Ready to leave SoCal. Where in Texas?

[KWeaver]

Just going to basic training is too long to leave a spouse you really care about too many things can happen you wouldn't be there for.I have tooken my wife to the hospital twice due to kidney stones she had to have surgery for I would hate not to be there for that. I'm very aware of the pay structure. My wife and I have great health insurance through our employers that doesn't cost us a lot. I have a pension where I work plus a Roth401K. My wife has a 6% match Roth401k all these things exist outside of the military. Basic housing allowance gives you a free house to live in if you live on base. If you live off base depending on your area it can rent you a mediocre property. My wife was a travel nurse when I met her she also got this.
I was in the signal corps signal support systems specialist.
I'm very pro military but I think it's something you do as a single person, you don't bring a spouse into it until you've already been in the life.
If your spouse is also in the military than this whole pay thing is a completely different story, but as a single-income household a lot of people in the military struggle financially.

Just to be clear I would recommend almost any 18 year old to join the military. Single no kids and build from that point.


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I would simply say that you are fortunate to have a good job with good benefits; most Americans are not so lucky. As to time away from family; yes, it can be difficult.

I don't know when you were in the Army but I am in the Air Force and I have worked with the Army while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I can assure you there are significant difference between the two branches (too many TBH).

As to compensation; I am currently stationed in one of the higher cost of living bases in the US. Travis Air Force is located between the cities of Fairfield and Vacaville almost an equal distance from San Francisco and Sacramento. It's considered part of the Eastbay area but you could argue it is economically closer to Sac. I just ran the numbers for a brand new E-1 with a family; they would make about $4450 a month with $2800 being tax free if they lived off base (they are only taxed on base pay of $1700). Thats about $28/hr. If they lived on base they would make about $2050 a month and have a 2/1 dublex with a single car garage and utilities for free.

So IDK; that seems better than most entry level jobs but I could be wrong because I don't keep up with average wages in this area.

There are pro's and con's but joining the Air Force isn't a "bad" choice for someone with a family.

 

[Ford ST]

I would simply say that you are fortunate to have a good job with good benefits; most Americans are not so lucky. As to time away from family; yes, it can be difficult.

I don't know when you were in the Army but I am in the Air Force and I have worked with the Army while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I can assure you there are significant difference between the two branches (too many TBH).

As to compensation; I am currently stationed in one of the higher cost of living bases in the US. Travis Air Force is located between the cities of Fairfield and Vacaville almost an equal distance from San Francisco and Sacramento. It's considered part of the Eastbay area but you could argue it is economically closer to Sac. I just ran the numbers for a brand new E-1 with a family; they would make about $4450 a month with $2800 being tax free if they lived off base (they are only taxed on base pay of $1700). Thats about $28/hr. If they lived on base they would make about $2050 a month and have a 2/1 dublex with a single car garage and utilities for free.

So IDK; that seems better than most entry level jobs in this area but I could be wrong because I don't keep with average wages in this area.

There are pro's and con's but joining the Air Force isn't a "bad" choice for someone with a family.

I understand there's differences but the pay is the same. All military branches as you know have the exact same pay based on grade.
I work in sanitation man anybody can do it. Not too many people want to get covered in deer blood. But I do well because my wife and I both work and take care of each other. The sanitation industry is recession proof. Definitely not for everybody but I have a very strong stomach.
I just don't agree with leaving your spouse or kid if they did not grow up in that life it's that simple. We can agree to disagree on that topic. If you meet your spouse while you're in the military and have a kid totally different story, but if you bring somebody into that life that didn't sign up for that you can't expect them to stick around.
Also financially you are definitely better off living on base if you can.

We all live different but for some people they are most needed in person in the moment, and for others they are just financial piggy banks that are not present in life. I respect your military service I love the military all branches, but I just can't recommend it to somebody who already has a significant relationship and a child. If he told me he was 20 years old single and just didn't know what to do I would say hell yeah do it.

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[maestromaestro]

Houston is reasonably cheap, but it is the ugliest big city on the planet - and I have been to quite a few. The weather has been getting hotter and hotter. And, of course, it is humid. And, yeah, there are hurricanes and torrential rains, which can and do cause flooding. So, if you are prepared to deal with the above (which means staying inside for half a year) - go for it.

The cost of living is relatively low, and there are no income taxes. But, the property taxes are higher, there are sin taxes, and there is a high sales tax. If you don’t mind commuting - and in Houston it is unavoidable unless you are prepared to pay for a desirable neighborhood - you can find cheap, hot, and ugly living in H-town.

