california: I'm interested in moving to California and I was curious as to which part of the state would be cheapest to live in, while still having descent living standards (I don't want to live in a ghetto or anything!). I'm not opposed to small towns, but I wouldn't want to live in an extremely small town, say less than 5,000 people. I also think it'd be cool to live near the coast. If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it, thanks for your help!|||If you want to live near the coast you'll pay dearly for it. I sold my home about 15 miles from the coast in So. Cal. for nearly a million dollars back in March of this year. I took my equity and bought what is - by California standards - a mansion near Houston at just over 50% of the cost. Also, my salary became worth 40% more just by moving. I love California and lived there for 33 years. I would fforget all of Northern Cal, it is even more expensive than Southern. Look at San Bernardino and Riverside if you want to buy something decent in the $300 to $400K range. You can buy a reasonably nice home - 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage in a decnt area of Los Angeles County for around $600K. The further you get from the coast the more reasonable it will be. A coastal home - even a shack - will run over a million dollars. Also, you should do a salary calculator on Homefair.com or another site to determine how much more you'll need to earn to live there. Unless you're moving from Manhattan, you'll almost certainly need to earn considerably more to have the same standard of living. The best way to do it is through a company relocation - they'll pay realtor fees and everything else - including an increased salary - to get you there. Good luck!|||You would definately want to look at northern coastal california. I would look into towns north of Sacremento.|||California is crazy expensive, Cost of living is outrageous. Enough said...it doesn't matter where you go.|||Cheap? In California? Any place cheap is a place you would not want to live and as for by the coast...forget it.|||Forget the coast, that's not happening -- well, unless you have $800K for a small 2 bedroom. The cheapest non-ghetto areas are in the desert like the outskirts of Palm Springs (PS is expensive though) or the high desert like Victorville or Lancaster. If you have to work, keep that in mind. Both of those areas are 2 hours from Los Angeles, each way, for commuting.|||You do have a job already in California, right?? Do not even attempt to move there and then get the job. The cost-of-living will eat through your savings fast. Plus you're competing with thousands of residents who are out of work. If you do have a job already, or your career is portable, then you could: www.realtor.com to compare houses and locations; contact a realtor specificially in one area, and discuss your options. The coast is beautiful to live near but it brings heavy fog, high winds, very cold water, tourists. There are lots of wonderful places not directly on the coast, but within driving distance. Good luck...