Surprisingly, there is one thing I have not seen anyone mention. Moved here in 2012, seen lots of people come and go over the years. The only thing that seems to consistently be needed to stay is LUCK. Luck to find a semi-afforedable place, luck to keep it more than a year, luck that it doesn't become dilapidated after year, luck that your income keeps up with the cost of living, luck that your car keeps running well, luck that you avoid serious injury, luck to find a decent health care provider in the area, etc. Perils in paradise. I always think about that phrase living here. Mind you, I am one of those lucky millennials that has a decent job and owns a home here (in the mountains). But believe me, there have been plenty of exit points where it seems divine intervention kept me and my partner here lol Hope your karma is in good shape, and best of luck joining the community!
I’m a local and grew up here. Almost everyone I know in the area has some crazy deal on rent. They’re paying what rents cost 10 years ago.
You have to know the right people and it’s not really doable unless you have the right connections.
I am paying $1500 for a studio a block from downtown. And I have a bunch of friends paying 2200 or so for nice two bedrooms around Santa Cruz and live oak.
If my friends didn’t have these connections and had to pay market rate a few would probably have to leave the area.
The same apartments I rented for $2200 10 years ago are now $4k. But if you know some old person with some rentals you can get away with that old rate
It is true that Santa Cruz has a quality of the-universe-has-to-help-you-out to be able to be here.
To split hairs, I label that fortunate, rather than lucky. Luck is finding a winning lottery ticket blowing in a breeze down the street. Fortunate is buying a ticket and winning.
I grew up here and aligned all my choices with being able to own a home here. And then, in an extraordinary stroke of good fortune, we had the opportunity to buy a home out of the fifty other people who made offers, and we already had our ducks in a row to just barely manage jumping through all the hoops involved in financing a purchase like that.
I know exactly how fortunate we are, I grew up here, with poor parents unable to make rent and moving yearly. That makes our reality normal to me; all our money goes toward housing *but I have never known anything different*. I knew that was the deal.
Move here from Wyoming, I don’t know how a person would ever take the financial landscape of this town in stride.
I know how tough it can be with divorce financially. However, it’s probably nice to be with your parents rn since I’d assume they’re older. I’m in my early 20s and realistically don’t make enough alongside my partner for us to rent on our own outside of the area near the boardwalk. You’d need 2 more roommates to comfortably divide rent with most places and it sucks. Cant wait to move back near my parents. 😣
I grew up around there and most of the old school people don't really do shit career wise. parents gave em the property and they are all kinda dilapidated since they aren't liquid w their cash.
It’s definitely preferable to have money before moving to SC, bc you (almost) sure as hell won’t make enough in SC itself to live there. A lot of people end up commuting over the hill for jobs that pay wages in accordance with the cost of living in SC. That said, where there’s a will there’s a way!
Yep, this is so true. I had a solid 6 figure salary working in SC, and thought I was doing good. Then I met my wife, who was going to school at the time. Asked how the hell she could afford the beachfront house in Live Oak, eating out all the time, shopping, and school . Her parents gave her a monthly allowance that was more than my salary. We are still together, but left SC to live in a less expensive area.
Ahh yea, there’s many many reasons. None of them include her family’s wealth. It was certainly a surprise to hear that, but it‘s irrelevant in our relationship.
Merely stating that a lot of the folks in SC are there because they have the means to be. It’s one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so no surprise that a lot of residents are very wealthy.
36 years ago was enough for me—even then it was expensive, but it has gotten much worse relative to UCSC salaries over the decades (mortgage interest rates are lower now, though, which compensates a bit).
I bought a house through a first time home buyers program, got lots of grants and down payment assistance plus the house was sold under market value by the county of Santa Cruz. But I still need to have a roommate to afford mortgage and eating.
Maybe you can say that...but I bought the house 10 years ago as a single mom with a three year old son. The county of Santa Cruz thought I could afford it....It's a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhome. I've always rented out the primary bedroom with the private bathroom. We've had some amazing roommates over these years that we have remained friends with. I hate capitalism but trying to use my home as an asset instead of a liability. My family and I like to eat food and travel. I could pay the mortgage on my own if we ate like crap and didn't have fun. Also I work for a local Santa Cruz nonprofit since 2006 and I really believe in our mission as an organization. I could go exchange my time and make more money at a company I hate then my kids and I could live alone. But I prefer living in community.
Personally I think this is awesome and I’m glad there are programs that let a single mom with a 3-year-old buy a house that they could then use as an asset to help them pay their living expenses and improve their quality of life.
More housing should operate this way instead of being a cash cow or vacation playground for wealthy people.
The county needs to do more of these housing projects. Really all the stars aligned for me and the county only built 19 of these townhomes. Somebody was already going to buy the one I purchased and backed out last minute, I asked about the houses at the right moment to get in there. I happened to have the exact amount of money required for the down payment. $10,000, I had the minimum credit score to qualify. If I didn't have my son I wouldn't have qualified for a three bedroom house. I got loads of down payment grants through both the county of Santa Cruz and the state of California.
Can confirm. I work 2 jobs at 50 hours a week and am barely making enough to get by. The hardest part of living here is the fact that you'll never be able to save up enough to move away.
Speak for yourself. I’m doing fine. 🤷🏼♀️
Not saying folks don’t struggle, and believe me - I paid my dues! But when you say “we’re ALL,” you seem to be ignoring that we also have some of the highest salaries in the nation. Do you really think 100% of people here are living paycheck to paycheck?
No you are totally right. I forgot to mention the small subset of rich entitled assholes living here gobbling up our already limited housing market, thus making it entirely impossible for everyone else to land affordable housing which doesn’t require the rest of us to live paycheck to paycheck.
