Any mustachians in Santa Barbara, CA or is that idea completely incompatible?

[hollim33]

So my husband has a decent job offer in Santa Barbara, CA. Right now we are in a cold, grey midwestern town and would love to move somewhere with mountains and ocean and sunshine...but mainly somewhere more walkable and bikable and progressive.

The problem is we have just caught on to the mustachian lifestyle in the last 3-4 months. We have made a lot of changes and and realize that we could really put our money to good use and work toward early retirement, especially because he makes a decent pay and our cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. BUT...we don't like it here. :/ There's a reason the cost of living and housing is incredibly cheap. And because we have 2 young kids, we're thinking of where and how we'd like to raise them and what kind of environment we'd love for them to grow up in.

So now here we are looking at the complete opposite opportunity where we would probably be struggling paycheck to paycheck somewhat and never be ever to own a home or retire early but live somewhere we might enjoy the lifestyle more...

What say you, mustachians??

[mustachianteacher]

Yup, that would be a tough one. There isn't even much in the way of commuter towns nearby; to the north, you have to drive quite a bit before you get to Pismo Beach and SLO. I think you would have a really tough time finding Mustachian housing in a family-friendly neighborhood, so you'd have to think about whether or not it's worth it to him to have a 1-hour(ish) commute south to Ventura, Oxnard, or Camarillo. Those areas would have slightly more affordable options. Still, coming from the Midwest, you're going to experience sticker shock, for sure.

All of that being said, I live in the San Fernando valley, and I really like it. I generally enjoy the climate (sunshine makes me happy), and I love the proximity to state parks 10 min), the beach (30 min), and the mountains/winter snow (2.5 hours). I moved here for college and stayed because I really like it.

[hollim33]

Thanks for the reply!

His job would actually be in Goleta so we were considering Buellton or Solvang area which looks like it would be a 30-40 min commute. However, it sounds like gas is a lot pricier there and I'm thinking if we were able to live closer to his job, we could do one car and he could bike to work and save quite a bit of money that way...
 

[Pylortes]

I wouldn't personally move somewhere where Id have more traffic, longer commutes smaller/more expensive housing or not be able to save. But it depends on your priorities. I think I'd consider a move to a better climate etc when I was closer to retirement. In the meantime we just save in our low cost midwest city and plan vacations to those types of places several times a year (the extra low cost of living allows for more in the travel budget).  You can spend a lot of quality time on the beach or in the mountains in one or two week chunks a couple times a year and its a good feeling to know you can afford it.

Caveat- I grew up in S. CA and moved for college/work to the Midwest and like to vacation there but have no interest in moving back and slaving over the mortgage payment.

[mustachianteacher]

I suppose Buelton or Solvang would be doable, but the problem with that stretch of the 101 is that it's very hilly and somewhat twisty, can be very windy, it's a truck route, and it only has 1 or 2 lanes each way. When it gets backed up due to an accident, it's *really* backed up.

Isla Vista is the college town associated with UCSB. Have you looked there?

[feelingroovy]

Isla Vista is the college town associated with UCSB. Have you looked there?

The rents are much higher in Isla Vista than in the rest of Goleta, due to being party central, and right on the ocean.

I lived in Santa Barbara for 7 years during the 90s, before having kids.

We moved to the northeast so we could buy a house and be closer to family once we had kids.

I still miss it sometimes.  Other than the cost of housing, it actually IS a mustachian place to live.  There are many free things to do and it's a wonderful community.  Many of the things that make a place really livable: bike lanes, great farmers market, really nice library, community festivals, museums, a national forest right over the mountains.

Oh, and the thrift stores have amazing cast-off designer clothes.

The one really high expense is housing, but rent is not comparable to buying.  So as long as you can give up on buying, you may still be able to afford it.

I think commuting from Solvang or Buellton would be pretty depressing.  Your husband would be able to bike to work even if you lived downtown.  I used to do it.  It only rains 2 weeks a year and there is a bike path that runs from SB to Goleta.  Rents may even be lower there b/c the university is in Goleta.

It all depends on how good that offer is and whether you could live with renting.

[clutchy]

umm... SB is one of the nicest places on earth.

the opportunity to have a job and live there is quite an opportunity.

