It all depends upon your financial situation... and mindset.
To me, where you live is a bit like marriage. There are going to be things you like, things that bug you, and things you can't stand, but you also know that if you marry someone else, while it will be different, there are always going to be some issues.
If the cost of living is the only thing driving you toward moving, it implies that you can't stay where you are for money reasons. You, your wife, and financial guy need to run the numbers, because moving is expensive, and while you may get more for your money outside California, that doesn't mean that you'll automatically spend less (read: sell a 1/2-acre home for $500K, then buy a 10-acre place for the same amount). Once there, there may or may not be significant renovation necessary. Don't forget heating cost, which may be a lot more than California. Also, don't automatically assume that property tax will be less. At one time I considered buying land in WA state, and was shocked by how expensive property tax was/is. The only reason I was shocked was because I let myself fall into the trap of assuming that everywhere outside CA must be cheaper. Not so. (Also, I was shocked to to find that crime in rural WA was significantly higher than here in our SoCal suburb, and probably meth related.)
As an aside, a story:
I used to read survivalist forums to better understand the mindset. Almost without exception, everyone had nothing but bad things to say about California, and how everywhere else was surely better. So one Californian moved to Eastern Oregon. Problems solved, right? No more stupid rules and regulation, and as a freedom loving patriotic American, he could finally do what he wanted, right? Hah.
So he buys some land, builds a place, still thumbing his nose at California because he "showed them." His story started changing when he wanted to dam up the stream flowing through his property. The county said "no." Oh boy, you should have heard him, you'd think that he was right back in California again. He just couldn't understand why he didn't have the freedom to do that, as he owned the land and could do whatever he wanted. I asked him: "Okay, how would you feel if I bought the property upstream of you, and dammed off the stream, since it's my 'right'? " No answer.
Point being, think long and hard about what you're looking to gain, and ALL the potential costs. For example, my sister recently moved to a rural area, and is now pushing me to move to the same area. The catch is that the drought is such that no new building is allowed, and city water is $0.09 a gallon (wells are a no-go). So, yeah, there's a lot of variables to consider.
My brother badmouths CA all the time and says that Tennessee is the answer to all his problems. Okay.