LifeinAsia - 7:15 pm on Nov 16, 2007 (gmt 0)

POR,
I'm not sure where you're coming up with those numbers. Working a full year would be closer to $40K, but your tabable income would only be around $18K, which would be a tax liability of around $2K. And figure less than $3K for FICA/Medicare/state taxes/SDI. Granted, it's only $3K more than your estimate, but you can do a lot with that extra $3K.

You can certainly live on $35K/year in So. Cal.- I've done it on less. Granted, that was several years ago, but I was socking away a lot of money as well. Even factoring in inflation, I'd bet I could still be able to put money into savings today on $35K/year.

At minimum wage? Probably not, living on your own. But if you're making minimum wage, you probably should not be trying to live on your own anyway- move back with your parents or share an apartment with several others. And there are other lifestyle changes that one should be making if they are forced to take a minimum wage job.

I don't see why anyone would be living 50 miles away from a minimum wage job- surely there would be minimum wage jobs closer to home.