[dragoncar]

Was just there and loved it.  Considering retiring there and it would be worth the extra savings

[Mojo]

our cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. BUT...we don't like it here. :/ There's a reason the cost of living and housing is incredibly cheap

On the flip side, there's a reason the housing is so incredibly expensive in Santa Barbara.  It's a town that oozes character and is just about second to none when it comes to quality of life.  But living paycheck to paycheck to be able to live there?  I say no way Jose.  Not unless you're able to get a job or side hustle in order to give you and your family some long term savings.  My $0.02

[senecando]

Thanks for the reply!

His job would actually be in Goleta so we were considering Buellton or Solvang area which looks like it would be a 30-40 min commute. However, it sounds like gas is a lot pricier there and I'm thinking if we were able to live closer to his job, we could do one car and he could bike to work and save quite a bit of money that way...

Who WAS Buell? And did he really weigh a ton?

A family favorite quote from the Pea Soup and Buellton museum sitting atop Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton.

[mjs111]

I've lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for the last 17 years, and have been up to Santa Barbara many times. I agree with one of the other posters, it's one of the most beautiful places on earth. I used to live in Wisconsin before that.

That said, I'd hate to see you partially ruin that by a long commute on the 101 (it does get backed up and there aren't good alternative routes).  Living in Santa Barbara would be more expensive but it's a bikable, walkable city, and you'd save on gas.  Also keep in mind you won't have that large winter heating bill. :)


Mike

[Eric]

So my husband has a decent job offer in Santa Barbara, CA. Right now we are in a cold, grey midwestern town and would love to move somewhere with mountains and ocean and sunshine...but mainly somewhere more walkable and bikable and progressive.

The problem is we have just caught on to the mustachian lifestyle in the last 3-4 months. We have made a lot of changes and and realize that we could really put our money to good use and work toward early retirement, especially because he makes a decent pay and our cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. BUT...we don't like it here. :/ There's a reason the cost of living and housing is incredibly cheap. And because we have 2 young kids, we're thinking of where and how we'd like to raise them and what kind of environment we'd love for them to grow up in.

So now here we are looking at the complete opposite opportunity where we would probably be struggling paycheck to paycheck somewhat and never be ever to own a home or retire early but live somewhere we might enjoy the lifestyle more...

What say you, mustachians??

How much more money is the the job in Santa Barbara offering above his current job?  The benefit of living in a high COL area is that the wages should also be higher.  You don't mention your income.  Are you a stay at home parent?  If so, will this change once the kids are in school full time?

Coastal California is pretty incredible, but it's probably not worth putting your whole financial future at stake.  That said, despite the fact that housing is more expensive, there's the benefit of being able to walk/bike year round and pretty much never having to turn on the heat.  There are tons of free outdoor activities that can be utilized year round.  And coming from the midwest, you will think that the weather is awesome 365 days a year (recovering Chicagoan here, living in Silicon Valley).  So while you'll pay more in rent, you'll save more in utilities and daily travel. (not enough to make up the difference, but some)

But real estate is out of this world expensive.  If owning your own home is high on your list of priorities, this is probably not the place for you.  If the 4 of you could fit in a large 2 bedroom apartment, you might do just fine.  It can seem a little daunting when you're used to larger spaces to shrink your living space down considerably, but it's really not that bad.  And remember, there's probably only a handful of days a year where you wouldn't want to be outside anyway.

[capital]

Living in a high cost of living area can be reasonable, especially if the salary is high enough to allow a higher absolute rate of savings, even if the ratio of savings to income is lower. In the US, "high cost of living" usually translates to "expensive housing", so especially if you're willing to trade a house for an apartment or live in a moderately sized place, you can still optimize your biggest expense. Other things won't necessarily be more expensive, food in CA is cheap because you're near where it's grown, and utilities will be quite cheap in a place where you barely need to heat or cool your house.

Note that Santa Barbara is a pretty small town, and has a small labor market, so figure out if there are any decent job opportunities for you, or if your husband will have any other opportunities if his employer employer doesn't work out.

