How much do we need to move to San Jose?

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I'm considering a job in Los Gatos, CA. Before I get into salary negotiations, I'm trying to figure out how much we would need to earn to live reasonably near Los Gatos and have a similar standard of living to what we have in DC. Our family lives on about $230k/yr and we own a house in the Petworth neighborhood of DC.

For any west coast transplants or others familiar with both regions, I'm wondering:

1) What are some areas near Los Gatos / San Jose that are "not insanely expensive" and also nice/safe with decent school options?

2) How much would we need to earn to live in these areas and have a similar standard of living to what we have in DC? I'm assuming we'd need more, but I'm not sure how much more.

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Figure at least 2 million for an inhabitable house in a decent neighborhood/with decent schools.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the reply.

Any decent areas within 45 minutes or so that hit closer to 1.2M for housing?

Also, are other expenses comparable to DC, or higher?

[Anonymous]

Also, for housing, we're envisioning something like 3 BR / 1800 Sq Ft.

[Anonymous]

I would look into Castro Valley/Pleasanton and there should be homes north of freeway 1M or less, although you would need to deal with the commute. Cost of living is similar to VA from what we can tell.

[Anonymous]

What is "insanely expensive"? That term is subjective, especially around SV area.

Campbell, Cambrian, South San Jose, area but most of the houses are kind of ugly - typical mid century ranch.

I would not do east bay. Drive south to LG would be hellish, and there is no public transport (except buses) going that way from east bay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is "insanely expensive"? That term is subjective, especially around SV area.

Campbell, Cambrian, South San Jose, area but most of the houses are kind of ugly - typical mid century ranch.

I would not do east bay. Drive south to LG would be hellish, and there is no public transport (except buses) going that way from east bay.

PP here.. also suggest Almaden. Here's a nice one for 1.2 but it's a townhouse - but pretty big and updated.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Jose/5924-Jenny-Lind-Ct-95120/home/1553615

[Anonymous]

Much more. DC is a dump in comparison.

[Anonymous]

It's cheaper in Monterey County, Salinas, Prunedale, etc. You are looking at least $800k-$1 mil for something nice in those areas and figure private schools $30k+ per year. We live in Monterey, DH works there and I work in Salinas. We make $250, four kids in a charter and live in a Tinyhouse (425 sq ft) Compared to the D.C. area, everything is more expensive, except for produce items. We do eat very well here in the salad bowl of America.

[Anonymous]

We know people in Almaden and really like how close it is to hiking, but it seems kind of the opposite to Petworth. They drive everywhere and there are lots of cul de sacs and big box stores. Schools seem good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know people in Almaden and really like how close it is to hiking, but it seems kind of the opposite to Petworth. They drive everywhere and there are lots of cul de sacs and big box stores. Schools seem good.

This is pretty much most of CA. It's definitely a driving culture. There are some areas with a good size downtown area with restaurants and grocery store but most of San Jose area doesn't have a good downtown area.

Also, keep in mind OP that most of CA does not have free school bus service. And be prepard to shell out close to $1000 per child per year for things like art, library, music, and very large class sizes. CA school budgets are *horrible*.

[Anonymous]

There's actually a lot on the market right now in your price range. You will have to be flexible on the size though. 1800 sqft in California is really almost a mansion! If you can nab a good house for 1500 sqft that would be rather impressive.

Having lived in both DC and the Bay Area, the main difference in expenses will be gas and housing. Lucky thing about moving from the DC area is that you won't have as much sticker shock as say someone moving from Ohio.

[Anonymous]

$500k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's actually a lot on the market right now in your price range. You will have to be flexible on the size though. 1800 sqft in California is really almost a mansion! If you can nab a good house for 1500 sqft that would be rather impressive.

Having lived in both DC and the Bay Area, the main difference in expenses will be gas and housing. Lucky thing about moving from the DC area is that you won't have as much sticker shock as say someone moving from Ohio.

And the fruit is much better in CA. Water bill will be high, but other utilities will be lower. Get a house with no lawn maintenance.

[Anonymous]

This indicates you only need about 10% more, but I think the need for neighbors with good schools distorts the true costs https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13609633

Not as positive https://www.quora.com/Is-anyone-else-overwhelmed-by-the-fact-that-in-the-Bay-Area-it-seems-that-even-250-000-in-household-income-for-a-family-of-4-is-iffy

https://www.quora.com/How-much-of-a-home-can-a-family-of-four-reasonably-and-comfortably-afford-on-a-215-000-income-in-the-Bay-Area

This completely blows my mind. How could $400k not be fine for basic lifestyle choices. I think they are expecting too much. https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-survive-in-the-Bay-Area-with-400k-family-income