just been looking into cheap cities in california where you can actually have money left over at the end of the month, and honestly some of these spots surprised me. granite bay and dublin are obvious choices if you're earning decent middle-class income, but i didn't realize how far your money stretches in places like folsom or oakley. folsom especially caught my eye - median income around 139k with living costs at 82k means you're sitting on nearly 57k in disposable income annually. that's wild for california. if you want affordable cities in california without sacrificing too much, eastvale and brentwood are solid options too. brentwood's a bit pricier on the surface but the numbers work out. the thing is, a lot of these cheap cities in california still have decent communities and aren't total dead zones like you'd expect. been scrolling through cost of living data and it's clear you don't need to leave the state to find something reasonable. obviously lafayetteand danville skew wealthier, but even there the middle class is doing okay. anyone else been considering a move to one of these more affordable california cities?