Would You Pay 5% More to Live Epically?

There are very few things in life that we truly control. We can't control markets, policy, or the decisions made in rooms we're not invited into. What we can control, with full intention and authority, is where we choose to live. Where we wake up. Where we exhale at the end of the day.

That question sits at the center of a conversation I have often with clients navigating a bi-coastal life between California and Massachusetts. And it reframes everything.

If someone told you that your lifestyle could be genuinely extraordinary, that your mornings could begin overlooking the Pacific, that your weekends could involve the kind of architecture, dining, and community that most people only encounter on vacation, and that the difference in your state income tax burden might amount to something in the neighborhood of five percentage points of effective rate, would that change how you thought about where to plant your life?

For most of the clients I work with, the answer is yes. And understanding why requires stepping back from the spreadsheet entirely.

The Real Question Behind the Tax Comparison

The California versus Massachusetts tax conversation comes up regularly in my practice. High-earning professionals, founders, and executives often arrive with a rough sense that California carries a heavier state income tax load than Massachusetts, and they're right. California's progressive structure reaches a top marginal rate of 13.3% on income above one million dollars, while Massachusetts operates on a base flat rate with a surtax applied to higher income levels, producing a meaningfully lower effective rate for most high earners.

At substantial income levels, that gap in effective state income tax rate can represent a real and significant dollar figure annually. That number is not nothing. I'm not suggesting it is.

But here's where I push back, gently and with intention: a tax rate is a line on a spreadsheet. A life is not.

The clients who move to Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, or Del Mar aren't doing so because they lost a tax calculation. They're doing so because they made a choice about what their life is going to look like. They chose the climate, the community, the coastline, and the culture. They chose the golf, the restaurants, the school systems, and the pace. They chose to wake up somewhere that feels like it was designed for the life they worked to build.

That's not a financial decision. That's a value decision. And value decisions deserve a different kind of analysis.

What "Epic" Actually Costs

I use the word epic carefully, because it means something specific to me. It doesn't mean extravagant for its own sake. It means a life that is fully aligned with who you are, what you've earned, and what you want the next chapter to look like.

For a client relocating from Boston's Back Bay to Rancho Santa Fe, epic might mean year-round access to outdoor living, a property with room for horses, and proximity to a golf community that reflects their lifestyle. For a founder transitioning from a high-pressure decade in Boston's South End to La Jolla, it might mean waking up to the ocean, having a home that doubles as a proper retreat, and being within driving distance to the kind of community that matches their ambitions.

In practice, the question isn't whether California costs more in state income taxes than Massachusetts. For many high earners, it does. The question is what you're purchasing with that difference.

When I walk a client through a property in Rancho Santa Fe, I'm not selling square footage. I'm walking them through a lifestyle. The land, the privacy, the architectural detail, the proximity to San Diego's finest restaurants and cultural institutions, the quality of the evening air. That is what the comparison should be about.

The Power of the Choice You Actually Have

Few of us can change how tax law is written. We can't negotiate with the Federal Reserve or redirect geopolitical forces. But we can, with intention and the right guidance, choose the coordinates where our life unfolds.

That is a profound form of power, and I think it's underused.

My job isn't to persuade you. It's to educate you, guide you, and make sure you have every piece of information you need to make the decision that's best for you. They've done the tax work with their CPA. They understand the numbers. And then they ask the deeper question: given everything I know, where do I actually want to live?

When that question is answered honestly, the tax differential rarely reverses the decision. What it does is confirm that the decision requires real thought, real strategy, and an advisor who understands both the financial context and the lifestyle reality.

The Morning You Choose

People often ask me why I choose to live a bi-coastal life. The answer has very little to do with taxes and everything to do with how I want to experience each day.

I genuinely love both Boston and California. Boston offers a richness of history, culture, architecture, and energy that is difficult to replicate. It will always hold a special place in my heart. But Southern California offers something equally extraordinary, just in a different way.