Austin is a whole other kettle of fish.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

Military is out the window. Like said multiple times already, if I was 18 and single yes. Now, not going to happen


I was spending 1.5-2 hours to get to work and worse on the way home. So I know traffic and how much lost time it is. I'm not big on living in the cities. But 30 miles out it seems like tons of places to have a family. Traffic can't be worse then what we deal with down here. I'm actually looking at tickets in these next couple weeks to go out there for a weekend and check out different cities. Do service advisor there make enough to make a living?

For ideas of cities I've been googling "Best cities to raise a family in Texas" and most cities are 10-30 miles out of Dallas which seems like a good amount. I'm currently 65 miles from LA and we go out there for the day for things like Dodger games and just enjoying the city. But close enough to come back at night. We don't party so I don't need that scene. I'm really about looking for a place to enjoy life for once

 

[Chaski]

North East Texas kinda reminds me of the Chico CA area. Orchards, lots of trees, slightly rolling hills to flat terrain. I think it is nice there. I’ve been going to Killeen / Ft Hood (Central Texas) every few years for about 20 years now. Every time I go it seems like it is a little busier, a little nicer and become a pretty decent place in my opinion. It does get hot and humid there - which is no joke.

Personally I have never moved without employment secured first. The trick is where employment is booming - so is housing. Maybe go on a road trip?

I do have to agree that just about any major city in Texas is getting expensive- and Austin is also expensive. Plus- Austin is one of those places that it seems that you must dedicate your life to being “hip” there. I felt like some sort of space alien there since I do not have tattoos- glasses or skinny jeans.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Military is out the window. Like said multiple times already, if I was 18 and single yes. Now, not going to happen


I was spending 1.5-2 hours to get to work and worse on the way home. So I know traffic and how much lost time it is. I'm not big on living in the cities. But 30 miles out it seems like tons of places to have a family. Traffic can't be worse then what we deal with down here. I'm actually looking at tickets in these next couple weeks to go out there for a weekend and check out different cities. Do service advisor there make enough to make a living?

For ideas of cities I've been googling "Best cities to raise a family in Texas" and most cities are 10-30 miles out of Dallas which seems like a good amount. I'm currently 65 miles from LA and we go out there for the day for things like Dodger games and just enjoying the city. But close enough to come back at night. We don't party so I don't need that scene. I'm really about looking for a place to enjoy life for once

It might be a good idea to secure a job here at a company that supports transferring to other locations if you need to move. Sure, it'll slow your plans down, but you'll have secured employment when you move.
Thats why i was recommending costco - good pay, good benefits, very supportive of employees, and I believe they're helpful with relocation (not like they pay for it, but there's an internal mechanism for you changing locations). I know someone who's worked there for a looooooong time and they're compensated surprisingly well for a retail outlet store, with profit sharing to boot.

I have a sibling that hasn't done especially well for himself, but a while back he mved his family out to Hemet and it was a was a life changer for them, it allowed them to start living a lot cheaper and start saving up money and so on. Might be an option as well. I think they rent an entire 3 bedroom house in Hemet for $1200 a month which is insane compared to where I am along the coast.

 

[Ford ST]

If you are comfortable with it it may be a good idea to disclose what type of money you are thinking you need to make.

indeed is a great website to search for jobs so maybe just search areas in Texas for service advisors and see what the pay is.
If Texas has a good job market like we do in North Carolina you would have absolutely no issues getting a job, they would be like please come work here today.


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[Wes7]

Military is out the window. Like said multiple times already, if I was 18 and single yes. Now, not going to happen


I was spending 1.5-2 hours to get to work and worse on the way home. So I know traffic and how much lost time it is. I'm not big on living in the cities. But 30 miles out it seems like tons of places to have a family. Traffic can't be worse then what we deal with down here. I'm actually looking at tickets in these next couple weeks to go out there for a weekend and check out different cities. Do service advisor there make enough to make a living?

For ideas of cities I've been googling "Best cities to raise a family in Texas" and most cities are 10-30 miles out of Dallas which seems like a good amount. I'm currently 65 miles from LA and we go out there for the day for things like Dodger games and just enjoying the city. But close enough to come back at night. We don't party so I don't need that scene. I'm really about looking for a place to enjoy life for once

That sounds right to me. I live I Rowlett, and it is pretty good for raising a family and pretty affordable. Lots of folks like Wylie and Sachse too. If you are anywhere on the northeast side of the city, there are lots of family events, parks, play places, etc. if you decide to come visit, feel free to shoot me a PM and I’m happy to talk more. We’re in a similar boat to you - trying to keep my wife home, with a 3 yo and a new baby.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

Once again thank you guys all for your replies.

