Cost of living in OC - Orange County (Los Angeles, Irvine: rent, car insurance)

[PALA79]

Hi everyone
We live in Chicago and planning to Move to OC by end of next year.


I would like to know for average for 2700-3000 sf house (4-5 bdrm):
- house taxes (%)
- insurance cost ( health, auto, homeowners)
- water, power etc
- school expenses

ANYTHING.
Thanks a lot
Peter

[EscapeCalifornia]

Since you're asking about property tax, I'll guess you're looking to buy. Such a house could be anywhere from I'd guess half a million into the millions. It really depends on where. If you find houses that look too cheap, there's probably a reason.

Property tax is typically just over 1% of the purchase price annually. Some areas have mello roos which can up to double that. Be sure to check that out for sure.

Insurance: Too many variables to say. I was paying about $600/yr in homeowner's insurance on a small house. Earthquake insurance would have been another $600/yr or so but between the high deductible and exclusions, it wasn't worth it. I pay $150/mo for car insurance on two newer SUVs with two drivers with clean records.

Utility bills will of course vary with the house and your lifestyle. California has very high utility rates and if you live inland, you'll be using lots of electricity to keep cool in the summer. Central heat is usually gas which isn't too expensive. Your water bill will depends on your landscaping mostly. You might spend $100 on all of the above or you might spend $500/mo+. No way to tell without specifics.

[PALA79]

thank you so much for great quick replay .
i live in down town Chicago in four story town home , so looks like OC bills will balance with Chicago, more for electric less for gas

property tax its cheaper that Chicago but with mello roos will balance the same ...looks like

how many homes in OC has mello roos tax, what is it exactly ? is it like association that goes to neighborhood expenses ? please write more about it
thx again

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by PALA79

how many homes in OC has mello roos tax, what is it exactly ? is it like association that goes to neighborhood expenses ? please write more about it
thx again

Nothing built before 1982 will have it. In general, the more south and inland you go in OC, the more likely you are to encounter it since that's how OC's growth progresses.

Mello-Roos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by PALA79

how many homes in OC has mello roos tax, what is it exactly ? is it like association that goes to neighborhood expenses ? please write more about it
thx again

Mello-roos is generally in newer neighborhoods that require infrastructure improvements. The tax pays for the roads, sewer lines, public parks, etc.... that go into building this new community. For example, when Talega was built (where you are interested) the Capistrano Unified School District had to build Vista del Mar Elementary/Middle School from scratch very quickly to serve the growing community. Where did the district get much of the money to build this school for Talega??? Mello-roos taxes.

In older neighborhood, like built in 1960's, 70's, etc... there are not mello-roos because the Community Facilities District Act did not exist yet.

Just so you know, many of the newer neighborhoods you are looking at in Corona will have mello-roos as well, such as Eastvale. Mello-roos is statewide, usually in newer neighborhoods. Areas west of the 5 and the many established neighborhoods in San Clemente will NOT have mello roos due to age.

[PALA79]

thank you so much for all of this, i will think about something new soon

[PALA79]

So, We are planning to move around November of this year ! planning visit again in Memorial weekend, planning rent first for about a year and after while decide where to buy .
Thinking of San Clemente .... Talega specially , last time we visit we loved it .
I have 2 girls, 3 years old and almost 1 year old so education for them since the will go to school most important, Whats neighborhood has best grammar, kindergarten high schools ???

[PALA79]

Also how is really economy in California , everybody in US saying CA will be bankrupt soon, how all that news are effecting living there ! ?

[k374]

Originally Posted by PALA79

Hi everyone
We live in Chicago and planning to Move to OC by end of next year.


I would like to know for average for 2700-3000 sf house (4-5 bdrm):
- house taxes (%)
- insurance cost ( health, auto, homeowners)
- water, power etc
- school expenses

ANYTHING.
Thanks a lot
Peter

which part of OC? that is such a wide question. 3000 sf house in a nice neighborhood will cost around $1-$1.5 million, in exclusive beach areas perhaps $5 million.

House taxes are usually 1.5-2% of the value of the house plus there could be upto an additional 1% mello roos in certain neighborhoods.

insurance is more expensive than Chicago and so is water (California is a desert)...

schools not sure, I know many school systems in Los Angeles are among the worst in the country but in South OC they may be pretty good, I know Irvine is good.

Bring money, lots of it!!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by PALA79

I have 2 girls, 3 years old and almost 1 year old so education for them since the will go to school most important, Whats neighborhood has best grammar, kindergarten high schools ???

Grammar school? Do people still use that term?

What does "best" mean as in best schools?

Looks like Talega is Vista Del Mar Elementary and Middle Schools, 9 out of 10 and 8 out of 10 on the API respectively and 9/10 and 9/10 on Great schools. It is also zoned to San Clemente High School 9/10 API and 8/10 on great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/california/san-clemente/

Here's a performance map centered on Talega. You can pan around and identify other schools' performance.

California School Performance Maps

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