My post on living in an ideal city got me thinking — if money was no object, where would I live?
The answer is obvious to me.
I’d live in California.
Where exactly in California I am not sure yet.
Maybe San Diego because I hate cities that are too big (L.A.).
I’d have said Miami, Florida for the beaches but it’s really too humid there for my liking.
I wouldn’t have to worry about healthcare because I could afford to pay for whatever I wanted if I got sick, I wouldn’t care that the homes cost into the millions because .. well money is no object!
I love how eco-friendly it is there and it seems very laid back… if you have the cash to be laid back.
What you can’t really change or buy is the weather; as eemusings pointed out, security and cleanliness also come into play.
California has the best weather in North America. It’s also in a nice location that you can hop on a plane and visit places without having to really do too many stopovers or change flights to get anywhere.
My second choice would be to live in the south of France.
The weather is nice there too!!!
SUN_LOVER
If money were no object, climate would be key for me too and I agree California has one of the best climates on Earth! Southern California has the warmer winters and the better beaches, but air quality is somewhat poor (including San Diego) except in the Ventura / Thousand Oaks / Calabasas area. Sacramento has the most sunshine hours on the planet from May through September, but summers are a bit hot and winters are a bit cold. Parts of the San Francisco Bay Area (Lafayette, Alamo, Danville) are sunnier than Los Angeles and not quite as hot as Sacramento. The Bay Area also has very good air quality, which feels great. There are ski resorts within a driving distance from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Lake Tahoe, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960, is a 3-hour drive from San Francisco. So whatever your climate preferences are, you are bound to find an area you’ll love. Other places I would consider for their beautiful climate: Perth (Australia), South of France, Jerusalem, Cape Town, Peloponnese (Greece), Athens, Alexandria (Egypt), Malta, Cypress, Canary Islands, and of course Hawaii.
But climate is not all that money cannot buy. I also want to be at home with the culture, architecture, nature, lifestyle and quality of services. Think of all these billionaires who have their primary residence in NYC, London and Moscow, neither one of which has a spectacular climate…
sherry@savespendsplurge.com
So how about a home in California and one in NYC? 🙂
SP
I’d live in Santa Monica. 🙂 That is where I just moved from. It has a small beach town feel, but access to the rest of LA if you want to leave the beach bubble. I like my current area as well but not quite as much.
California is basically my favorite, but if money were no object, I’d probably explore a bit more. I don’t think I’d move abroad because of family, but if that were also no issue (teleportation exists!) then I think there are probably a lot of lovely places.
save. spend. splurge.
Oh! I’ll put that on my dream list then. I really like the weather in CA.. drought notwithstanding.
Pauline
I guess I would have several houses around the world. Guatemala has a perfect spring-like climate all year long but seasons give you a sense of time passing, of cycle. So one place somewhere sunny, like Barcelona, a small flat in Paris to visit family, another one in NY and/or San Francisco, and a little house in Guatemala to soak up some sun. And a ski chalet, to get the beautiful, snowy part of winter. 2 months at each place probably.
save. spend. splurge.
HA! I would too 🙂 One in downtown Paris just so I could visit and walk around without wasting time, one in London for the same reason, Stockholm because I loved the city,..
Pauline
@save. spend. splurge.: one a month! Stockholm for the long summer days when you can even swim in the water, a winter paradise where it is white all around and a winter escape under the Moroccan or Argentinian sun… since money is no object, your personal trainer will help you get over the jet lag and your personal chef will bring strawberries to Aspen!
save. spend. splurge.
Oh yes. ONE A MONTH. I’d agree with that.
PK
San Diego’s pretty huge – having that as your cutoff only leaves 7 cities you wouldn’t live in in the US – NY, LA, Chicago, Houston, Philly, Phoenix and San Diego.
Come live in the Bay Area!?
save. spend. splurge.
Sure, once I win the lottery, k? 🙂
MelD
California is still USA so, no… I’d stay based where I am in Switzerland, I think, as it may not be perfect in some small ways, but at least it’s a true democracy, clean, pretty, well-located, multilingual, good standard of living, great food of all kinds and so on!! 🙂
(and great public transport, too…!)
SarahN
@MelD: You sell it well MelD – but it snows there, which I do like parts of France for (practically) never doing.