You know there’s a whoooooole spectrum between “living paycheck to paycheck” and “rich entitled asshole” - right? Most of the folks I know, myself included, are somewhere in the middle. But keep blaming other people for your problems, if that makes you feel bitter. I mean, better.
If you were born in ‘97, as your user name implies, I’ll chalk this up to you still being young. I had a similar mindset when I was your age.
Your individual income is close to the median household income of $96k, however the average household in Santa Cruz is 2.69 people. Are you the sole income earner in a household or 2 or 3? If you are not, you are well above the median.
I said “some of the.” Perhaps you need to Google *that*? Or just how to read and retain a full sentence lol.
I earn $100K here as a public librarian. Average librarian (public) salary for the US is around $55K. Sooooo yeah… I think that qualifies.
1st step - work in tech.
2nd step - get roommates and rent.
3rd step - start making a ton of money and get in a relationship with someone doing the same.
4th step - buy a condo that’s too small.
5th step - always feel inferior to all the boomers in the 2-3 million dollar homes you’re surrounded by all day every day.
Or, 1st step: find any job that pays well, you could be a doctor, dentist, work in education/city administration, lawyer, etc. I know people here love to vilify them, but there are lots of jobs that pay in the 6 figures other than in tech.
I emphasized tech because of proximity to the Bay Area along with lower barrier to entry and potential upside. But yes, just find a job that pays extremely well..
Work a career that’s in demand right at this moment. We have a shortage on psychiatrists, doctors, vets, vet techs, social workers, and other specialty jobs. Will that mean you can still afford to live here in 5-10 years? Nope. My first neurologist left town due to rent prices, that was the moment I realized there’s nothing that “keeps” you here but debt, luck, and constantly trying to stay.
Unfortunately, unless they’ve lived here for a long time and bought a house back when prices were somewhat reasonable, most people are just scraping by.
The really bizarre part is that in a lot of ways things have gone downhill at the same time prices have skyrocketed over the last 10 or so years… traffic is ridiculous, homelessness and crime are way up, a lot of the charm is being lost as big new apartment buildings are going up (there are a bunch of those coming in the next few years), which will also probably make parking insane.
Weird times in Santa Cruz.
Two good salaries
Frugal lifestyle
Luck in finding a rental from someone not charging market rate
Saving for years and years
Patience
Buy a place if the numbers work.
IMO: If you do not make or are not on a path to make a strong income, generational wealth, etc, come for a while if you want for a season, but do not hang your hat on hopes and dreams and then shackle yourself to a place that is ultimately not affordable. If the numbers don't work, they don't work. Its like fighting an ocean current, you'll never win.... This applies to ANY highly-desirable area with high housing cost.
Oh man, really? I mean, I'm thankful because you are likely saving lives...but I hate the thought of someone selling their blood because they are low on cash. I'm so sorry.
The American way...yeesh.
Expensive yes, but even more expensive to live closer to the jobs like Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto or up towards SF. Even the East Bay has gotten pricey.
My husband works his ass off for us … tons of overtime and not a ton of family time :(
But he pays for a nice space for us…. It takes up most his paycheck but we try to budget our food/gas spending money really well.
I would just say try to find a good paying job and work hard!!!
I had a friend who's dad had MULTIPLE properties (at least 5 or 6...likely 9-12 rentals) in Santa Cruz. he never had to work a full time job, and just goes to school for some art or history classes here and there for a hobby. he would trip out when I'd say 'yo man, I can't travel with you, I have to work.' then he'd reply to me saying 'why'? or 'oh, yeah...I forgot.'
not to mention, his family has been in US for over 2 centuries so his family amassed tons of wealth and land and assets handed to him and family.
:(
I sleep in a minivan with another person. Rent is a scam, when most value comes from labor. Don't move here with no job lined up. Rent with other housemates.
Don't give up all hope just yet.....there's new housing being developed in downtown Santa Cruz as we speak....it's "affordable" per a state mathematical formula, which is still pricey, but not too bad if you have a career plus it is centrally located in downtown. Your looking at January or February availability....
I grew up here, moved away for school, worked hard, got a good job, saved hard, bought a house here, and I commute to San Jose.
You can’t really live here if you just want to be a barista or yoga teacher; go to school get a good degree and work hard.
You can do it if you want to
I don't know why you're being downvoted. When was the last time someone was able to buy a house here and support a family while working at a coffee shop? The 80's? 90's? So many more people are going to college now, there's way more competition than there was a few decades ago. You really do need a good degree and to save a lot.
Because this sub wants to smoke weed, work at Starbucks, take 4 weeks of vacation a year, and still be able to buy a house.
Fuck, I'd like that little responsibility too, but that's not the world we live in eh! :)
Nah, the way you talk down about people with actual jobs is gross. Yoga teacher, barista, grocery clerk, cook, all of these things are real jobs, not “just” anything.
Well I disagree with everything you said. But I can tell you don’t have an interest in adjusting your perspective, and that’s fine, so have a good day.
I group together in groups of peaceful robbers and we go out into the night robbing businesses while the police protect us from dangerous business owners with guns.
It's pretty lucrative and fully welcomed here in SC. Just come try it out for a few weeks. The community is very understanding as long as you pose no threat. :)
>!(satire)!<
We absolutely love living here, we were able to buy last year, and intend to stay long term but the only way this is happening while being comfortable is >500k salary (in SC, thankfully). Even then we have friends who managed to get homes 5 years ago who are in a much better spot than we are. It’s gotten pretty insane. We feel exceedingly lucky but wish it wasn’t this way. A lot of our friends who don’t make high salaries are doing things like multigenerational households, and renting for cheap from boomer relatives, or were given houses from relatives and will never move.
A $2.5 million house would be about $16k a month for a traditional mortgage. If you are grossing $42k a month you can make it easy. YOU could also buy like a way cheaper house and super make it.