I want to be able to see cities and check things out. I'm not in a rush to move this month or next. I want this to be a comfortable thing if we do it. I'm not getting kicked out anywhere. I've always done uber and Lyft on the side and years ago I've done it full time as I am now. I have an income and sadly i work less and make just about the same as at Ford if not more smh. But that's another conversation lol


Once I'm some what set on a certain area I can then book a flight, rent a car and just drive around basically. While im there I plan on checking indeed to see what's around. Hell even before I plan to be putting in applications. I'd love to have a job before I leave there. Just kind of need to find where. 30 miles out of the "city" seems good. Its half of what we are from LA so I'm sure we can have good weekends out and come home still


I guess Rowleett might need some more looking into.


Money wise, I'd love to be able to bring in 2500 a check, about the same of what I was doing here. But after taxes and insurance I'd be lucky to see 1,400 take come. Not no where near enough to be the only income here in SoCal

As a service advisor in my dream work out there I'd be able to take come 2k ish and have a cheaper cost of loving. Again this is a dream world and I understand that might not be possible.

 

[Ford ST]

So $2,500 bi-weekly before taxes, insurance, 401K is $65,000 a year gross I would think that's possible in Texas.
I would say after taxes, insurance, retirement I put in 10% My wife puts in 7% we lose about a third of our paycheck.


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[KWeaver]

North East Texas kinda reminds me of the Chico CA area. Orchards, lots of trees, slightly rolling hills to flat terrain. I think it is nice there. I’ve been going to Killeen / Ft Hood (Central Texas) every few years for about 20 years now. Every time I go it seems like it is a little busier, a little nicer and become a pretty decent place in my opinion. It does get hot and humid there - which is no joke.

Personally I have never moved without employment secured first. The trick is where employment is booming - so is housing. Maybe go on a road trip?

I do have to agree that just about any major city in Texas is getting expensive- and Austin is also expensive. Plus- Austin is one of those places that it seems that you must dedicate your life to being “hip” there. I felt like some sort of space alien there since I do not have tattoos- glasses or skinny jeans.

That isn't North East Texas lol.

Once again thank you guys all for your replies.

I want to be able to see cities and check things out. I'm not in a rush to move this month or next. I want this to be a comfortable thing if we do it. I'm not getting kicked out anywhere. I've always done uber and Lyft on the side and years ago I've done it full time as I am now. I have an income and sadly i work less and make just about the same as at Ford if not more smh. But that's another conversation lol


Once I'm some what set on a certain area I can then book a flight, rent a car and just drive around basically. While im there I plan on checking indeed to see what's around. Hell even before I plan to be putting in applications. I'd love to have a job before I leave there. Just kind of need to find where. 30 miles out of the "city" seems good. Its half of what we are from LA so I'm sure we can have good weekends out and come home still


I guess Rowleett might need some more looking into.


Money wise, I'd love to be able to bring in 2500 a check, about the same of what I was doing here. But after taxes and insurance I'd be lucky to see 1,400 take come. Not no where near enough to be the only income here in SoCal

As a service advisor in my dream work out there I'd be able to take come 2k ish and have a cheaper cost of loving. Again this is a dream world and I understand that might not be possible.

My assumption was that you wanted to live in one of the big cities. If you are ok with a commute I would pick one of the smaller towns on I35 either between Austin and San Antonio or just North of Austin. These would include New Braunfels, San Marcos, Round Rock, or Georgetown. You could also go a bit further north and check out Kileen and maybe even Waco.

I give you my word that coming from SoCal you will NOT like Houston or Dallas/Ft.Worth no matter what you see in google searches. I'm dead serious about that. If you value the outdoors in ANY WAY Houston/DFW will disappoint. Most of those "Best Places..." articles assume that you have a high paying job, play golf, and can buy a 300k house in a new subdivision. I'm telling you, check out New Braunsfels and San Marcos; great mid size towns with easy access to bigger cities and great schools. You could probably even swing a bit of land if you wanted.

EDIT: If I were you I would fly into Austin, see the sights for a day (Town Lake, 6th street, the Capital, UT campus) then drive south on I35. It's about an hours drive between Austin and San Antionio.

First check out San Marcos; it's a great town with a small state university and a big outlet mall. It's got good schools and it's growing at a decent clip but not like the big cities. Then head south to New Braunfels.

