Yes California is really expensive to live in.
In fact California is so expensive to live in that a lot of people are moving out of California and moving to other states such as Kansas, Idaho, Delaware, Texas, Arkansas etc.
California was a nice place to live but California is getting so expensive to live and the income tax rate is too expensive as well.
If you work or make income in California they tax your income at least 50 percent.
So around 50 percent of your income goes to income taxes.
Also housing prices are expensive and so are real estate taxes.
A modest fixer upper home could cost you $150,000 to $200,000.00 and a nice home could cost you $400,000.00 to $500,0000.00
Then the real estate taxes can cost you $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 per month or more.
Not only the expensive part but California also has a lot of regulations such as smog checks on vehicles, and the wildfires are also getting out of control.
People are selling their homes in California and taking the profit and moving to cheaper states.
For example in Kansas you can get a nice home for $80,000.00 to $100,000.00 but in California the home you bought for that price would be a fixer upper.