I think that's the challenge. The CPI where people need/want to live is actually quite high. California Urban Inflation http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Econ

I think that's the challenge. The CPI where people need/want to live is actually quite high. California Urban Inflation http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Economics/Indicators/Inflation/ http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Economics/Indicators/Infla... You can see average inflation averages about 4% for LA, San Diego and San Francisco. I believe the St Louis FRED also has these inflation numbers for West Coast Urban CPI which reflect similar rates.