As I near the end of my undergraduate degree, I am considering the next step in my career. One path under consideration is making the move from grocery retail to agriculture. One of the implications of this decision is that many of the larger, broad-scoped companies that I am considering are based out of California. This is understandable, because it supplies so much of our fresh food supply.
As just about everyone knows, California is expensive. However, I am having trouble truly realizing how much more I need to earn in order to maintain an acceptable standard of living. My standards are pretty low. I don't need a lot of room (I have lived in a two-bedroom place that was 450 square feet), however, I would like to eat, and I have bills to pay.
I do not see this as a long-term move, but I know that it would be best for me to move out of my comfort zone sooner than later. I don't want any what-ifs later on in life.
Look at a cost of living calculator to figure out how much you need to earn in California campared to your current residence. Use that as a beginning point in your research. Also keep in mind that rent prices can vary widely in California depending upon which city you live in.
http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
Pulling some quick numbers:
The government says $1266 would cover rent and utilities for me in Gainesville. In San Francisco, $2880. San Diego, $2088. So figure double, in housing alone.
Don't forget the income tax!
The big deciding factor really is "where in CA"? The regularagricultural areas like the Central Valley aren't superexpensive (at least not compared with the Bay Area or LA). Taxes are pretty high over in CA - at least compared to NV - and all you ever hear about the DMV over there are horror stories. Plus, keep in mind they have the strictest emissions legislation in the US...
Really depends on the zip code, you cannot live in SD on 2088$ take home. Gas/Rent and atrocious state taxes will eat you alive.
California is a very big place.
Thankfully, most of the ag companies are located in small cities (population less than 100,000) that are at least 50 miles away from the major metros. A few of the cities I have found internships available are in Watsonville, Camarillo, and Westlake Village.
I know that rent will be higher, especially if I want to finally live at my own place. Living with roommates definitely has its downsides, but my share of rent/utilities/internet at about $325/mo definitely isn't one of them.
wearymicrobe wrote:
Really depends on the zip code, you cannot live in SD on 2088$ take home. Gas/Rent and atrocious state taxes will eat you alive.
California is a very big place.
The $2088 is the basic housing allowance for the area near Camp Pendleton, paycheck is seperate (for me, anyway).
In reply to Mitchell:
Well, Watsonville has the advantage of being rather close to Laguna Seca 
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I see California as a place nice to visit, but not a place I would EVER choose to live.
I can speak to Camarillo and Westlake Village. Westake Village is very much an expensive CA city, movie stars live there etc (with no agriculture BTW, that's in Camarillo / Ventura). If you are going to work in WV, you will probably want to look for lodging in the valley (Canoga Park etc.) or Simi Valley.
Camarillo (and Oxnard next to it), not far from WV, will be much more affordable and because it is more agricultural, you are more likely to find lower cost lodging. There are other towns near by there that are also less high end.
If you are not picky about having a super nice place though, there are always some options. Renting a house is pretty much out of the question unless you are bringing in roomates or want to live in the hood. Rentals are pretty pricey around here now ($3000+ / month are not uncommon in decent neighborhoods) and honestly your best bet would probably be renting a room in a share rental or a less then fancy appartment.
Rent will be the most significant difference from FL. Gas is of course more expensive, but it won't break you since you are unlikely to live too far from work. Other then that I don't think CA will be significantly more expensive then FL. If you want to buy a house... oh boy...
If you do go for WV or Camarillo, post up and let us know. I can probably give you some more info and invite you to an AutoX we have in Camarillo (usually) twice a year.
Thanks for the offer, I just need to apply, interview, get an offer, decide to leave my employer of ten year, and then get of with life. 
As stated before, California is a big place. It is also a very diverse place. SF is not LA is not the Central Valley. Housing prices will vary a LOT with where you are. Even within metro areas, housing prices can vary significantly by traveling relatively short distances.
The areas you've named are on the coast and will be more expensive than the central valley. Watsonville will probably be the least expensive place you listed. The biggest price difference is housing. Taxes will be a bit higher. The variety and quality of food, wine, and beer here is absolutely the best, and frequently a bit lower price than other places.
