so i'm on all the moving sites on the internet planning one of the top three most stressful activities someone can do in their lifetime -- move house (bereavement, divorce, changing jobs, and buying a home depending on the source are listed as the other two painful activities). this will be my third time moving cross country. i'm trying to lock down details so that i can enjoy my last three weeks in new york city. part of the fun of moving to a new (old) city is learning facts like this:
The cost of living in Santa Monica, California is 28.6% lower than that of New York, New York. A salary of $100,000 in New York, New York has the same buying power that a salary of $71,429 has in Santa Monica, California.
Finance & Economies - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
Cost of Livinghigher value = higher cost of living (100 = national average) 413 / 295
Sales Tax Rate total sales tax 8% / 8%
State Income Taxes state income taxes based on $50,000 income, married, two kids $1,946 / $456
Local Income Taxes local income taxes based on $50,000 income, married, two kids $1,278 / $0
Job GrowthPercentage change in employment for 1998 0.028 / 0.018
Unemployment Rate% unemployed in 1998 7.6 / 4.2
Median Family Income median family income $34,360 / $51,085
Real Estate - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
Home Purchase Cost average cost of 2,000 sq ft home $1,096,000 / $872,000
Property Tax average annual property tax for 2,000 sq ft home $20,824 / $10,018
Electricity Costmonthly electricity cost for 2,000 sq ft home $111 / $117
Education - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
High School Graduate Rate% of population that are High School graduates 68 / 88
Bachelor's Degree Rate% of population with a Bachelor's degree 23 / 43
Quality of Life - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
Air Pollution amount of ozone in the air, as an index - US average = 100 83 / 120
Population 1995 census population (published 1996) 7,380,906 / 88,471
Population Density people per square mile 23671 / 10490
Crime Index number of crimes committed per 100,000 population 5212 / 8353
Travel & Transportation - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
Auto Insurance auto insurance average for single male, age 27 3510 / 2008
Commute Time average one-way commute time (in minutes) 36.5 / 22.6
Weather - New York, NY / Santa Monica, CA
Temperature (January) average temperature January 32 / 57
Temperature (July) average temperature July 77 / 65
Heating Degree Days One degree accumulates for each day the temp. is below 65 degrees. A high number means it will require more energy to heat a building in this town. 4,805 / 1,819
Cooling Degree Days One degree accumulates for each day the temp. is above 65 degrees. A high number means it will require more energy to cool a building in this town. 1,096 / 446
Annual Precipitation inches of rain annually 47 / 13
Number of Clear Days (no clouds) per year 107 / 143
people often ask which city i like better. i say they're incomparable. and besides, it's just the same creatives migrating back and forth. i could do with less LA smog and traffic. i could do with less NYC noise pollution and expenses. i love both cities for very different reasons. but this time, i guess moving over is moving up.
