When I decided to relocate from the seething chaos of Southern California to a small rural hamlet in the Washington countryside, it was primarily for the reasons of being a bit more remote, surrounding myself amid nature’s scenic beauty, have a slower pace and to exploit psychological arbitrage

Certainly, I was also aware that such a move was also a form of geoarbitrage and that it would, by way of serendipity, save some coin as well.  Now that I’ve arrived, I can, indeed, confirm that I am enjoying us some real deal savings.

A RUNDOWN OF THE NUMBERS

I’ve seen more than a few articles that discuss the benefits of geoarbitrage, however, they have been more general in nature and have lacked specificity.  Perhaps this was purposeful or perhaps not.  In any event, I’ve decided to share our cost differences in key spending categories as, frankly, I was a trifle astonished by many of them.  Prior to the narrative, let’s take a quick peek at the category summary.

THE COIN

I don’t know about y’all, but my first reaction to seeing all of these in this format was particularly mind blowing.  Outside of food, which is pretty much the same (albeit the quality & selection on “essentials” such beer, cider & coffee are infinitely superior), all other major spending categories are substantively lower, like about 37% lower on a non dollar-weighted average.  In some cases, it’s more than half the cost.

Clearly, the biggest boon here is state income tax, particularly when going from the nation’s highest of 11.3% in CA to 0% in WA.  This alone represents a friggin’ elephantine savings.  I also save additional thousands on property tax and home insurance, despite the new place being far larger than our prior pad.  Similarly, the automobile category is nearly slashed in half among insurance, registration and dinosaur juice (which, to be fair, we will use more of due to our rural location).

In So. Cal. it was pretty evenly split between electric and natural gas to power the HVAC and general appliance needs, but here I’m all electric, however the cost is about a third less per kilowatt hour.  Nevertheless, I made (hopefully) prudent construction investments in open cell foam insulation, double-pane argon gas windows, & Energy Star certified appliances, including a state of the art heat pump.  So far, the electric bill for 1 month during Winter was slightly less than it was for the combined electric/gas bill in So. Cal. in December, so I see that as a good sign.

Sales tax is only about 2% less than So. Cal, so it’s effectively about the same.  The biggest savings of all?  My annual fishing license which is 82% cheaper – enough to fund my annual haul of basic tackle to outfit my season.

My New Hood

THE SPACE

I’ll certainly asseverate that saving oodles of greenbacks is a killer benefit of living where I do.  However, there are two other factors that I find far more consequential and, in all honesty, I’d forego the savings and, in fact, would actually pay more to have.  The first is the environment. 

Before writing this paragraph, I stepped outside for a few minutes.  It’s early afternoon and Winter’s last gasp in the form of a mild storm has just begun.  The snow is gently falling drifting about in a cool zephyr before hitting the ground and the only perceptible sound is that of the wind softly gusting through the trees.  It is a wonderful and new form of beauty for us.

Only two days ago while driving down the 15 miles of country road that leads to a highway, my car was strafed by not one, but two bald eagles.  They whipped from the adjacent field and flew less than 20 feet from the windshield.  It was beyond words – I’ve been all over the US and the planet for that matter, but never have I seen a bald eagle that close.  A few days prior to that encounter, I took a leisurely Sunday drive along the Columbia river that flows close to our hamlet.  In the over 50 miles of riverfront splendor, I did not see one boat on the water and only 5 cars. 

I will concede that this is certainly not a way of living that the majority of folks would hanker for.  It’s remote, off the beaten path, takes driving over 20 miles to get to the “big city” of 4700 people, the absence of mainline internet, and the lurking fear of a Sasquatch mauling prolly ain’t gonna fly for most.  That said, open sky, clean air, endless stands of trees, flowing rivers, abundant wildlife and acres and acres of personal space – this, I am learning is, truly, the ultimate luxury lifestyle.  At least for me.  The benefits of psychological arbitrage, I’ve found far exceed those of the geoarbitrage.

THE PEOPLE

I will admit, it was tough to leave behind friends in Southern California.  Of course, I’ll still see them as I already have booked travel to visit in a few months.  However, starting anew and in a strange place can be difficult.  Moreover, what would these non-city dwellers actually be like? Turns out, they’re pretty damn cool.  They’re certainly more down to earth and there’s not even a smidgen of the Hollywood superficiality or So. Cal. pretentiousness I had to previously suffer.  People are just authentic and genuine – and friendly.  I honestly believe that not living on top of one another, significantly mitigates stress and aggression and tends to bring out more of the best of people.  Or, maybe, it’s just me.

I believe that, approximately, 10% of the people on this planet are total, categorical assholes.  You can argue a few percentage points, but it’s true.  There are 24 million people living in So. Cal.,so there is a much, much greater number of assholes (about 2.4 million) as opposed to living in a large county of about 40,000 where you have only about 4,000 assholes.  Also given that, there are 17 people per square mile as opposed to 1500, your actual encounters with said assholes are reduced drastically. 

Even in the “Big Smoke” city 60 miles away, the 250K residents have all been awesome, welcoming and chatty.  Regular readers know that I am a huge outdoorsman and big on music, gaming, books and cats and have already made inroads to befriending many of the fishermen, kayaking & hiking nuts, rockers, bibliophiles, nerds and crazy cat folks. The scene for all my passions is more than thriving up here and my calendar is already in jeopardy of being overbooked.  So far, so great.

