Living outside the city is one thing…but if you live IN the city - then it may be better taking public transportation. I have cousins in NYC who’ve NEVER driven a car before. No need to. Way too expensive to own a car. Just to park your car will cost you $600/mo.
I have to go to our office in downtown Boston at least 3 times a month. I drive to the commuter rail…and then take the train in…then the subway to where the office is. When a small (1500 sq ft) brownstone in Boston near Beacon hill costs $1.5 MILLION…It’s a lot cheaper to live outside the area and commute in.
Online info is interesting. A former neighbor moved to simsbury, ct which is in Hartford county. His prop tax are about 2x the rate of mine. Co website also lists personal tax paid on each car at the residence. Hi prop tax pays what income tax does not.
I have lived in NYC, CT, OC and LA. I actually commuted by bus to work for one year in LA. Took me 2 hours to get to work. The buses were once per hour and sometimes they would skip.
Essentially unless you have a very limited work/home situation, you are going to need a car in LA, it is a necessity, not a luxury. I can take the train to downtown from where I live, but I still need a car to get to the station.
It is worse in OC.
I also lived in CT and am well aware of their mill rates and the fact that they tax your cars as property. I once wanted to sell my car and nobody would buy it. The city valued the car at $7K and the tax according to that. I went to the city and asked them to buy the car at a discounted $4K. I got some off my tax.