Moving from MI to take job in Martinez (Oakland, Berkeley: rent, condos)

[umich07]

Was recently offered a job in Martinez that is absolutely in line with what I want to do after college, but really worried about the expense of living in California. I am going to be 23 and fresh out of college.

What might be some nice areas for a young person to live near Martinez? What kind of rent would I be looking at in these areas? (I've heard Walnut Creek so far)

I have no clue what a good salary is for this area of CA, what a reasonable rent is, etc. It seems that total annual pay after bonus would be around $80k. That would be great at home, but the cost of living and taxes are both much lower in MI.

Just looking for any kind of advice. The job sounds great and living in this part of California would be awesome. I don't have any debt to worry about, so my only major expense in CA would be rent. Thanks for any tips!

[theh]

You'll be able to get by without a problem on $80k. You can't do much better than that for a recent grad.

[mayorhaggar]

Yeah you will be fine.

What sort of place do you want to live? A suburban area with big box stores and soccer moms, or a more urban area with a lot of shops and boutiques and places to eat? If you want suburban than anywhere around Lafayette, Walnut Creek or maybe around Hercules or Rodeo, I think there's a lot of condos around there. If you want more urban you could check out North Oakland or Berkeley though you'd have to go through the Caldecott Tunnel to get to work.

[uptown_urbanist]

That's a decent salary, assuming you're not planning on buying something. I don't know what it's like to live in Martinez, but it seems like a pretty sleepy city to me. I'm not sure I'd live there as a young person. Our admittedly brief time spent in that part of the Bay Area also brought us to Benicia; not sure what it's like as a young person there, but there was a lot more going on there on the weekend than in Martinez. It's right across the bridge from Martinez. It's probably still pretty family-dominated, but then again, so is Walnut Creek, and Benicia would be a whole lot closer to work (and the proximity to the water is great!).

Walnut Creek doesn't sound like a good fit, unless you're looking for suburban. It just doesn't scream "young new professional," although I'm sure there are plenty of single young professionals living there, too.

[NorCalLover]

I was actually recently offered a job interview in Martinez and was thinking about where I'd live if I ended up getting and taking a job there...

I would probably commute from a nice part of Oakland (like Rockridge) if I were offered a job in Martinez tomorrow. Like you, I'm an unmarried young professional, and I prefer a more urban area. It would be worth a slightly longer commute than living in the Benicia / Walnut Creek area. Those areas are nice if you have a family, but I don't see them as very interesting for a 23-year-old professional.