NO LOOKING BACK

While not the principal motivation, the impacts of our geoarbitrage are, unquestionably, saving tens of thousands of dollars.  As one can see, the positive financial aspects of moving somewhere with a lower cost of living are very real.  I also openly acknowledge that my personal example is intensified and otherwise exaggerated as a function of previously living in one of the highest costs states and areas in the U.S.  Nevertheless, there can exist a multitude of benefits, many of which can eclipse the financial, by taking a look at other places to live both nationally and internationally.  I wouldn’t argue necessarily that it’s even close to being compulsory for retirement, early or otherwise.  However, I would espouse the notion of taking the time to find where it is you really, truly want to live and use your heart to then find your home.  We’ve found ours and there’s no looking back.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Being recently relocated, I’d love to hear from others who have moved (or plan to) for the purposes of geo or psychological arbitrage in retirement and what your thoughts are.  Please feel free to drop a line in the comments section.

12 Replies to “THIS IS REAL DEAL GEOARBITRAGE, BABY!

  1. Budget Life List

    We recently moved from South Dakota to Montana, so we actually did the exact opposite of what your suppose to do with geoarbitrage. However, as far as psychological arbitrage – we crushed it! Living expenses in Montana are more because there is no income tax in South Dakota. However, there is no sales tax in Montana. As you may expect, a lack of sales tax doesn’t make up for no income tax BUT hunting and fishing licenses for residents are crazy cheap. So for our hiking, fishing, hunting family the savings was 100% worth it! The local mountains and the quick gaunt to Glacier National Park basically seals all our fate to Montana. I would say that’s an adulting win!

    • Mr. Fate

      Hi BLL and thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yep, you totally prove the point that even if it may cost somewhat more, psychological arbitrage gains are totally worth it. Montana is spectacular and we were/are hoping to get to Glacier later this year. We’ll definitely hit you up for local tips. In the meantime, enjoy Big Sky country and be safe!

  2. @adventuresinfishing

    Thank you for another great read! Always stretching my vocabulary while still being easy to read. Also, 👍on an inexpensive fishing license.

    • Mr. Fate

      Thanks man! I appreciate you dropping by to leave a comment! Glad you still enjoy the blog and I can’t wait to use my new license. Fishing up here’s shut down until May (and prolly longer). I’ve seen some guys ninja fishing along the river, but can’t quite bring myself to do it, though it’s tempting!

    • Mr. Fate

      Thanks for stopping by FD – I appreciate the comment. Yep, it’s idyllic. Today’s snow was actually fun – got to test out my new snow shovel and the 4WD in my “new” 1996 Explorer and had a blast. Fortunately, Ms Fate has mastered how to hotspot everything from our phones and we’re now we’re set on steady internet. Still not mainlined like So Cal tho.

    • Mr. Fate

      Thanks Dave! The fishing license here runs April 1 to March 31st so I’ve not got one yet. I told Ms Fate she’s likely going to be a “fishing widow” come April 🤘

  3. Q-FI

    A great read Mr. Fate and t’s like you’re living my future… hahaha. I’ve mentioned before that I have family in Spokane and North East Washington has always been on my radar. I remember visiting as a kid and being awed at the open space compared to the So Cal sprawl. It is definitely an area I have been looking into for the same geo-arbitrage that you have done (Priest Lake, ID is one of my personal favorite vacation spots). I’m still a ways away (and have to convince the wife that she can do a real winter – haha) but its great to hear how well things are working out for you. And I know what you mean, when you experience that perfect silence as snow falls in the wild. It’s eerily beautiful. Rarely in LA do we ever experience anything like it, if at all.

    And finally, your vocabulary never disappoints – this round I had to look up “asseverate.” Ha!

    • Mr. Fate

      Thanks Q-FI. It’s been a blast so far. I love Priest Lake too. Ms Fate’s not been there yet, but told her we’d check it out once things warm up a bit.

      I’ll keep posting about life up here to give you ammo to convince your wife to think seriously about moving up here.

      You can blame words like “asseverate” on my goddamned undergrad degree in English or my obnoxious reading habit. The use of “y’all,” not so much. 😎

  4. freddy smidlap

    that’s just outstanding that you have found the peaceful place as a reward for all the hard work. it’s on the other coast but your description reminds me of the house where i grew up on the vermont boarder or ny state. i also figured you would find your tribe of like minded eccentrics. it’s a real prize to be able to do an activity without being crowded by an enormous population. you can take a hike, ride a bike, or paddle the kayak in relative solitude.

    i don’t know that we’ll leave this house but i’ve always had the idea that we might want to build one house in our lifetime. i doubt it would be in buffalo but more likely across the state or in vermont. we don’t need much but an intentional studio space would be nice and i have always sort of wanted a garage. a person gets tired of scraping snow and ice from a car every single winter for years on end.

    • Mr. Fate

      Thanks for stopping by Freddy. Yep, we’re really enjoying the new place. Like you say, it nice to be able to enjoy nature with not having a zillion other folks about. It does seem similar to the place you grew up and described in some of your posts. We also like this we’re only an hour from the big city and can access all that big urban stuff when we want.

      I hope you do get to build a place at some point, particularly with a garage. My studio ought to be finished in late April and looking forward to getting that set up for recording some music and a writing space as well.

      Got about 18” of snow last night so it’s back to shoveling for me.

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