There are moments when I walk out my front door and I'm reminded just how fortunate I am to call Rancho Santa Fe home. Within minutes, I can spend six miles walking scenic trails that wind through the community. If I feel like starting my morning by the ocean, the Pacific is only 3 miles away. Nearly every evening, I step into my garden to pick fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruit that grow throughout the year. Gardenias, roses, and magnolias often find their way into a vase on my kitchen counter, filling my home with simple reminders of the beauty that surrounds us.

When it's time to travel, a major international airport is less than thirty minutes away. If I'm meeting friends for dinner, I have incredible fresh seafood, authentic Mexican cuisine, and world-class restaurants practically at my fingertips. The climate encourages an active lifestyle, and being outdoors isn't something reserved for weekends or vacations. It's simply part of everyday life 12 months out of the year.

None of these things, individually, define a life. But together, they shape one.

That's why I often ask clients a different question than they expect.

If life has given you the opportunity to choose where you live, why not consider living where millions of people save all year to vacation?

To me, that isn't about luxury. It's about intention. It's about designing a life that reflects what matters most to you.

My job isn't to persuade you that California is the right choice. It isn't to convince you that Massachusetts is the better investment. My job is to educate you, guide you, and provide the clarity you need to make the decision that's right for you.

Because the most important number isn't your tax rate.

It's the quality of the life you build around it.

If you're considering a move between California and Massachusetts or simply wondering whether your current home still aligns with the life you envision, I would be honored to help you explore your options. Together, we'll evaluate not only the numbers, but also the lifestyle, community, and opportunities that will shape your next chapter.

After all, real estate has never just been about where you live.

It's about how you choose to live.

Bi-Coastal Clients Think Differently

One of the reasons I've built my practice across both California and Massachusetts is that I understand the clients who live between these two worlds. They're not choosing between states. They're choosing between versions of their life.

Boston offers history, culture, intellectual energy, and a particular kind of civic pride that is genuinely rare. The South End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay are neighborhoods with real character and a depth of community that takes years to appreciate fully.

But California, specifically the coastal communities of San Diego, offers something that Boston cannot: the physical environment of a life lived outdoors, in warmth, with a backdrop that does not require a vacation to enjoy. Rancho Santa Fe is one of the most private and refined residential communities in the country. La Jolla combines coastal beauty with genuine sophistication. Del Mar carries an elegance that is quiet and intentional.

For clients with the means and the flexibility to choose, the conversation is never simply about taxes. It's about what they want their daily life to feel like. And my job is to make sure they have the clarity, the market intelligence, and the access to make that choice well.

What the Numbers Should Actually Tell You

I'm not dismissing the financial analysis. I review these comparisons regularly with clients, and the state tax differential between California and Massachusetts is real and worth understanding. At high income levels, the gap in effective rates is meaningful. Your CPA is the right person to model that precisely for your specific situation, filing status, and income composition.

What I will say is this: the number that matters most is not the tax rate. It's the quality of life that rate is funding.

If the answer to "would you pay 5% more to live somewhere extraordinary" is yes, then the conversation shifts from tax planning to lifestyle strategy. And that's the conversation I'm built for.

The Morning You Choose

There is a moment, early in the morning, when the quality of a life becomes undeniable. It's before the day starts, before the meetings and the obligations and the noise. It's the first few minutes of a morning in a home that feels exactly right.

I've seen clients have that moment for the first time in a Rancho Santa Fe property overlooking a canyon. I've seen it on a terrace in La Jolla with the Pacific below. I've seen it in a Back Bay townhouse with the kind of architectural detail that reminds you why craftsmanship still matters.

That moment is available to you. The question is where you want it to happen.

If you're working through a bi-coastal decision, a relocation consideration, or simply a question about whether your current home still reflects the life you're living, I'd welcome a conversation.

Book a discovery call and let's talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what it actually takes to get there.

^{Let's Connect}

Melinda Stockmal
[email protected]
(617) 943-8333

^{Join the List!}

Stay on top of the latest real estate trends and get exclusive insights from industry expert Melinda Stockmal Sign up for our newsletter today and never miss a beat. Join our community of savvy homeowners, investors, and real estate enthusiasts and get the inside scoop delivered straight to your inbox.

Don't wait, Sign Up Now!