I can agree with some of your points, i.e. eating at home. However, the fresh produce available there is often not to good, stuff that would have been trashed elsewhere. I could tell you some horror stories about the back rooms of the supermarkets there but I don't want to spoil any appetites.

Yes apartments in B.A. do appear cheap with the U.S. when compared with S.F. or NYC. But I know there are a lot of nice places besides these where you can get nice 2 bedroom apts. for under $100k. I will stick by my statement saying a lot of the apartments there aren't that nice. They could be made nice but you will have to put more money into them to make them so.

You might be able to keep your plan until your 70 but you won't keep it for $100. If you were 66 today you would be paying probably $400 next year, and couple $800 more. That's a big hit compared to current medicare costs in the U.S.

Even if you could get a free ticket from a FF program once in a while your still spending a lot of money you wouldn't have to if you didn't live there.

Don't know where you got the comments about me buying a house after being there 2 weeks, I never said that.

I think my points are still valid. If you want to retire there don't do because you think you will save money, you won't.