I have been looking to move to the bay area ( extended family lives there, tired of the weather on the East Coast , etc.) for some time and recently got an offer from a company in the East Bay region. ( Pleasant Hill, Concord area) . It seems like a good package but I have a wife and a five year old son so getting a home in a safe town with a solid school district is important. The package is 180k base with a potential 15% bonus at the end of the year . They are also throwing in a 40k relocation amount ( after taxes) to cover moving costs.

I have a decent job here (160k and a 10% bonus ) and own a home in a good school district . My wife is a stay at home mom and is not looking to get a job in California.

I was hoping that someone who has had some experience relocating to the Bay Area or knows the area well could help me out and provide their thoughts on whether I am making a mistake and could end up with much worse quality of life in the Bay Area. I am getting a salary bump of a little over 10% from where I am and looks like my bonus potential would also go up but some of the real estate prices are scary .

Thanks in advance .