Hi all,

I have a question concerning the cost of living in your area. I've been mulling the idea of relocating to the Bay Area and need some insight from actual residents.

What type of salary will I need to survive there? Should I try to negotiate a nyc salary?

How do you guys get to work? Drive? Mass transit?

Are you sick of having another New Yorker there?

thanks,
gin

 

Hmmm...I've been to NYC just this past summer. IMO if you can survive there with what salary you have, you could survive here. Most ppl commute hours to work. Depending on where you work you could take Bart. If you're used to the subways, then it's going to be a bit rough to get used to the traffic. What most ppl try to do is live in the opposite end of rush hour traffic.

 

About the same as NYC. Look at some of the online housing sites to get a bearing. http://www.realtor.com/ is a good site. A townhome on the end of town that you might want to lock your doors when you drive through is mid $300Ks, a decent townhome in an ok end of San Jo is around $450K-$550k. Old *** 80 year old house in downtown san jose will set you back about $600K, a decent one in Willow glen about $650k and up, and a nice house new home around these parts starts around $800k and up. If you're willing to do an hour commute you can get the price down a little but not too much. There are several places in the North bay that general pricing far exceeds NYC so poke around and see where you'd like.

Also take a peek at http://www.salary.com to get a general idea of what you will be paid here. It also depends on the demand for your job, I looked mine up in 95131 and 10109 and the 75% is less than 1% difference (about $500 less a year in NYC, and the 75th% group is $126k)

as far as commuting it depends on you. A lot drive, some take commuter train, some carpool, it depends on where you want to live what the best way to get to work is. Public transit is NOWHERE near as well thought as as NYC though.

I lived in New London CT for 6 years, Hartford for 6 months, and lived in Manhattan for 2 years with a sugar mama

 

There is _no_ mass transit in the bay... at least nothing compared to what you are used to if you live in nyc. As for a salary to survive on, depending on where you plan to live, you might be able to do with slightly less than you currently make, but just barely.
Plus sides to living here are no snow (unless you drive to it), slightly less insane cab drivers, in-n-out burger. Down sides are you will get raped by the price of gas, a distinct lack of dinners and hotwings as compared to the east coast.

Lastly I will point out that over the next 6 months the bay area real estate market should be dropping like a rock, so possibly living "might" get a bit more affordable.

 

If you plan on trying to buy a house out here (most people can only afford to do 30 year interest only loans with a second for the down), don't have any CC debt, car payments, or student loans... You'll need at least 100K/year, at LEAST. That is assuming you don't currently own in NYC. Home prices are inSANE. Supposedly, there's been a downtrend, but I sure as hell haven't seen it. If you, like most people, have CC debt etc... you could be living paycheck to paycheck on 100K/year.

If you just plan on renting, do NOT get a single apartment, unless you like throwing away >1000/month on rent. A lot of people post on craigslist for rooms for rent... going rate for those could be anywhere from 5-700/month. That's what I would recommend, at least for the first couple of years.

 

even on $140k a year if you have a family and a lazy wife, I mean homemaker wife

 

This is a good, no frills site for looking at Bay Area housing: http://mlslistings.com/

 

+1!

 

try zillow.com to see home prices in different neighborhoods around the bay.

finding work near mass transit is a big plus. i bart to work everyday, and it's nice to get to read a book or magazine instead of dodging idiot drivers and finding and paying for parking at work (if you work in sf or oakland).

 

The things to take into consideration is what type of work do you do? what type of salary are you currently at? What are your standards of living? (these are questions to ask yourself, not post up on here) Then compare that to what is available out here. The bay area is quite diverse for areas to live. Plus, where you find a job will have influence on where you live. San Jose is a lot different from the City which is a lot different from Marin County, to Berkeley, to Walnut Creek, to Pleasanton to Vallejo, etc. Mass Transit if very limited in the Bay Area. It is great if you work and live along a BART line, otherwise not so much.

 

if you move into the mountains, you will save a few 100K on a house, have land to rally on, plus have a track-day commute everday. You will be the touge master in no time.

 

The cost of living in the Bay Area sucks. As others have said before me, I know many people who make $120k+ and live paycheck to paycheck between mortgages and student loan debts. That said, the Bay Area is an absolutely beautiful place to live -- if you can afford it, however, not many can.

 

i used to make 16k a year and managed....very poorly now im making 45k a year and still manage poorly.. but i mean with more money the more you spend it seems.

 

I have to move out of the Bay Area due to cost of living

Then again I'm young and not in a career.

 

Hmm, thanks for all the information everyone. It doesnt sound as bad as I thought it would be and I am getting a little bored of ny; a change of pace should help.

thanks,
gin