6 ms·

Also, no state income tax! Is living in california worth over 10k a year? (assuming you have a reasonable salary)

by jpcx01 16y ago

pclark 16y ago
You pay no income tax in Texas? Really?!
- lloydarmbrust 16y ago
  Yes really. No state income tax.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    How are the other taxes? I know that some Oregonians I know often talk about how no-sales-tax Oregon has very high property tax to compensate.
    - bretthoerner 16y ago
      8.25% sales tax in Texas (8.25% in CA, 8.875% in NYC).
      - anamax 16y ago
        CA's sales tax is county/city dependent, starting from a 8.25% base. It's 9.25% in San Jose, 9.5% somewhere nearby, closer to 9.75% in SF, and less than 9% some places. see http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm .
    - kscaldef 16y ago
      Property taxes in Oregon are a little funny. It depends a lot on where your house is located and when it was built. I pay about 0.6% of current market value annually. I have friends that pay 2%.
  - StavrosK 16y ago
    Do you pay national income tax or something? I find it hard to believe that you get to keep 100% of the money you make.
    - bretthoerner 16y ago
      Yes, you can't avoid federal taxes. You just don't have an additional ~10% on top of that from the state.
    - stevenbedrick 16y ago
      Besides federal income tax (as noted by another commenter), there's local sales tax, state property tax, and who knows what-all else. Income tax is sometimes one piece of a state's tax system, but it's never the only piece.
- secret 16y ago
  Florida either, but the humidity is even worse!
  - lloydarmbrust 16y ago
    NV too.
kemiller 16y ago
The salaries are proportionately higher.
- a5seo 16y ago
  Not really. I've lived in both and the salaries are maybe 20-25% lower in Austin, but everything else is much cheaper for more value. Especially when you're paying for grown up stuff like 3-4 bedroom homes in safe neighborhoods, day care/nannies, etc. That stuff is off the charts expensive in the Valley. And your tax bracket is higher along with your salary. I can't imagine being an entrepreneur in the Valley with kids without at LEAST a few million in cash. In Austin you only need 1. :)
  - kemiller 16y ago
    I wasn't accounting for cost of living, only taxes.
muzz 16y ago
Property tax is 3%/yr, re-assessed annually. Own a 300k house and you will pay 9k/yr in property tax, even if you don't make 100k.
- natrius 16y ago
  If you live in Austin, your tax rate is around 2.3%. 3% is high for anywhere in Texas, I think.
billpaetzke 16y ago
If you're a business owner or remote freelancer, it may net you more money to be headquartered in a no-income-tax state (e.g. Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington). This is assuming you're charging similar prices as your competitors based in SF/SV or NYC. If you're a single employee, your best bet is to live somewhere with high salaries (California or New York) and be frugal with your expenses. If you're an employee that's married and/or have kids, I don't know. I don't have that experience yet. Best to ask someone who does. --> BUT income tax is just one of many state taxes. For an aggregate tax %, see The Tax Foundation's report on State "Tax Burdens." Scroll down in the doc to 2008. http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/336.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/336.html Here's some of the state tax burdens: * Nevada: 6.6% * Florida: 7.4% * Texas: 8.4% * Washington: 8.9% * Oregon: 9.4% * Massachusetts: 9.5% * California: 10.5% * New York: 11.7%
adamsmith 16y ago
Not to mention 0% short and long term capital gains. That's another 10% over California, and it's where it counts.
seltzered 16y ago
I'm in austin, but I keep wishing that I lived in Silicon Valley or PNW - namely due to: * greater ability to commute by bicycle/train/public transit. Austin's bicycle scene is growing, but it's still fairly impractical due to the lack of public transit infrastructure. * potential for more outdoor trips - hiking around austin is fun when there's water around, but we easily have drought years too which aren't as fun. Plus, I'd think planning a ski or surfing trip is much easier out west than here. Many of my valley friends afford to share a house in tahoe during the winter.
- jnovek 16y ago
  On the downside, I think you'll be disappointed with the bicycling situation in SF. Yes there are bike lanes, but it seems like automobile drivers are hellbent on murdering all bicyclists. On the upside, if you like the outdoors, there are very few places in the U.S. that are more beautiful than northern California. (I think that Austin is the best place to run my company, but everywhere had tradeoffs.)
donaldc 16y ago
Is living in california worth over 10k a year? (assuming you have a reasonable salary) Yes. Of course, YMMV.