All in all, it isn't cheap, but it isn't insane. Your pay will probably account for the increased cost of living. And there are a lot of great upsides to CA... Laguna Seca, Infineon, Thunder Hill...
Also, Governor Brown is frickin' awesome. The dude pulled together a budget plan that gets us operating in the black: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100370444
BoxheadTim wrote:
...and all you ever hear about the DMV over there are horror stories.
Erm... nope. Only issue I ever had with the DMV was trying to find a way to register my race car to be able to legally flat-tow it to events. Appointments are easy to make and most offices get you through pretty quickly even if you don't have one.
Beer Baron wrote:
BoxheadTim wrote:
...and all you ever hear about the DMV over there are horror stories.
Erm... nope. Only issue I ever had with the DMV was trying to find a way to register my race car to be able to legally flat-tow it to events. Appointments are easy to make and most offices get you through pretty quickly even if you don't have one.
Amen. You can take a stack of papers that vaguely resemble car-looking paperwork and walk out with a title. (ok, they actually mail it to you). CA DMV was cake, especially compared to PA.
CA in general has good drivers. On the more rural 4-lane highways I will say that CA drivers have a naughty tendency to hang out in the left lane. CA is also a motorcyclists paradise. Not only do you have 50 weeks a year of excellent weather, you get little perks like cheap or free parking, you duck to the front of the line at red lights, and you can legally ride between lanes of rush hour traffic. Its dangerous, but nice.
I lived in L.A. for 7 years. (6 years downtown and 1 year in Pasadena.) My postage-stamp apartment was $1770/mo. Taxes suck, fuel prices suck. A dozen eggs will cost you $4 instead of $2.50.
I left because I couldn't afford it. If I had a good-paying job, I'd probably still be there.
I also was like a kid in a candy store with zillions of cheap, rust-free classics in a 4-hour desert radius. In 2 hours I could be in the mountains skiing. In 4 hours I could be in Vegas. In 5 hours I could be to Sequoia Park or fishing for 35-lb steelhead in Big Sur.
Bottom line for me - If I could have afforded it, I would still be there.
The Bay Area is as expensive as the central farmland is beautiful. My sister lives in Oakland and it is reasonable, but her husband has been mugged on their front porch. (And they live in the "nice" part)
I have driven south from the Bay Area down to Monterrey, and it is gorgeous! Visit it once and you will want to stay.
California is a wonderful place to visit, but I would never choose to live there. Granted, there may in fact be places in Cali that aren't full of loonies, but I wouldn't bet a nickel on it.
LA is not California, LA is strange.
I lived in the PRC for 18 years. I suggest looking someplace else.
curtis73 wrote:
I lived in L.A. for 7 years. (6 years downtown and 1 year in Pasadena.) My postage-stamp apartment was $1770/mo. Taxes suck, fuel prices suck. A dozen eggs will cost you $4 instead of $2.50.
I left because I couldn't afford it. If I had a good-paying job, I'd probably still be there.
I will have to reiterate that that is L.A. and is not indicative of the rest of the state. I figure $1700 would be the rate for a nice 3 or 4 bed house in most suburbs. That dozen eggs will cost me $2.50 unless SWMBO wants to buy organic or something. This does change if you are in happening parts of the Bay Area, L.A. basin, San Diego or the rare enclaves of the ultra-rich like Carmel. Since the OP is looking at agricultural areas, you will probably not have these problems.
Now, you might move to an area where most of the homes in town are more expensive. I'm in Fort Bragg which is up on the north coast and can be a bit pricey. We would not have been able to find a house that met our needs on our budget if we lived in the town proper (biggest issue would have been parking for the race car). Instead, we're renting a nice sized house with 2 car garage just outside of town. Rather than being walking distance from work and bars, I'm a <10 minute drive.
curtis73 wrote:
I also was like a kid in a candy store with zillions of cheap, rust-free classics in a 4-hour desert radius. In 2 hours I could be in the mountains skiing. In 4 hours I could be in Vegas. In 5 hours I could be to Sequoia Park or fishing for 35-lb steelhead in Big Sur.
