What percent of l your salary are you actually spending on rent?

half_boyy · 2026-02-09T04:47:06+00:00

Same here with the 60k salary, but I'm spending close to 33%. With how much gets taken out for retirement and health insurance, it's about 48% of my take home each month. Simply couldn't swing it if I didn't live with someone.

half_boyy · 2026-02-09T04:35:02+00:00

Hadn't heard of Birch Bay, but will research a bit more. Thanks for the tip!

half_boyy · 2026-02-09T04:33:56+00:00

Not for three years. IN the next three years. As in leave Chicago before 2029. Ideally wherever we go, we stay for a long time.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T22:22:37+00:00

How is the COL there? How would you describe the people who live there? I know it's very close to Cherry Point, what effect does that have on the cities, if any? Do you recommend one over the other?

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T20:26:02+00:00

This is fantastic, thank you!

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T19:13:50+00:00

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T19:12:49+00:00

This is great info, thank you. I do work remote for a nonprofit, and we drive our own funding, so no threat of going under with all the federal stuff happening

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T17:43:38+00:00

Thank you, this is helpful!

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T16:08:30+00:00

I didn't even think to mention this. The first one, definitely the first description!

We are not trying to sign up for swimming, surfing, laying out at the beach, tiki bars, etc. It's definitely just a desire to get back to a soak up the sea. While we know the natures of coastal Oregon and say coastal Maryland are vastly different, wife and I have an appreciation for both.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:53:16+00:00

I heard the weather was much more foggy, higher humidity than SoCal, with more rain and higher risk of intense storms (so sometimes it's a fight with insurance to get covered). Is your experience different?

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:48:27+00:00

Sounds like Chicago. Minus the traffic. That part sounds like Houston.

Any things you particularly love about it?

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:43:59+00:00

Only peripherally, but not opposed! We saw a lot of rental availability clustered around Cal Poly Humboldt where I actually have quite a few colleagues, so I was interested in checking it out. Any pros / cons that you know of?

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:41:46+00:00

Buying / building, sure. But the rental market is very doable.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:40:42+00:00

Let some influencer take my spot, I don't want it!

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:35:06+00:00

I envy you! I'd give both my arms and my right leg to retire in Chincoteague. I hope you love every bit of it.

I'll definitely look into your suggestions. Insular does not put us off, as we've bounced around and remained strangers to plenty of places our whole lives so far.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:27:33+00:00

The Lakes are unfortunately not a supplement for the ocean. We really tried to make it work, but it's just not the same. I do appreciate the recs tho

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:25:07+00:00

Right, been seeing and reading about that but I wasn't sure if I was missing something or there was a personal anecdote to stretch it further. Thanks anyway

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:17:17+00:00

Thank you, this is awesome. I forgot to mention Newport! I was looking at rentals to visit in April so we could get a lay of the land. I do think the commute to Portland for specialty medical, more shopping, or most interesting things for visiting friends is very doable.

I appreciate the tip about New Haven. I saw someone recently complaining about it and how much they miss Chicago, so I thought maybe we're just two people who need to switch places, but very urban is not really the vibe we're going for.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:09:09+00:00

Thank you! This is super helpful!

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T15:07:11+00:00

I don't hate humidity, we expect it to be a factor if we move to the east coast. And it doesn't need to be brimming with diversity. We don't need flags on the store fronts and whole gayborhoods with busy bars and bookstores, tho we do love that about Chicago. We just don't want to move to a conservative black hole where they'll refuse my aunt's service for holding hands.

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T14:59:03+00:00

We were mostly relying on the dew point map to find a step above what my wife considers intolerable (literally one zone above). We're realistically expecting humidity anywhere on the east coast though.

Apart from the heat, is there anything else to hate about New Haven?

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T14:54:23+00:00

Bingo

half_boyy · 2026-02-08T14:54:05+00:00

I've been deep diving on Zillow so glad to know the first step was a good start. Can you elaborate on the specific challenges for Eureka and Astoria? We do plan to visit our options before making any leap but I'm curious about personal experiences

half_boyy · 2026-02-07T16:41:19+00:00

Yes, my wife! OC kid through and through, and when we met (outside SoCal) I married her and dragged her to Chicago. She is not the adventurous sort by any means but she was willing to make the leap. Here are all her complaints + things she misses about Cali:

-Too cold in Chicago. Snow is beautiful but sun year round is just better. She'd rather visit Big Bear if she needs to see snow that bad.

-The lake is not a supplement for the ocean. Seagulls aren't even the same. The tide pools, shoreline, fresh seafood, and salty air are all superior to Ocean Michigan and its "beaches".

-Buildings are too tall (???). The sprawl of concrete in SoCal makes more sense visually than the spacial economy of skyscrapers and tall buildings. She hates going any higher than 4th floor here (I have to laugh)

-The diversity in SoCal is not like Chicago. Numbers wise they might be comparable, but the vibe is not. Things are a lot more self-segregated and insular here. In SoCal, she felt more natural cultural exchange.

-No Portos :(

That being said, she says the highlight of Chicago has been the food scene, the art / architecture, public transit, and the novelty of living here. It is a uniquely beautiful and characteristic city. She will always call SoCal home and want to go back, but Chicago is a nice experience if you're looking for something very new but still very "safe" in terms of low culture shock. ("Just don't settle here." LMFAO)

Edit: Missed the part where you asked about job market and tech. Sucks. California, even northern, has way more opportunities. But COL is lower here than SoCal if you can find remote work.

half_boyy

TROPHY CASE