping this windfall? I mean, there's nothing in the water that prevents kids from living there. CA has schools for them, just like us. So something in the mere layout of numbers was not enough to entice you there. What was it?

 

[Route 45]

Hence "big wage metropolitan areas on the coasts" in my post and not "state of..."

Note the median wages in some of those cities are less than that of Indiana.

I've traveled through the rural areas of both CA and NY. I'm well aware it's not all LA and NYC.

So, every neighborhood in every metropolitan area has homeless poo on their doorstep and rampant theft?

I doubt that is true for any metropolitan area in the US, regardless of state.

Just pointing out the overly broad generalizations.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

So, every neighborhood in every metropolitan area has homeless poo on their doorstep and rampant theft?

I doubt that is true for any metropolitan area in the US, regardless of state.

Just pointing out the overly broad generalizations.

Swing 2. Another miss. Just like I didn't claim the entire state was a huge city, I never claimed all possibilities of downsides would apply to every person. Only an idiot would believe that every single person in, say, LA has the same living conditions.
It's so common sense I wouldn't think I'd need to footnote it. I'm reasonably sure that readers who aren't jumping to well ackshually understand that.

 

[rooster]

I'm just curious - why was the mere introduction of kids into your situation sufficient to stop you from moving there and reaping this windfall?

A unexpected complicated high risk pregnancy after a previous loss.

 

[Route 45]

Swing 2. Another miss. Just like I didn't claim the entire state was a huge city, I never claimed all possibilities of downsides would apply to every person. Only an idiot would believe that every single person in, say, LA has the same living conditions.
It's so common sense I wouldn't think I'd need to footnote it. I'm reasonably sure that readers who aren't jumping to well ackshually understand that.

I'm not the one making idiotic generalizaions of entire metropolitan areas.

And you're the king of "well ackshually," so sit down.

 

[bobzilla]

I'm not the one making idiotic generalizaions of entire metropolitan areas.

And you're the king of "well ackshually," so sit down.

He wasn’t either. But we both already know that dont we?

 

[Route 45]

He wasn’t either. But we both already know that dont we?

I can't account for your lack of reading comprehension.

 

[bobzilla]

I can't account for your lack of reading comprehension.

I would like to help you but you don’t want to be helped. You’d rather attack people and read into their posts things that aren’t there. Having family living in the coasts I know what they make and what their cost of living is. I know the ******** they deal with (willingly because “but it’s the city man”). If you’d like to have an honest discussion I’m more than willing. If you just want to do what you’re doing then I am out.

 

[Route 45]

I would like to help you but you don’t want to be helped. You’d rather attack people and read into their posts things that aren’t there. Having family living in the coasts I know what they make and what their cost of living is. I know the ******** they deal with (willingly because “but it’s the city man”). If you’d like to have an honest discussion I’m more than willing. If you just want to do what you’re doing then I am out.

If you visit the Australia Has Fallen thread, you'll see that second hand accounts from friends and family who actually live in the area are to be mocked if they don't agree with the narrative. So there's really no point in discussing it with anyone who already has their mind set. I posted a calculator that showed your cost of living comparisons to be greatly exaggerated, and what's your response? "Move there, then." Yeah, you want honest discussion.

 

[bwframe]