It is a gorgeous town with lots of German influence. Fun Fact; Lots of Germans settled in the Texas Hill Country in the 19th century and there is still a thriving German presence in the era; it's really cool. New Braunsfels has one of the greatest waterpark in the US (seriously; Schlitterbahn look it up) and it also has a river that runs right through the center of town. People float down the river all summer long. I would consider New Braunsfels if I was going to retire in Texas; it's only about 20 minutes from San Antonio, has great schools, and is reasonably affordable.

Last hit up the sights in San Antonio (Riverwalk / Alamo) then head back.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Maybe look around sparks Nevada as well, inexpensive, and lots of SoCal expats. Met like 8 different people there from Oceanside ca lol

 

[karp]

I lived in Austin in 2000-2001, almost 20 years ago now, and paid $1600 a month for a college grade 2-bedroom apartment in a house that was split into two apartments. It's not cheap. Wasn't then and it's about a thousand times worse now.

Austin's now being overrun by rich Californians who have more money than sense, and they're driving prices through the roof. Just check Facebook for all of the "Texans complaining about Californians" pages.

It's still the only place I'd live in Texas, even with those annoyances. Great city.

I manage a team of guys in Dallas and travel there frequently. Dallas is getting pretty freaking close to LA levels of inconvenience and sprawl now. Spare yourself the agony.

If you're just looking for an affordable place to live with lots of dealership jobs, a culture molded by Christian values, and a reasonably thriving economy, there are better options in which to thrive. I'd consider a small city in the southeast: Huntsville, AL, Greenville, SC, any decent sized city in NC. They have good economies, super cheap housing, good schools and universities, and major industries or government institutions anchoring them for the long haul.

I wholeheartedly agree with KWeaver. San Marcos and New Braunfels are beautiful places and close enough to Austin and San Antonio to give you some big city cultural opportunities, if you're set on Texas.

If California's economy totally implodes, I'm moving to San Diego.

 

[SrsBsns]

Have you considered Phoenix?

A lot of people I know have moved there from CA and they're happy. It's WAY cheaper than living here.

I hear you on your struggle. I'm 34 and still dancing that dance. I make a decent amount of money and have a job that I enjoy in the operations field, but I'm just treading water. I'm able to save for retirement, but I want to be able to buy something and not have to worry about $$ all the time. Paying $1,600 to rent a 1BR is killing me, but I've been doing it for nearly 2 years now. Having 2 incomes would really go a long way, but I don't want that to be my ultimate solution so I've been thinking about relocating as well.

I used to live in Chicago, and if you're anywhere near downtown, you might as well be in CA. Taxes and everything else are pretty much just as high, and you still have to deal with the brutal winters.

Phoenix and Denver are two places where I've heard a lot of people moving to. But also the South East, like Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina... those seem like they're inexpensive compared to CA, but could be pretty nice.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Have you considered Phoenix?

A lot of people I know have moved there from CA and they're happy. It's WAY cheaper than living here.

I hear you on your struggle. I'm 34 and still dancing that dance. I make a decent amount of money and have a job that I enjoy in the operations field, but I'm just treading water. I'm able to save for retirement, but I want to be able to buy something and not have to worry about $$ all the time. Paying $1,600 to rent a 1BR is killing me, but I've been doing it for nearly 2 years now. Having 2 incomes would really go a long way, but I don't want that to be my ultimate solution so I've been thinking about relocating as well.

I used to live in Chicago, and if you're anywhere near downtown, you might as well be in CA. Taxes and everything else are pretty much just as high, and you still have to deal with the brutal winters.

Phoenix and Denver are two places where I've heard a lot of people moving to. But also the South East, like Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina... those seem like they're inexpensive compared to CA, but could be pretty nice.

Colorado's been slowly creeping up, at least in boulder. I was looking at buying a house in Boulder and it's not a whole lot less expensive than coastal SoCal all things considered. I don't know about Denver though.

I know lots of friends and family have been leaving California because it's getting absurdly expensive to be a citizen here. I really wonder who's going to be paying for all the assistance programs once there's nobody left to tax. :| the hardest hit seem to be people that are *almost* able to make it, which is really sad, nobody can ever kinda climb upwards.

 

[Ford ST]

Denver is definitely not cheap. Plenty of people are moving out of Colorado for the same reason as California.

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[HardBoiledEgg]

That isn't North East Texas lol.


My assumption was that you wanted to live in one of the big cities. If you are ok with a commute I would pick one of the smaller towns on I35 either between Austin and San Antonio or just North of Austin. These would include New Braunfels, San Marcos, Round Rock, or Georgetown. You could also go a bit further north and check out Kileen and maybe even Waco.

