Possibly moving to NorCal

Hi all-

We may be moving to Norcal and have been looking at places to rent. I am shocked at how much more rentals are over there. We have visited in the past, but was never aware of how much it would cost to live there. First question: Is the salary there relative to the cost of living? There is at least a 40% difference between renting a 2-beds 2 baths apartment in NJ vs in Northern California. What areas north of San Francisco should we be looking at if we want good schools and cheaper rent as compared to areas closer to San Francisco? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated as always.


From what I hear, things are as crazy as they sound, and that incomes don't necessarily rise as much as rents, relative to this area.



floorline said:

Hi all-

We may be moving to Norcal and have been looking at places to rent. I am shocked at how much more rentals are over there. We have visited in the past, but was never aware of how much it would cost to live there. First question: Is the salary there relative to the cost of living? There is at least a 40% difference between renting a 2-beds 2 baths apartment in NJ vs in Northern California. What areas north of San Francisco should we be looking at if we want good schools and cheaper rent as compared to areas closer to San Francisco? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated as always.

Northern California is 500 miles long and 150 miles wide. Can you be a little more specific? Depending on whether you are commuting to SF, San Jose, Sacramento or Eureka, the housing options vary widely.


Its been that way for as long as I can remember. My sister moved to SF 20 years ago and the apartment rentals were way higher than NYC. It was crazy. And forget about buying a home in SF/Silicon Valley. Out of reach for most



GoSlugs said:



floorline said:

Hi all-

We may be moving to Norcal and have been looking at places to rent. I am shocked at how much more rentals are over there. We have visited in the past, but was never aware of how much it would cost to live there. First question: Is the salary there relative to the cost of living? There is at least a 40% difference between renting a 2-beds 2 baths apartment in NJ vs in Northern California. What areas north of San Francisco should we be looking at if we want good schools and cheaper rent as compared to areas closer to San Francisco? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated as always.

Northern California is 500 miles long and 150 miles wide. Can you be a little more specific? Depending on whether you are commuting to SF, San Jose, Sacramento or Eureka, the housing options vary widely.

The work offered to the hub is in south san francisco. We have been checking out areas like San Bruno, Fremont, Pacifica and Pleasanton. I think that brings him to less than an hour commute. We will however not move if I dont get a job. I understand how a 2-income household is the only way to survive there.



GoSlugs said:



floorline said:

Hi all-

We may be moving to Norcal and have been looking at places to rent. I am shocked at how much more rentals are over there. We have visited in the past, but was never aware of how much it would cost to live there. First question: Is the salary there relative to the cost of living? There is at least a 40% difference between renting a 2-beds 2 baths apartment in NJ vs in Northern California. What areas north of San Francisco should we be looking at if we want good schools and cheaper rent as compared to areas closer to San Francisco? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated as always.

Northern California is 500 miles long and 150 miles wide. Can you be a little more specific? Depending on whether you are commuting to SF, San Jose, Sacramento or Eureka, the housing options vary widely.

The work offered to the hub is in south san francisco. We have been checking out areas like San Bruno, Fremont, Pacifica and Pleasanton. I think that brings him to less than an hour commute. We will however not move if I dont get a job. I understand how a 2-income household is the only way to survive there.


San Francisco/Silicon Valley are extremely expensive. From what I've read, there is a disconnect between housing costs and salaries. Many are utilizing equity/stock options to purchase homes which is driving up housing market.

However, quality of life in that area can be very nice.

http://move2siliconvalley.com/relocation/


In the ten years I've been visiting that area for work, the traffic has gone from bad to truly awful. Take that into consideration, especially if you are looking east toward places like Fremont.

If work is in South SF, Pacifica could be really nice. I have no idea what that commute would be like.

I suggest looking at traffic on google maps to/from various places during the hours you'd be commuting. A lot of people I work with in that area have changed their in-office hours to avoid peak times. 101 is almost always busy.


Is buying a house out of the question? I ask because one place where, in the short term, you might find a value is in Half Moon Bay. For time immemorial, Half Moon Bay has only been accessible by two very sketchy highways which were frequently closed for months at a time by landslides. About two years ago the state opened a tunnel on Highway 1 that bypassed Devils Slide and, essentially guarantees that the area is accessible year round. It seems to me that Half Moon Bay is still somewhat undervalued with modest 3 bedrooms selling for under 900k. I couldn't afford to live there but, if you and the hubby are making Bay Area scale professional wages, perhaps you could swing it.



daveturnley said:

In the ten years I've been visiting that area for work, the traffic has gone from bad to truly awful. Take that into consideration, especially if you are looking east toward places like Fremont.

If work is in South SF, Pacifica could be really nice. I have no idea what that commute would be like.

I suggest looking at traffic on google maps to/from various places during the hours you'd be commuting. A lot of people I work with in that area have changed their in-office hours to avoid peak times. 101 is almost always busy.

Someone living in Fremont and working in South SF would almost certainly take BART. I know that people commute by car from the East Bay to SF but it is hard to imagine why.

They must be hella crazy grin



I wouldn't do Pleasanton with a commute to South San Francisco. That would be a brutal commute. I second the Rec for half moon bay. Lovely community, good schools and near the airport. I have a friend that has lived there for a very long time and raising kids there. If you want to look north look at San Rafael. I grew up in San Jose. The one neighborhood comparable to Maplewood down there is Willow Glen. Prices are astronomical but not sure how rents are. Great walkable downtown, friendly community and good schools. Commute would be long as well but there is Cal Train. Good luck. I miss the Bay Area very much!


my niece lives in Pleasanton. Their home is is nice with a pool. Kids doing well. Overall, it seems like a nice place to live and great for them as it is close to her husband's job with a big pharma company. He can bike to work. We've taken the Bart from SF to visit.


Ask new company about a housing allowance. Friend was offers job with FaceBook, even with the housing allowance, the cost of living can be insane. She declined, it was just to expensive... and she live in Cambridge Mass, another high rent place!




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