Dunno where in the Midwest you live, but if you're looking for a progressive, walkable/bikeable place, SoCal isn't necessarily paradise. It has an incredibly intense car culture and the all the big money in the rich people towns on the coast may leave you feeling socially isolated, even if those rich people vote for Democrats. I know Santa Barbara has pretty decent bike lanes, but when I lived in La Jolla people definitely thought I was weird for going about daily life on a bike, especially before I owned a car.

[Albert]

I can't comment on financial aspects at all, but would like to add that Santa Barbara is among the prettiest places in US I've been to. That ought to count for something.

[feelingroovy]

What Eric said.

The thing to remember is your choices are not limited to the cold, grey, unlikeable, unprogressive, midwestern town where you live and paradise (aka, Santa Barbara).

The problem with living in Santa Barbara is it's very hard to ever leave, but there are many other very nice places to live where houses don't start at 7 figures.

[mustachianteacher]

The problem with living in Santa Barbara is it's very hard to ever leave, but there are many other very nice places to live where houses don't start at 7 figures.

Very true. The greater LA area has a pretty bad reputation for being very fake, very expensive, and very Hollywood-oriented, and yes, tha's absolutely present, but there are also many pockets of affordable living with down-to-earth people. Home prices will probably still seem expensive to anyone used to Midwest prices, but there really ARE many nice, normal, and affordable areas of LA.

[bondo]

I'm a Mustachian living in Santa Barbara.  I have lived here for the past 8 years. I grew up in Iowa, and I know all about the cold and gray you speak of.  Commuting to another town is out of the question, the drive is long and the cost (time+gas)will be more than its worth. Both roads out of town have a lot of accidents.   Renting is the way to go, like others have said, houses start at nearly 7 figures.  And yes, it would be very hard to leave this town, the weather is perfect 350+ days a year(72 and sunny today)!  Its hard tell the four seasons apart.   

For me this town fits in well with being a Mustachian.  I earn more here than I would most anywhere else, that teamed up with living a very frugal lifestyle yields a great 'stache.  I am just a mechanic, and well on my way to FI.  BUT is takes very strong will power to live a frugal lifestyle in this town.  A one bedroom apt starts at $1500/month, so I share an apt with two other people for $800. It gets old sharing an apt well into my 30's.  Eventually the plan is to become FI, live another year or two here and really enjoy the area.  At that point I will move somewhere more affordable. 

SB is very bike and walk friendly. I have gone without a car for years at a time. The social structure here is odd.  You have several groups that people fall into here.  The billionaires, the retired millionaires, the constant flow of collage kids, and the Mexicans who do all of the work.  The group of middle class working families is small and always changing because it is so hard to afford life here.  As others have said, the job market is limited here.  Since you have two kids, maybe an apt. is out of the question, so then you are looking at $3500/month to rent a home.



   

[SnackDog]

I say go for it. Median income per household there is about $80k per annum. Not bad. You can rent a 2 or 3 bed condo for about $2600/mo. The quality of life is outstanding, as has been noted by many. You may well be happier living there and saving less (working longer) than you would be toiling another decade in a wintry flyover state and retiring early with just enough to stay put.

[Stives]

There's a really high population of illegals in the area, so renting prices are ridiculously high. If you buy a cheap property and rent parts of it out (convert garage, etc) and learn Spanish you could slash a lot off of owning prices. It is absolutely amazing to live there. I would jump on that in a heartbeat.

[hollim33]

Wow, you guys are great! I thought you all would think we were crazy for considering living somewhere with such expensive housing. I can't respond to all of this right now but definitely will tomorrow. You've given us a lot to think about. Thank you so much for all the detailed replies!!

[cats]

I agree that buying a house may be difficult, but that if you are okay with renting it may be manageable.  I lived in SB for 5 years and it *is* really nice.  I didn't even have a car for the last 2 years, though I'm not sure I would recommend that as a long-term choice (it's good to have a car from time to time, but very possible to avoid needing it daily.

I would definitely try to avoid driving, as others have mentioned the 101 can be a mess and there are not very good alternatives.  You might want to check the Metrolink (LA area commuter train) schedules, there is a stop in Goleta and I believe it goes as far north as SLO.  If the schedules work and housing within biking distance of the station is affordable, that may also be an alternative.