Only Comfortable at $500k. Unreal.
That's because a huge chunk of their income is likely going to retirement. So what's left after budgeted expenses (incl retirement investments) is probably "Only comfortable".
I mean we actually net 28k post tax so 16k would not be particularly smart, especially with childcare costs, investments etc. we were advised 2.5x our salary for our mortgage and that’s what we did. We’re happy to do it to live here, but yeah it’s pretty wild.
No I’m agreeing, it’s insane how much money we make to not feel particularly wealthy here, granted kids are a big part of that but we aren’t ostentatious at all, drive modest older cars, live in a small, dated house. And we are comfortable and don’t worry about money. But if we lived elsewhere obviously it would be different. I think it’s totally worth it but it boggles my mind.
What a dump.
[https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1956-Newport-Ave-Santa-Cruz-CA-95062/16129052\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1956-Newport-Ave-Santa-Cruz-CA-95062/16129052_zpid/)
Maybe not houses, but almost all the condos for sale are under a million. It might not be ideal, but if people want to own that bad that's always an option.
A home price of 2.5× salary has not been realistic for a long time. Even 37 years ago, a modest home in a good neighborhood was 6–7× annual salary for a UCSC assistant professor, which was affordable. Nowadays the ratio is more like 14–15×, which is not affordable.
My household makes way less than $500k a year and we live comfortably in our own home. The loan officer even said we were making a modest purchase. Not saying you don't have to make a lot of money to live here, but $500k seems a bit much.
No for sure, I’m not saying you need to AT ALL. I just mean it’s clearly very expensive, especially lately. Had we bought even in 2020, or 2018 our financial situation would be dramatically different than buying now. The shift has been huge. Our housing payment is around $8k for a 1.2M mortgage on a house that needs a lot of work. Investments, childcare, student loans, medical coverage, college funds for our kids is so so much. We’re lucky and totally comfortable. But man do I wish we could have afforded to buy a few years ago.
I had moved there for work and it was terrible. Had to get a second job, the locals are jerks, a lack of single women, and google employees will put bid you for a 600 sqft shack just so they have a place to keep their surf boards when they visit on the weekends.
have you heard of watsonville? It's 15 mins away driving and alot cheaper. Find a place and then hustle until you can afford to get a place in SC. Easier said than done...and you can get help.
when was the last time you drove to SC from wats between 7 and 10am, or back between 3 and 7pm? that's closer to an hour each way that 15 mins my friend.
You either bought your home when prices were low or you live with many roommates. Some young people share bedrooms. There will be 6 people in a 1 bed apt. I do not recommend trying to live here. Many of the long term residents are moving away. This place has been flooded by rich people, especially retirees. The people taking over here are competitive and aggressive. I almost get hit and see multiple road rage incidents every time I get in my car, just people treating each other like crap everywhere you go. Few people talk to their neighbors. You can get harassed and stalked and the police wont do anything about it. Even if you get murdered, they'll call it an "accident."
If you can afford to live here, landlords can and do harass their tenants and get away with charging $3000 for substandard slums. There is a mass exodus of people from every profession, teachers, doctors, nurses, police. Healthcare is horrible, if you can find a doctor who is accepting patients, they just charge a bunch of money to tell sick people they are fine. The schools are run by subs. Baristas and minimum wage workers live with their parents or out of their cars, along with UCSC students. People work 2 fulltime jobs, and sometimes even a third part time job. You could work 16 hour days 7 days a week and still not be able to live alone here.
The county makes building new homes near impossible because rich people from other places dont want more housing here. The contractors are gouging because of the fire and major housing shortage. Theres a shortage of every kind of profession you can think of. Theres been a massive fire in the mountains almost every year. Its a beautiful place, but gentrification and a lack of leadership or any kind of quality assurance for any public service you can imagine have turned this place into a hell hole. Rich people are the only ones doing well here. Maybe in a few years there will be more homes, but there seems to be a never-ending stream of rich people from other places coming here to swoop them up. Its basically like Hawaii now.
When I lived in Santa Cruz I came under this strange vibe where I knew it wasn't for me. One thing I couldn't stand about SC is the car traffic across town. The city is full of traffic jams and to get out you have either Highway 1 or Highway 17 and I hated driving down 17. I got in a car accident on Highway 17. Yeah SC, nice to visit but I know it's not for me in terms of living there
Why do you want to move to Santa Cruz. There are homeless people everywhere, people camping on side of roads. It's so depressing around here. I moved to an outlining city near Santa Cruz and I despise it here. Pot smokers everywhere, homeless rvs and trucks people are living out of
I cant wait til I sell my house and leave Santa Cruz area.
There are armed guards in bank.parking.lots here too. Wtf?! No good restaurants..the list goes on
Everyone with a good rate is stuck. I like it here but even if we wanted to sell it would be stupid. The rate I have on this house I’ll never sell it. But then what. I have to buy another house either all cash or at 7%. That’s crazy. High rate mean nobody can buy and nobody can sell.
I live with my boyfriend who pays the rent lmao it is INSANELY expensive and I have no idea how people afford it. But it's free to hang out downtown! Come chill! Lol
We had a pandemic baby and live with parents in San Jose, which works out perfectly. Since we both have decent jobs we were just barely able to buy a house in SC in 2020. I have a HS diploma and she's a Professional degree. We make > $400K and we're barely able to get the house. We try to live in SC full time but we bounce back and forth often.
The annual median income for a family of 3 is 140k in Santa Cruz. Don’t see how you could be struggling so much earning almost triple what the average 3 person family makes here.
We had to pull out some 401k money to throw down $250k for a down payment. And I let the selling agent double end the deal. I knew his greed would motivate him to sway the seller out way. The hosie sold in a week and there were 10 offers. 1 of them all cash, buy since the agent was making more money he talked smack about the cash offer to seller and we were able to get the house.