Other than Sydney, which I used to want to escape but love more and more, I would move to NYC or Paris. I LOVE cities now. And at least Paris has all the socialist systems, and a better eco mindedness.
Actually, I like to think I’m not too young to say I won’t live there (for either) 😉
save. spend. splurge.
France rarely gets snow. Apparently a light wool jacket does it!
I still want to visit Sydney one day. BF has already been there and does not relish the thought of such a long flight but I am longing to visit a place where kangaroos roam… 🙂
save. spend. splurge.
Hahahah! Yes you’re right, California is still the U.S., but if money was no object, I’d be able to choose based on weather and not have to bother working and to be discriminated against for being a non-American.
I’ll put Switzerland on my list too 😉 I’d love to visit it.
MelD
@save. spend. splurge.: You’re welcome…!
Re. weather – I guess that is subjective! I like to ski in winter and love pretty snow (less so urban snow!), so get the perfect balance for my own taste! Obviously, if you hate snow – not so much LOL
Lisa E. @ Lisa vs. the Loans
Good choice! I love it here in California! As for me, if money were no object and I had to choose a place other than California, I would choose New York, right in the middle of Manhattan! I love the city life!
save. spend. splurge.
NYC would be nice too. Manhattan isn’t bad especially if you have a lot of $$$$!
anna
I love SD, so I completely agree with you. In terms of public transportation, though, it kind of sucks, and there’s a lot of traffic because people tend to drive solo (myself included). There’s supposed to be trolleys in the works, though, so perhaps we’ll become more eco-friendly in that respect! 🙂
save. spend. splurge.
Oh no! 🙁 I didn’t think about public transport.
Michelle
If money was no object then I would move all of my friends and family (and myself) to Hawaii. That way I can enjoy it and still have everyone there that I love! 🙂
save. spend. splurge.
Hawaii sounds nice too. I just find it a little isolated…
Echo
I would move to Costa Rica! Beautiful weather year round!
save. spend. splurge.
Good call!!
The Asian Pear
Can I cheat on the answer and say EVERYWHERE for short bursts of time? ^___^;
save. spend. splurge.
Sure, why not? I mean money is no object…
Kathy
I would live in Anchorage, Alaska and probably have the money to do so right now. However, my son is in Ohio and the distance we’d need to travel to see each other is pretty formidable.
save. spend. splurge.
Why Alaska? Great outdoors and all that? Or something else?
Kathy
@save. spend. splurge.: Great summer climate….I hate heat! And in Anchorage, the temperatures aren’t that awful in the winter. But also, you have ocean, you have mountains. You have the most fabulous wildlife. And from our experience, the people are really down to earth. Plus, financially, no state income tax or sales tax.
save. spend. splurge.
Oh really!! That’s interesting, I never knew that. I really want to visit now.
AdinaJ
I still stand by what I said in the other post: London, England. Paris, the south of France, and Tuscany would be a short trip away. And I loved living in London.
I would also love the west coast. Vancouver or somewhere in California, for sure. Maybe even Portland? Or is that too hipsterish? I’ve never been …
save. spend. splurge.
Vancouver seems very rainy to me which is why I didn’t pick it. Portland I have never visited, so that left California.
London was nice but I found the food lacking, which is why I’d choose the south of France…
NZ Muse
I loved SD. LA too sprawly. SF was a LOT like Auckland but more sophisticated. But I suspect California would be actually too hot for us in summer.
But if money truly were no object (no worries about work, insurance etc), California would be high up on my list (might even be my top pick). It’s a lot like NZ, but with Mexican food and lower cost of living. And we could fly back home when we wanted.
save. spend. splurge.
Miami was too hot and humid even just before summer hit. I can’t imagine living there and not in A/C seclusion.
CA is pretty awesome as a state. I like how it’s centrally located to get to Asia or around the U.S…. and even getting to Europe is not that bad either.
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way
I am living in the Philippines so we really have a hot weather here, my only dream is to live in a place where winter exists! 🙂 I really want to go to Italy too, for me Italy is a country that full of love.
save. spend. splurge.
You say that!!!! But once you experience winter for a few days, you may change your mind and wish for the sun again. This is what happens to a lot of people who have never lived through a winter before, particularly a Canadian one.