Report: California One Costly Place to Live - $50,383 for family of four to meet bills

[The Straight Story]

Report: California One Costly Place to Live

How much does it cost to raise a family in California? A new study says much more than the federal poverty line.

The California Budget Project released its estimates of the income necessary to meet housing, utility, transportation, food, health insurance and tax costs for families with two children and single adults. The estimates assume "modest" rents and paying for one's own health insurance.

CBP says a family of four with one employed adult must bring in $50,383 annually to meet its bills. A family headed up by a single parent needs an annual income of $59,7832. And a single adult must bring home $28,336 a year.

A family with two employed adults needs $72,343 annually to make ends meet, according to CBP.

The federal poverty line for a family of four in 2006 was $20,444.

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=34014

[gateley]

1. And I bet they would just BARELY be able to meet bills. nt

[theoldman]

2. This is only because of the cost of housing.

Many things in California are not any more expensive than in other comparable states.

[sandnsea]

5. It's expensive to live everywhere

There are pockets where it's cheaper. But the majority of workers can't afford to live in 90% of the country without govt assistance, credit cards, or massive debt.

[sandnsea]

3. We subsidize labor costs

Food stamps, housing, energy assistance, day care, health care. If business had to pay what it really costs for people to live, you wouldn't see a stock market that went from 777 to 14,000 in 25 years, or these multi-million dollar CEO packages.

[JDPriestly]

4. The disparity between the cost of living in California and other

states outside, perhaps of New York has a lot of terrible repercussions. Social Security checks do not stretch as far in California due to the high cost of living. Also, a Californian who can barely afford a modest lifestyle is in the same federal tax bracket as a citizen in some other state who lives quite comfortably.

In addition, a lot of extraordinarily wealthy people live in certain areas of Los Angeles. I am amused when I read the comments of some DUers about how, for example, Edwards was middle class as a child or about how there is little poverty in the U.S. Here in Los Angeles, we have many, many homeless people on the one hand and people who spend money like it was nothing on the other. I have no problem with people becoming wealthy as a result of hard work, innovation or even luck. But the contrast between the waste and extravagance of some and the desperate need of others here in L.A. is sickening. Those who live in Cleveland, Ohio or Des Moines, Iowa would not believe the contrasts that we see here. In the wealthy areas of L.A. some residents pay more per month for the upkeep on their gardens and grounds than many families spend for basic necessities per month. It is appalling.

And then -- the president does not want to fund SCHIP to meet the needs of children in states like California. Our needy children are not nearly as important to him as policing the sectarian conflict in Iraq. The poverty level should be determined on a state-by-state basis. It isn't one size fits all.

[MADem]

6. Costs are high in Alaska, too, as well as Hawaii.

In VA, I was appalled (and still am, every time I go there) at the cost of food. It's WAY higher than it is in New England.

Housing is expensive along the upper Atlantic corridor, cheaper way down south and in rural New England.

CA seems to get it all--high costs of EVERYTHING...

[JDPriestly]

12. I don't know much about Alaska, but I was shocked by

food prices in Hawaii when I was there a few years ago. Here in California, some of the food prices are not too bad. Housing and transportation are extremely expensive.

[MADem]

13. I haven't been to Alaska in a long time, but when I was there, I found

the cost of basic goods STUNNING. Like Tokyo-stunning. Like London-stunning, but actually much worse.

It was a "Pick up the item, look at the price...GASP!!!!!!!!!...put the item down like you're handling the world's rarest Faberge egg!!!!" And that's everything from a chunk o'cheese to a can of soup to toilet paper. It blew me away!

Perhaps some Alaskans here can tell us if the prices are still in the OWCH OWCH OWCH This-is-fucking-Highway-Robbery territory nowadays. I just couldn't believe them. They were worse than Hawaii, and Hawaii gave me that same vibe!!!

[endarkenment]

7. FPL is a sick joke.

The official Federal Poverty Level for a family of four is $20,650. The reality is that the real poverty level is at least 2x or more of that, or at least 41,000. (SCHIP eligibility for example is generally 200% of the FPL.) And that is the national level, it does not take into account regional cost of living differences.

We have been slow-boiled screwn by the Duopoly since the Reagan administration started the Long Rightward March. 27 years later and just maybe a slim majority of americans realize that they are being fucked over, but probably not.

[goodgd_yall]

11. And the programs for low-income on California's coastal areas

---the most expensive parts of the state---base their income levels on the FPL. You said it---sick joke.

[Trillo]

8. No wonder I feel poor.

Using these standards, I'm below the poverty line.

[Johonny]

9. I imagine the picture is even worse

Inside the major cities of California.

[goodgd_yall]

10. Where? In Clovis?

That doesn't describe the California I know. You'd barely be making it, as a single person, on $36,000 where I've lived. Making $40,000 a year as a single person qualifies you for a low-income housing program on the Central Coast.