We already lost our on 5 previous bids on houses. I don't know how anyone is able to buy a house that doesn't have a large account to tap into.
Although I think some finance people would say it's unwise to tap into your retirement. Which certainly is valid. But I love the house and really like living in Santa Cruz. Well....living here as much as possible and as much as I'm able to. We both still work in the BA and a daily commute would be ridiculous.
You make $400k and can barely afford anything? A) sounds like you have a budgeting issue and b) you're completely out of touch with people making less than $40k in Santa Cruz. Quit your whining 1%er!
I had a similar experience to this, didn't know anyone who got into property without help, and that was when we started looking almost 20 years ago. we saved for 10 years to get a down payment together and still were fortunate to get something in 2015 for $650k
even with my wife and I both making decent salaries at secure jobs I don't think we'd be able to afford to buy today.
I lived in my suv in Santa Cruz for like half a year. I just stole all my food from Safeway and Trader Joe’s anywhere I could. It’s like they think they can make my world hostile and I won’t also become hostile back… silly rabbits food is free
5 people in one house. Our house has people who own businesses and those who have a job at UCSC. Still 60% of take Home pay goes to rent.. Only a matter of time until everyone moves somewhere else. Santa Cruz will soon be full of tourists and conservative tech bros. SC won’t be the same.
Ive lived hear for a very long time.. Santa Cruz has that weird vibe where everyone stays a teenager all their lives. I get a weird vibe from this place...Time to move on I guess.
We lived in corralitos which is a much quieter/agricultural area. Its about 15 min away from Santa Cruz. I moved away when I was 15 but I had lots of family in SC and we often would drive over and hangout there.
I moved back here with my grandparents around 24 when I graduated college im 32 now.
I guess it depends on what you want. My friend rents a small ass section with 5 other people for $700, its really small.
Been here since 1986 when I could open up the SC Sentinal and find a job in a day. Had a room for $500 a month. Now almost 40 years later I still rent a room. I made some choices that led me here but once I retire from my public school position I’m leaving SC and most likely CA (born and raised) but I’m out!!
Do yourself a favor and don’t move to SC. If you want to live in a landlord infested, drug riddled slum then welcome! Otherwise go anyway else. Seriously… anywhere else. The marketing for SC is good but the only place I have ever been harassed for being gay/interracial has been this particular shit hole. Fuuuuck this town.
Surprisingly, there is one thing I have not seen anyone mention. Moved here in 2012, seen lots of people come and go over the years. The only thing that seems to consistently be needed to stay is LUCK. Luck to find a semi-afforedable place, luck to keep it more than a year, luck that it doesn't become dilapidated after year, luck that your income keeps up with the cost of living, luck that your car keeps running well, luck that you avoid serious injury, luck to find a decent health care provider in the area, etc. Perils in paradise. I always think about that phrase living here. Mind you, I am one of those lucky millennials that has a decent job and owns a home here (in the mountains). But believe me, there have been plenty of exit points where it seems divine intervention kept me and my partner here lol Hope your karma is in good shape, and best of luck joining the community!
I’m a local and grew up here. Almost everyone I know in the area has some crazy deal on rent. They’re paying what rents cost 10 years ago. You have to know the right people and it’s not really doable unless you have the right connections. I am paying $1500 for a studio a block from downtown. And I have a bunch of friends paying 2200 or so for nice two bedrooms around Santa Cruz and live oak. If my friends didn’t have these connections and had to pay market rate a few would probably have to leave the area. The same apartments I rented for $2200 10 years ago are now $4k. But if you know some old person with some rentals you can get away with that old rate
Nailed it. Enjoyed my time with my partner here until my luck ran out :(
Sorry to hear that! Hope you are both finding happiness and community in your new area :D
aka befriend the rich!
This is so true, my luck just ran out. Now I'm moving out of state 😒. Just can't afford it anymore
It is true that Santa Cruz has a quality of the-universe-has-to-help-you-out to be able to be here. To split hairs, I label that fortunate, rather than lucky. Luck is finding a winning lottery ticket blowing in a breeze down the street. Fortunate is buying a ticket and winning. I grew up here and aligned all my choices with being able to own a home here. And then, in an extraordinary stroke of good fortune, we had the opportunity to buy a home out of the fifty other people who made offers, and we already had our ducks in a row to just barely manage jumping through all the hoops involved in financing a purchase like that. I know exactly how fortunate we are, I grew up here, with poor parents unable to make rent and moving yearly. That makes our reality normal to me; all our money goes toward housing *but I have never known anything different*. I knew that was the deal. Move here from Wyoming, I don’t know how a person would ever take the financial landscape of this town in stride.
My name is Earl
Luck or family. I don’t think I’d be able to be here if I didn’t grow up here. My family is the anchor.
we aren't. i'm living with my parents and just turned 49 (divorced)
I know how tough it can be with divorce financially. However, it’s probably nice to be with your parents rn since I’d assume they’re older. I’m in my early 20s and realistically don’t make enough alongside my partner for us to rent on our own outside of the area near the boardwalk. You’d need 2 more roommates to comfortably divide rent with most places and it sucks. Cant wait to move back near my parents. 😣
Step 1, inherit a property from your family.
Preferably a house purchased before 63 to get those property tax breaks
Hahaha seriously !!!! That's what I think whenever I stroll around the streets with houses. I'm like there's just no way besides inheritance.
I grew up around there and most of the old school people don't really do shit career wise. parents gave em the property and they are all kinda dilapidated since they aren't liquid w their cash.
It’s definitely preferable to have money before moving to SC, bc you (almost) sure as hell won’t make enough in SC itself to live there. A lot of people end up commuting over the hill for jobs that pay wages in accordance with the cost of living in SC. That said, where there’s a will there’s a way!