When I lived in Sacramento I would tell people that whatever you want to do, it is probably within a 2-hour driving radius and almost certainly within a 4-hour radius. Hiking, skiing, white-water rafting, diving, sky diving, car racing, sailing, gambling, best wine in the country, best beer in the country.
curtis73 wrote:
...I lived in L.A. for 7 years. (6 years downtown and 1 year in Pasadena.) My postage-stamp apartment was $1770/mo. Taxes suck, fuel prices suck. A dozen eggs will cost you $4 instead of $2.50....
Those are not exactly lower end neighborhoods and represent the higher end of housing costs.
In the areas he is looking at apartments are more in the $1000 range for decent ones (probably not Westlake Village though) and likely less if you don't mind a less then ideal setup. Still not cheap of course (rents are abnormally high currently).
Realistically, rent will be the MAJOR factor. No sense to try and scare him with other stuff, especially if you don't live in the area. Every state has its collection of a-holes and weirdos and you will have to steer clear of them wherever you go.
aircooled wrote:
I can speak to Camarillo and Westlake Village. Westake Village is very much an expensive CA city, movie stars live there etc (with no agriculture BTW, that's in Camarillo / Ventura). If you are going to work in WV, you will probably want to look for lodging in the valley (Canoga Park etc.) or Simi Valley.
Camarillo (and Oxnard next to it), not far from WV, will be much more affordable and because it is more agricultural, you are more likely to find lower cost lodging. There are other towns near by there that are also less high end.
If you are not picky about having a super nice place though, there are always some options. Renting a house is pretty much out of the question unless you are bringing in roomates or want to live in the hood. Rentals are pretty pricey around here now ($3000+ / month are not uncommon in decent neighborhoods) and honestly your best bet would probably be renting a room in a share rental or a less then fancy appartment.
Rent will be the most significant difference from FL. Gas is of course more expensive, but it won't break you since you are unlikely to live too far from work. Other then that I don't think CA will be significantly more expensive then FL. If you want to buy a house... oh boy...
If you do go for WV or Camarillo, post up and let us know. I can probably give you some more info and invite you to an AutoX we have in Camarillo (usually) twice a year.
Camarillo and Oxnard will def be cheaper than Westlake Village. Aircooled is right about renting being expensive,
Camarillo is supposed to be "nicer" than Oxnard and apt rentals vary depending on area.
An older but not complete ghetto, gated 1 bedroom apt with 1 car garage in North Oxnard (El Rio) that is close to fwy and a newly planned "master community" will run you ~$1100 including water and electricity. A 2 bedroom and 2 car garage are around $1400 iirc? That's if there's a vacancy, those are known to be decent basic apts with not terrible neighbors.
Renting a house is another story. In Oxnard especially, you have to compete with people willing to cram a dozen people into a 4 bedroom house and garage. The ghetto isn't as bad as they make it out to be, I've lived in the older side of town and now on the newer "nicer" side of town. I see more police activity in this neighborhood than I ever did in "the ghetto".
3 and 4 bedroom houses are close in price, rent wise. I want to say 1600 to 2600 a month depending on where you want to be. No utilities, maybe they'll throw in landscaping.
Ventura.craigslist.org serves Oxnard, Ventura, Camarillo etc..
What's your degree in? What are you wanting to do in the ag business? I work for a fertilizer company that's expanding.
Hi Mitchell,
I grew up in Westlake Village and moved back 24 years ago. In that time, I’ve owned three homes starting with a condo followed by a basic house and ending with something a little fancier.
As Beer Baron, Aircooled, and others have pointed out, you can’t make sweeping generalizations about California.
Please PM me if there’s anything I can do to help you with your decision.
Take care,
Brett
Fletch1 wrote:
What's your degree in? What are you wanting to do in the ag business? I work for a fertilizer company that's expanding.
I am studying horticultural sciences. Over the past few years, I have focused my studies around postharvest handling practices; essentially looking at ways to best maintain quality and minimize losses throughout the supply chain. I have been preparing for a career that involves the interaction between retail establishments and produce companies. This may involve buying, selling, forecasting, or anything else that can drive sales and mutually benefit both parties.
I have also worked in grocery retail for 10 years; about 4 in the produce department, and 3 years in department management roles.
While this has been my attempted trajectory, I am of course open to other options.