I give you my word that coming from SoCal you will NOT like Houston or Dallas/Ft.Worth no matter what you see in google searches. I'm dead serious about that. If you value the outdoors in ANY WAY Houston/DFW will disappoint. Most of those "Best Places..." articles assume that you have a high paying job, play golf, and can buy a 300k house in a new subdivision. I'm telling you, check out New Braunsfels and San Marcos; great mid size towns with easy access to bigger cities and great schools. You could probably even swing a bit of land if you wanted.

EDIT: If I were you I would fly into Austin, see the sights for a day (Town Lake, 6th street, the Capital, UT campus) then drive south on I35. It's about an hours drive between Austin and San Antionio.

First check out San Marcos; it's a great town with a small state university and a big outlet mall. It's got good schools and it's growing at a decent clip but not like the big cities. Then head south to New Braunfels.

It is a gorgeous town with lots of German influence. Fun Fact; Lots of Germans settled in the Texas Hill Country in the 19th century and there is still a thriving German presence in the era; it's really cool. New Braunsfels has one of the greatest waterpark in the US (seriously; Schlitterbahn look it up) and it also has a river that runs right through the center of town. People float down the river all summer long. I would consider New Braunsfels if I was going to retire in Texas; it's only about 20 minutes from San Antonio, has great schools, and is reasonably affordable.

Last hit up the sights in San Antonio (Riverwalk / Alamo) then head back.

I def do not need to/want to be in a big city. That is a lot of cities to check out and I'm sure they have something decent, when looking at the list I found online most rent was in the 1300 range. Hell at that point I might as well stay here. Am I dreaming of finding rent for a two bedroom for 1kish?

Also thank you for the play by play, when we are ready Im pretty sure I will follow that to a tee vs me just making up something as we go.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I def do not need to/want to be in a big city. That is a lot of cities to check out and I'm sure they have something decent, when looking at the list I found online most rent was in the 1300 range. Hell at that point I might as well stay here. Am I dreaming of finding rent for a two bedroom for 1kish?

Also thank you for the play by play, when we are ready Im pretty sure I will follow that to a tee vs me just making up something as we go.

Just remember to investigate cost of utilities before a move as well. In some areas it's pretty much mandatory to run the AC 24/7.

 

[KWeaver]

I def do not need to/want to be in a big city. That is a lot of cities to check out and I'm sure they have something decent, when looking at the list I found online most rent was in the 1300 range. Hell at that point I might as well stay here. Am I dreaming of finding rent for a two bedroom for 1kish?

Also thank you for the play by play, when we are ready Im pretty sure I will follow that to a tee vs me just making up something as we go.

OK, when you look at the I35 corridor everything to the west of the highway is going to be more expensive than anything to the east of it. It is a basically a loose divide between the Hill Country and start of the coastal plain. But there is nothing wrong with living to the east of I35.

In fact, when I recommend San Marcos/New Braunsfels I'm not saying you have to live in the city proper. Those towns will just be where you work, go out to eat, grocery shop etc. You're best bet will be to live in one of the even smaller towns just to the east of those places. Texas is not like Cali; 5 minutes outside of San Marcos is gonna be rural living. There are lots of new developments all along I35 and I suspect that is what you are seeing when you do a search for rentals.

What I would do is take the inconvieniance and just get a 1/1 apt in town on a 6 month lease, get your self established, learn the area, and then move. Hell, you can buy an acre of land and throw a manufactured home on it for under 100K; less than 10 minutes from either of those towns. The stygma around "trailers" is different than in Cali. Tons of people buy 1-5 acres of land and put a "trailer" on it and it isn't looked down on.

EDIT: Cost of Utilities and gas is cheaper in Texas (just to address that question). As far as A/C is concerned; you'll run it 24/7 from May - October ><

EDIT 2: Just my opinion but I think you should be looking at land/home prices and not necessarily rent prices. High rental prices are part of the current "affordable housing crises." Anywhere that has even a remotely decent job market has extremely high rental prices. Do a zillow search of homes for $150k less in the area I recommended and you'll get a lot of hits for both land and homes in good areas (the whole region is pretty good). Even if you can't buy now that should be the goal (I would think anyway).

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

Quick reply from my phone


Finally looked these cities on the map and its 50 miles out of San Antonio. And three and a half hours from the Dallas area. Seems like the middle of no where no? Zillow showed some decent stuff but a lot of it said student are low income housing. And a quick google search tells me it needs to be really really low to qualify

Also the fact that there is low income housing makes me feel like it's a unsafe area to raise a kid? Any thoughts?