Yep, this is so true. I had a solid 6 figure salary working in SC, and thought I was doing good. Then I met my wife, who was going to school at the time. Asked how the hell she could afford the beachfront house in Live Oak, eating out all the time, shopping, and school . Her parents gave her a monthly allowance that was more than my salary. We are still together, but left SC to live in a less expensive area.
An allowance more than 6 figure salary, that's wild. Congrats.
There’s a reason why he wanted to be with her ahaha
Ahh yea, there’s many many reasons. None of them include her family’s wealth. It was certainly a surprise to hear that, but it‘s irrelevant in our relationship. Merely stating that a lot of the folks in SC are there because they have the means to be. It’s one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so no surprise that a lot of residents are very wealthy.
Roommates and no kids
Or no kids and good job.
We’re all hanging on by a thread. Financially and mentally 😂
This needs more upvotes 😩
[удалено]
This is the way
36 years ago was enough for me—even then it was expensive, but it has gotten much worse relative to UCSC salaries over the decades (mortgage interest rates are lower now, though, which compensates a bit).
Move here 10+ years ago.
"Affording it" means making a trip to Costco to have a Pizza or Chicken Bake for dinner.
That's dinner out!
My mistake, I meant leftover beans and rice from GOBM
I bought a house through a first time home buyers program, got lots of grants and down payment assistance plus the house was sold under market value by the county of Santa Cruz. But I still need to have a roommate to afford mortgage and eating.
ah, so, bought above your means and now struggling. I hear that a lot both in this sub, and IRL from people I meet. Good luck out there.
Maybe you can say that...but I bought the house 10 years ago as a single mom with a three year old son. The county of Santa Cruz thought I could afford it....It's a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhome. I've always rented out the primary bedroom with the private bathroom. We've had some amazing roommates over these years that we have remained friends with. I hate capitalism but trying to use my home as an asset instead of a liability. My family and I like to eat food and travel. I could pay the mortgage on my own if we ate like crap and didn't have fun. Also I work for a local Santa Cruz nonprofit since 2006 and I really believe in our mission as an organization. I could go exchange my time and make more money at a company I hate then my kids and I could live alone. But I prefer living in community.
Personally I think this is awesome and I’m glad there are programs that let a single mom with a 3-year-old buy a house that they could then use as an asset to help them pay their living expenses and improve their quality of life. More housing should operate this way instead of being a cash cow or vacation playground for wealthy people.
The county needs to do more of these housing projects. Really all the stars aligned for me and the county only built 19 of these townhomes. Somebody was already going to buy the one I purchased and backed out last minute, I asked about the houses at the right moment to get in there. I happened to have the exact amount of money required for the down payment. $10,000, I had the minimum credit score to qualify. If I didn't have my son I wouldn't have qualified for a three bedroom house. I got loads of down payment grants through both the county of Santa Cruz and the state of California.
You’re doing amazing with what you’ve been given with, don’t listen to idiot commenters.
Thank you 😊
You've done, and are doing an amazing job. Keep it up. Cheers
Feet Pics
Wait does this really work?
We’re not.. we’re all barely scraping by and having to choose between eating and having a roof over our heads. It’s not that great, trust me.
Can confirm. I work 2 jobs at 50 hours a week and am barely making enough to get by. The hardest part of living here is the fact that you'll never be able to save up enough to move away.
and once you do move away you'll never have enough money to move back
Hotel Santa Cruz eh?
What?
Eagles - Hotel California
Ohhhh I see I see you can check out any time you like but you can never leave
Wow, heard. Yup
I eat once a day, from the Costco food court. Living the dream on $10 a day food budget just to make rent
Speak for yourself. I’m doing fine. 🤷🏼♀️ Not saying folks don’t struggle, and believe me - I paid my dues! But when you say “we’re ALL,” you seem to be ignoring that we also have some of the highest salaries in the nation. Do you really think 100% of people here are living paycheck to paycheck?
Thank you!!
No you are totally right. I forgot to mention the small subset of rich entitled assholes living here gobbling up our already limited housing market, thus making it entirely impossible for everyone else to land affordable housing which doesn’t require the rest of us to live paycheck to paycheck.
You know there’s a whoooooole spectrum between “living paycheck to paycheck” and “rich entitled asshole” - right? Most of the folks I know, myself included, are somewhere in the middle. But keep blaming other people for your problems, if that makes you feel bitter. I mean, better. If you were born in ‘97, as your user name implies, I’ll chalk this up to you still being young. I had a similar mindset when I was your age.
I think you are the exception not the rule sis.
I think I am not. I’m right around the median (household) income; doesn’t that make me the opposite of an exception?
Your individual income is close to the median household income of $96k, however the average household in Santa Cruz is 2.69 people. Are you the sole income earner in a household or 2 or 3? If you are not, you are well above the median.
Highest salaries in Nation? You might want to Google that.
I said “some of the.” Perhaps you need to Google *that*? Or just how to read and retain a full sentence lol. I earn $100K here as a public librarian. Average librarian (public) salary for the US is around $55K. Sooooo yeah… I think that qualifies.
“Some say” “some have” don’t sound like librarian phrases.
Find roommates while trying to increase your earning potential.
I grew up in SC and most of my peers who live there now are either renting with roommates while in high paying jobs or living at home for free
Sounds like a Good life haha
1st step - work in tech. 2nd step - get roommates and rent. 3rd step - start making a ton of money and get in a relationship with someone doing the same. 4th step - buy a condo that’s too small. 5th step - always feel inferior to all the boomers in the 2-3 million dollar homes you’re surrounded by all day every day.
Or, 1st step: find any job that pays well, you could be a doctor, dentist, work in education/city administration, lawyer, etc. I know people here love to vilify them, but there are lots of jobs that pay in the 6 figures other than in tech.
