Have you ever lived in a small town in, say, Texas for a month? Nearly everything is cheaper there, and not by a little. Gas can be $1.50/gallon instead of $3.89/gallon. Dairy, produce, meat are all cheaper. Utilities/energy is cheaper.
Maybe it doesn't have as big an impact if you don't have kids, but I only have three and man these things eat a lot.
Beef was cheaper. Chicken and pork were same as Cali. Produce was a lot more expensive; regular produce cost the same as organic produce in Cali, and the quality dropped off a cliff in the winter.
Gasoline was cheaper, but the only utility that was cheaper was water. Internet was more expensive. Electricity and (natural) gas was significantly more expensive, because A/C was a must in the summer and heating was a must in the winter.
Car maintenance was much more expensive, since the salt they use to melt the snow is corrosive. House maintenance was more expensive, because the humidity year-round meant increased mold growth.
In order to get cheaper than LA/SF, you had to move to a small town...but you can do the same thing in Cali too; such as by moving to San Bernardino or Sacramento, and you end up with a much higher quality of life than a small town in the Midwest.
In LA with a little effort you can find endless Asian/Mexican options for sub-$10.
And yes, the tax rate is progressive, but the average rate is still around 9% at that income level (~36k). Marginal rate is just over 11%.
My overall point is just that almost all of the cost of living delta in CA is from taxes and housing. Didn't mean to get too deep into the numbers.
Whole Foods drip coffee is $1 for prime members in many locations and is drinkable if not great.