Run the full monthly number before deciding. Rent or mortgage is only the loud cost; the quiet costs are what wear you down. Irvine makes family logistics easier, but it can also make comparison culture louder if you let every other parent’s schedule influence you. My advice is to rent or stay flexible at first if you do not fully understand the area yet. It did get easier, but not because everything became perfect. It got easier because we stopped expecting the move to solve every problem.