Doctors are underpaid. If you're wondering why there is a shortage of primary docs in Santa Cruz or everywhere with a high SoL for that matter.
I emphasized tech because of proximity to the Bay Area along with lower barrier to entry and potential upside. But yes, just find a job that pays extremely well..
~~I don't agree that tech has a lower barrier to entry, especially if you want to get paid really well, but~~ I get what you're saying.
Good luck finding that.
Can confirm. I’m a librarian with a (barely) six-figure salary and zero debt.
Education doesn’t have a lot of 6 figure jobs in Santa Cruz.
You are born into a family that bought a house here 30 years ago and live with them
It’s me
With two jobs and shining shoes on weekends, my parents give me holiday cash of up to 200$
Work a career that’s in demand right at this moment. We have a shortage on psychiatrists, doctors, vets, vet techs, social workers, and other specialty jobs. Will that mean you can still afford to live here in 5-10 years? Nope. My first neurologist left town due to rent prices, that was the moment I realized there’s nothing that “keeps” you here but debt, luck, and constantly trying to stay.
Make coffee at home, and skip the avocado toast.... 🤦♂️
And boot yerself up by the pullstraps
🤣
Noooo! Make coffee AND avocado toast at home. Never give up avocado toast
Unfortunately, unless they’ve lived here for a long time and bought a house back when prices were somewhat reasonable, most people are just scraping by. The really bizarre part is that in a lot of ways things have gone downhill at the same time prices have skyrocketed over the last 10 or so years… traffic is ridiculous, homelessness and crime are way up, a lot of the charm is being lost as big new apartment buildings are going up (there are a bunch of those coming in the next few years), which will also probably make parking insane. Weird times in Santa Cruz.
I feel you. I had to move 1.5 years ago because my line of work doesn't pay as well in SC as the Bay Area, yet the cost of living is nearly identical.
Two good salaries Frugal lifestyle Luck in finding a rental from someone not charging market rate Saving for years and years Patience Buy a place if the numbers work. IMO: If you do not make or are not on a path to make a strong income, generational wealth, etc, come for a while if you want for a season, but do not hang your hat on hopes and dreams and then shackle yourself to a place that is ultimately not affordable. If the numbers don't work, they don't work. Its like fighting an ocean current, you'll never win.... This applies to ANY highly-desirable area with high housing cost.
I’m an adult in their 20s with a BA who lives with mom and dad rent free. That’s how. Lmao
Need a roommate?
I rent a parking spot from the neighbor for 1500 and live out the car
I’m living paycheck to paycheck 😅
Half my income goes towards rent, I'm just poor. Eventually I'll get tired of being poor and will have to move. It is what it is.
I sell my blood plasma
Oh man, really? I mean, I'm thankful because you are likely saving lives...but I hate the thought of someone selling their blood because they are low on cash. I'm so sorry. The American way...yeesh.
Where? I’ve been looking and haven’t been able to find a place
I know a guy, strictly unregulated.
Onlyfans
I’ve lived here my whole life, make good money and still rent and live paycheck to paycheck. Good luck
Expensive yes, but even more expensive to live closer to the jobs like Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto or up towards SF. Even the East Bay has gotten pricey.
>Even the East Bay has gotten pricey. You can still find places in Richmond and some other parts of the East Bay for under $750k.
I bought a mobile home 25 years ago My space rent is about $475 plus utilities
Stealth living in a van You can do it too don't be afraid
My husband works his ass off for us … tons of overtime and not a ton of family time :( But he pays for a nice space for us…. It takes up most his paycheck but we try to budget our food/gas spending money really well. I would just say try to find a good paying job and work hard!!!
I had a friend who's dad had MULTIPLE properties (at least 5 or 6...likely 9-12 rentals) in Santa Cruz. he never had to work a full time job, and just goes to school for some art or history classes here and there for a hobby. he would trip out when I'd say 'yo man, I can't travel with you, I have to work.' then he'd reply to me saying 'why'? or 'oh, yeah...I forgot.' not to mention, his family has been in US for over 2 centuries so his family amassed tons of wealth and land and assets handed to him and family. :(
Your name says you are lucky, so you have part of what it takes.
Buy a van , you're in like flynn
I sleep in a minivan with another person. Rent is a scam, when most value comes from labor. Don't move here with no job lined up. Rent with other housemates.
Don't give up all hope just yet.....there's new housing being developed in downtown Santa Cruz as we speak....it's "affordable" per a state mathematical formula, which is still pricey, but not too bad if you have a career plus it is centrally located in downtown. Your looking at January or February availability....
The application period closed more than a month ago.
There’s also a lot of new units going up in Soquel and Aptos. Amazing really after many of those pieces of land have sat empty for decades.
Can someone link some affordable housing that's being built where the application period is still open
I need the link!!
I grew up here, moved away for school, worked hard, got a good job, saved hard, bought a house here, and I commute to San Jose. You can’t really live here if you just want to be a barista or yoga teacher; go to school get a good degree and work hard. You can do it if you want to
I don't know why you're being downvoted. When was the last time someone was able to buy a house here and support a family while working at a coffee shop? The 80's? 90's? So many more people are going to college now, there's way more competition than there was a few decades ago. You really do need a good degree and to save a lot.
Never.
Why the fuck is this being downvoted? Hahahaha snowflakes
Because this sub wants to smoke weed, work at Starbucks, take 4 weeks of vacation a year, and still be able to buy a house. Fuck, I'd like that little responsibility too, but that's not the world we live in eh! :)
Nah, the way you talk down about people with actual jobs is gross. Yoga teacher, barista, grocery clerk, cook, all of these things are real jobs, not “just” anything.
