[CT_M3]

California is expensive for sure. I've had the luck to live in both CA and TX. The way I look at it, CA is a state where I would go when there is a major recession and prices are depressed. The cost of living is high when the boom times are on. People complain about it, but if you're in, you're not complaining much. We complain about housing, but if your house has increased by 200-400%, you're not really. This is pretty true for most of the West Coast, not just CA though, so my comments will apply to them as well.

It's a state that gets drunk on boom times, more so than other states, due to the wealth here.

Yes, the state taxes are high, the roads sometimes could be better and sometimes, I wonder if another state is a better alternative. There could be better states out there, but the state has 1) pretty darn good weather 2) the culture with its diversity and food, you will find no where else in the other states in the US. 3) the natural beauty here, even with the wildfires, is pretty amazing. Easy access to beautiful trails, vistas within 30 minutes drive or less.

Negatives:
1) Cost of living for sure: But for CA, if you don't dine out often, its manageable. The key is housing. Once you solve that, it's good.

Compared to other states:
I lived in TX for a while and I shudder at the stories of the hordes moving there. TX was decent when I was there, but now? It's jammed with folks, housing for miles (yes, if you like new homes that are replicated for miles, that works for you). Traffic was bad when I left and I can't imagine now (I'm talking Dallas, Austin). Weather? *Snorts*. If you like 90F-120F for most of the year, that works. Now, that's 90-120F for most of the day, not just the peak temps. I remember walking in the evening with temps in the mid 80s often. There is no reprieve.

2) Taxes: Yes, TX has no income tax. But how do they get you? RE tax, its adjusted every year to reflect market values (@~3%). So even though prices have taken off in TX, guess what? So have your taxes. Someone owning a $2M home in the Bay pays somewhat equivalent tax to a home in TX for $700-800K. CA has prop 13 for better or worse, but essentially, you are locked into the rate you pay @ the time of purchase for life, not so in TX. My neighbor's home is valued over $2M but they pay $2K in taxes, I kid you not.

Weather: The weather also in additional costs. Additional water costs, repair costs (in case of foundational settling) as well as A/C costs (an essential in TX) also factor in. Housing materials also wear down faster in TX, roofing tiles last only 20 vs 30 years for anywhere else.

TX weather has been getting worse (like most of the world). When I was there, snow fall during Christmas was like a fun event for 1 day. Now you have possibly 1 week of snow and the weather drops to near 30s in Dallas. Winter in the DFW area is miserable. I've always consider TX an indoor state lol.

vs. CA: I view the state taxes etc. as the cost of living in a state where natural beauty exists. One more thing that TX doesn't have much of (flat except for Austin hill country). The routes here for driving are just awesome.

TLDR:
There are trade-offs. I think as an individual, to make choices based on the flavor of the moment, tends to have the less then optimal outcome. I don't consider CA the best either; the state has flaws like others have mentioned. But, at the same time, every post above is based on personal experience and ultimately, it depends on what YOU value/are looking for.

Edit: For me/us, CA is better because it suits what we're looking for BUT our timing was exceptional and we had savings to deploy. The last big recession was actually an opportunity but it was so devastating that folks that were overleveraged were wiped out. People fled the state because of their losses. Not the silly 'buy the dip' social media wisdom, but clear, methodical analysis.

thegump DM me if you need tips. I live in the area and can provide some ideas.