I'm retired and make under 100K. After my divorce, I bought a new 2000 sq ft house with a three car garage in the Sacramento area for 390K. The coastal cities and many parts of so cal are very expensive. My 22 year old grandson just bought a house in Oroville. He works in a grocery store.

 

Unfortunately the high cost of living along the "coast" has resulted in Central Valley commutes to the jobs in the SF Bay Area. The I80/580/I5 corridors are a mess. Spending two hours sitting in a car each way in creeping traffic is reality for workers seeking cheaper housing. Lane splitting is the only way to keep your sanity during a commute.

 

Funny how some people's vision of California is all about two places, San Francisco and LA. Yes, it's expensive to live in the SF Bay area or the LA area, but that's maybe 2-3% of the land area of California. Check out the cost of living near in or near New York City, Chicago, or, for that matter, most major urban area in the country, you will find comparable costs. Median home prices where I live in CA are $269k, My property tax bill was $1,663.00 last year.

 

I miss the lane sharing. Not the traffic.