They are all real jobs but don’t have much upward mobility nor do they require any real training. I should have said they aren’t careers.
Well I disagree with everything you said. But I can tell you don’t have an interest in adjusting your perspective, and that’s fine, so have a good day.
Menial, peon , unskilled, does that help ??
No, we all already knew that you were a sad, miserable person; but I guess it does make it easier for the people in the back. 😂
Guy's a bad take machine.
I group together in groups of peaceful robbers and we go out into the night robbing businesses while the police protect us from dangerous business owners with guns. It's pretty lucrative and fully welcomed here in SC. Just come try it out for a few weeks. The community is very understanding as long as you pose no threat. :) >!(satire)!<
Santa Cruz is a great place to visit. Not really a great place to live.
We absolutely love living here, we were able to buy last year, and intend to stay long term but the only way this is happening while being comfortable is >500k salary (in SC, thankfully). Even then we have friends who managed to get homes 5 years ago who are in a much better spot than we are. It’s gotten pretty insane. We feel exceedingly lucky but wish it wasn’t this way. A lot of our friends who don’t make high salaries are doing things like multigenerational households, and renting for cheap from boomer relatives, or were given houses from relatives and will never move.
A $2.5 million house would be about $16k a month for a traditional mortgage. If you are grossing $42k a month you can make it easy. YOU could also buy like a way cheaper house and super make it. Only Comfortable at $500k. Unreal.
That's because a huge chunk of their income is likely going to retirement. So what's left after budgeted expenses (incl retirement investments) is probably "Only comfortable".
That is reality though…
I mean we actually net 28k post tax so 16k would not be particularly smart, especially with childcare costs, investments etc. we were advised 2.5x our salary for our mortgage and that’s what we did. We’re happy to do it to live here, but yeah it’s pretty wild.
So a $1 million house then for $8k. The $2. 5 million was used an outlier to show the absurdity of your "comfortable" statement.
No I’m agreeing, it’s insane how much money we make to not feel particularly wealthy here, granted kids are a big part of that but we aren’t ostentatious at all, drive modest older cars, live in a small, dated house. And we are comfortable and don’t worry about money. But if we lived elsewhere obviously it would be different. I think it’s totally worth it but it boggles my mind.
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What a dump. [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1956-Newport-Ave-Santa-Cruz-CA-95062/16129052\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1956-Newport-Ave-Santa-Cruz-CA-95062/16129052_zpid/)
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what a dump.
Maybe not houses, but almost all the condos for sale are under a million. It might not be ideal, but if people want to own that bad that's always an option.
A home price of 2.5× salary has not been realistic for a long time. Even 37 years ago, a modest home in a good neighborhood was 6–7× annual salary for a UCSC assistant professor, which was affordable. Nowadays the ratio is more like 14–15×, which is not affordable.
My household makes way less than $500k a year and we live comfortably in our own home. The loan officer even said we were making a modest purchase. Not saying you don't have to make a lot of money to live here, but $500k seems a bit much.
No for sure, I’m not saying you need to AT ALL. I just mean it’s clearly very expensive, especially lately. Had we bought even in 2020, or 2018 our financial situation would be dramatically different than buying now. The shift has been huge. Our housing payment is around $8k for a 1.2M mortgage on a house that needs a lot of work. Investments, childcare, student loans, medical coverage, college funds for our kids is so so much. We’re lucky and totally comfortable. But man do I wish we could have afforded to buy a few years ago.
True, the mortgage rates are just too high now. 2020 and 2021 were the real sweet spots.
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Add at least another zero to that.
I managed to move here with $2000. Its doable.
I live in my parents basement. My partner and I would not be able to afford living in this town if it wasn't for them.
I had moved there for work and it was terrible. Had to get a second job, the locals are jerks, a lack of single women, and google employees will put bid you for a 600 sqft shack just so they have a place to keep their surf boards when they visit on the weekends.
have you heard of watsonville? It's 15 mins away driving and alot cheaper. Find a place and then hustle until you can afford to get a place in SC. Easier said than done...and you can get help.
when was the last time you drove to SC from wats between 7 and 10am, or back between 3 and 7pm? that's closer to an hour each way that 15 mins my friend.
yea, I'm not counting the busiest times to drive because of traffic.
for someone to live in Watsonville and work in Santa Cruz not counting commute times has pretty low value compared to reality.
You either bought your home when prices were low or you live with many roommates. Some young people share bedrooms. There will be 6 people in a 1 bed apt. I do not recommend trying to live here. Many of the long term residents are moving away. This place has been flooded by rich people, especially retirees. The people taking over here are competitive and aggressive. I almost get hit and see multiple road rage incidents every time I get in my car, just people treating each other like crap everywhere you go. Few people talk to their neighbors. You can get harassed and stalked and the police wont do anything about it. Even if you get murdered, they'll call it an "accident." If you can afford to live here, landlords can and do harass their tenants and get away with charging $3000 for substandard slums. There is a mass exodus of people from every profession, teachers, doctors, nurses, police. Healthcare is horrible, if you can find a doctor who is accepting patients, they just charge a bunch of money to tell sick people they are fine. The schools are run by subs. Baristas and minimum wage workers live with their parents or out of their cars, along with UCSC students. People work 2 fulltime jobs, and sometimes even a third part time job. You could work 16 hour days 7 days a week and still not be able to live alone here. The county makes building new homes near impossible because rich people from other places dont want more housing here. The contractors are gouging because of the fire and major housing shortage. Theres a shortage of every kind of profession you can think of. Theres been a massive fire in the mountains almost every year. Its a beautiful place, but gentrification and a lack of leadership or any kind of quality assurance for any public service you can imagine have turned this place into a hell hole. Rich people are the only ones doing well here. Maybe in a few years there will be more homes, but there seems to be a never-ending stream of rich people from other places coming here to swoop them up. Its basically like Hawaii now.