Also, no state income tax! Is living in california worth over 10k a year? (assuming you have a reasonable salary)

by jpcx01 16y ago

Also, no state income tax! Is living in california worth over 10k a year? (assuming you have a reasonable salary)

pclark 16y ago

You pay no income tax in Texas? Really?!

lloydarmbrust 16y ago
Yes really. No state income tax.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  How are the other taxes? I know that some Oregonians I know often talk about how no-sales-tax Oregon has very high property tax to compensate.
  - bretthoerner 16y ago
    8.25% sales tax in Texas (8.25% in CA, 8.875% in NYC).
    - anamax 16y ago
      CA's sales tax is county/city dependent, starting from a 8.25% base. It's 9.25% in San Jose, 9.5% somewhere nearby, closer to 9.75% in SF, and less than 9% some places. see http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pam71.htm .
  - kscaldef 16y ago
    Property taxes in Oregon are a little funny. It depends a lot on where your house is located and when it was built. I pay about 0.6% of current market value annually. I have friends that pay 2%.
- StavrosK 16y ago
  Do you pay national income tax or something? I find it hard to believe that you get to keep 100% of the money you make.
  - bretthoerner 16y ago
    Yes, you can't avoid federal taxes. You just don't have an additional ~10% on top of that from the state.
  - stevenbedrick 16y ago
    Besides federal income tax (as noted by another commenter), there's local sales tax, state property tax, and who knows what-all else. Income tax is sometimes one piece of a state's tax system, but it's never the only piece.
secret 16y ago
Florida either, but the humidity is even worse!
- lloydarmbrust 16y ago
  NV too.

kemiller 16y ago

The salaries are proportionately higher.

a5seo 16y ago
Not really. I've lived in both and the salaries are maybe 20-25% lower in Austin, but everything else is much cheaper for more value. Especially when you're paying for grown up stuff like 3-4 bedroom homes in safe neighborhoods, day care/nannies, etc. That stuff is off the charts expensive in the Valley. And your tax bracket is higher along with your salary. I can't imagine being an entrepreneur in the Valley with kids without at LEAST a few million in cash. In Austin you only need 1. :)
- kemiller 16y ago
  I wasn't accounting for cost of living, only taxes.

muzz 16y ago

Property tax is 3%/yr, re-assessed annually. Own a 300k house and you will pay 9k/yr in property tax, even if you don't make 100k.

natrius 16y ago
If you live in Austin, your tax rate is around 2.3%. 3% is high for anywhere in Texas, I think.

billpaetzke 16y ago

If you're a business owner or remote freelancer, it may net you more money to be headquartered in a no-income-tax state (e.g. Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington). This is assuming you're charging similar prices as your competitors based in SF/SV or NYC. If you're a single employee, your best bet is to live somewhere with high salaries (California or New York) and be frugal with your expenses. If you're an employee that's married and/or have kids, I don't know. I don't have that experience yet. Best to ask someone who does. --> BUT income tax is just one of many state taxes. For an aggregate tax %, see The Tax Foundation's report on State "Tax Burdens." Scroll down in the doc to 2008. http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/336.html http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/336.html Here's some of the state tax burdens: * Nevada: 6.6% * Florida: 7.4% * Texas: 8.4% * Washington: 8.9% * Oregon: 9.4% * Massachusetts: 9.5% * California: 10.5% * New York: 11.7%

adamsmith 16y ago

Not to mention 0% short and long term capital gains. That's another 10% over California, and it's where it counts.

seltzered 16y ago

I'm in austin, but I keep wishing that I lived in Silicon Valley or PNW - namely due to: * greater ability to commute by bicycle/train/public transit. Austin's bicycle scene is growing, but it's still fairly impractical due to the lack of public transit infrastructure. * potential for more outdoor trips - hiking around austin is fun when there's water around, but we easily have drought years too which aren't as fun. Plus, I'd think planning a ski or surfing trip is much easier out west than here. Many of my valley friends afford to share a house in tahoe during the winter.

jnovek 16y ago
On the downside, I think you'll be disappointed with the bicycling situation in SF. Yes there are bike lanes, but it seems like automobile drivers are hellbent on murdering all bicyclists. On the upside, if you like the outdoors, there are very few places in the U.S. that are more beautiful than northern California. (I think that Austin is the best place to run my company, but everywhere had tradeoffs.)

donaldc 16y ago

Is living in california worth over 10k a year? (assuming you have a reasonable salary) Yes. Of course, YMMV.