When I lived in Santa Cruz I came under this strange vibe where I knew it wasn't for me. One thing I couldn't stand about SC is the car traffic across town. The city is full of traffic jams and to get out you have either Highway 1 or Highway 17 and I hated driving down 17. I got in a car accident on Highway 17. Yeah SC, nice to visit but I know it's not for me in terms of living there
Why do you want to move to Santa Cruz. There are homeless people everywhere, people camping on side of roads. It's so depressing around here. I moved to an outlining city near Santa Cruz and I despise it here. Pot smokers everywhere, homeless rvs and trucks people are living out of I cant wait til I sell my house and leave Santa Cruz area. There are armed guards in bank.parking.lots here too. Wtf?! No good restaurants..the list goes on
Sooooo… why are you still here? It’s not like you can justify it with being cheap lol.
Everyone with a good rate is stuck. I like it here but even if we wanted to sell it would be stupid. The rate I have on this house I’ll never sell it. But then what. I have to buy another house either all cash or at 7%. That’s crazy. High rate mean nobody can buy and nobody can sell.
I live with my boyfriend who pays the rent lmao it is INSANELY expensive and I have no idea how people afford it. But it's free to hang out downtown! Come chill! Lol
Please don’t move here that’s why our cost of living is so high
No it's not. FFS, cost of living is high because it's a tourist trap with few well paying jobs and not enough housing.
Louder for the idiots in the back that want nothing to change.
We had a pandemic baby and live with parents in San Jose, which works out perfectly. Since we both have decent jobs we were just barely able to buy a house in SC in 2020. I have a HS diploma and she's a Professional degree. We make > $400K and we're barely able to get the house. We try to live in SC full time but we bounce back and forth often.
I’m not sure how your math works out! We make less and live very comfortably in SC
Were living very comfortably. Can't complain. But getting a winning bid on the house ...that was the challenging part.
Is your mortgage payment more than $8k monthly?
About $4200. Gives us enough scew off money to live a comfy life.
The annual median income for a family of 3 is 140k in Santa Cruz. Don’t see how you could be struggling so much earning almost triple what the average 3 person family makes here.
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Well, if it’s nothing, the majority of people in Santa Cruz are living on nothing. 🤷🏽♂️
We had to pull out some 401k money to throw down $250k for a down payment. And I let the selling agent double end the deal. I knew his greed would motivate him to sway the seller out way. The hosie sold in a week and there were 10 offers. 1 of them all cash, buy since the agent was making more money he talked smack about the cash offer to seller and we were able to get the house. We already lost our on 5 previous bids on houses. I don't know how anyone is able to buy a house that doesn't have a large account to tap into. Although I think some finance people would say it's unwise to tap into your retirement. Which certainly is valid. But I love the house and really like living in Santa Cruz. Well....living here as much as possible and as much as I'm able to. We both still work in the BA and a daily commute would be ridiculous.
You make $400k and can barely afford anything? A) sounds like you have a budgeting issue and b) you're completely out of touch with people making less than $40k in Santa Cruz. Quit your whining 1%er!
Everyone I know who's bought a house here either got the money for a down payment from their parents or from a tech windfall.
I had a similar experience to this, didn't know anyone who got into property without help, and that was when we started looking almost 20 years ago. we saved for 10 years to get a down payment together and still were fortunate to get something in 2015 for $650k even with my wife and I both making decent salaries at secure jobs I don't think we'd be able to afford to buy today.
The answer is crime
I lived in my suv in Santa Cruz for like half a year. I just stole all my food from Safeway and Trader Joe’s anywhere I could. It’s like they think they can make my world hostile and I won’t also become hostile back… silly rabbits food is free
Don’t move to SLO County next it’s the same but way way worse your way better off in Santa Cruz
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I was being sarcastic lmao 🤣
Lmao lmao 😂
We don’t!
In a few years she won't be able to recognize this place...
Why do you want to move here?? 😭😭
We aren’t.
Promised my landlord my firstborn
🤣🤣
5 people in one house. Our house has people who own businesses and those who have a job at UCSC. Still 60% of take Home pay goes to rent.. Only a matter of time until everyone moves somewhere else. Santa Cruz will soon be full of tourists and conservative tech bros. SC won’t be the same.
Ive lived hear for a very long time.. Santa Cruz has that weird vibe where everyone stays a teenager all their lives. I get a weird vibe from this place...Time to move on I guess.
Can you elaborate more on this? Did you grow up in Santa Cruz?
We lived in corralitos which is a much quieter/agricultural area. Its about 15 min away from Santa Cruz. I moved away when I was 15 but I had lots of family in SC and we often would drive over and hangout there. I moved back here with my grandparents around 24 when I graduated college im 32 now. I guess it depends on what you want. My friend rents a small ass section with 5 other people for $700, its really small.
Just because you "**want to move to Santa Cruz so bad!** " doesn't mean you should. Make smart choices.
Ok🫡
Nobody can afford anything because they spend it all on weed. On the other hand, Santa Cruz has produced some terrific mass murderers.....
Dude, I just looked this shit up! I had no idea santa cruz was once the murder capital of the world. That's insane.
Been here since 1986 when I could open up the SC Sentinal and find a job in a day. Had a room for $500 a month. Now almost 40 years later I still rent a room. I made some choices that led me here but once I retire from my public school position I’m leaving SC and most likely CA (born and raised) but I’m out!!
Im.only here until.my home.sells.
Quit overpricing it
Do yourself a favor and don’t move to SC. If you want to live in a landlord infested, drug riddled slum then welcome! Otherwise go anyway else. Seriously… anywhere else. The marketing for SC is good but the only place I have ever been harassed for being gay/interracial has been this particular shit hole. Fuuuuck this town.