Safe and affordable places near GOOGLE Mountain View (San Jose, Fremont: apartment complexes, for rent)

[Indiguy]

Hi

I'll be moving to work for GOOGLE Mountain View in the coming Dec-14 as a contractor from India.
Will be staying with wife and a baby of 4 yr old. Will join the baby in Kindergarten the next year.
So no worries for school as of now.

Request you all to help me getting an idea of "SAFE and Affordable places to live near/around
Mountain View" . I think I may need a 2 Bed as per law and apartment policies there.
What would be the average rent, household expenses(food and others for an indian family) and
what would be Take home and average saving potential if I'm paid 95K/Yr.

Apologize if this looks like requesting you all to plan my stay/saving/life there for free



Warm regards

[sonarrat]

A 1 bedroom apartment is fine for a couple with one child. The general guideline is take the number of total rooms in the apartment, and add one, and that's the occupancy limit. Some landlords will stretch that rule knowing how expensive the cost of living is here, but it really makes other tenants miserable..

Now the problem. There really are no great bargains to be had near Mountain View anymore, because of the number of high-paying tech jobs in the area. Even if you're willing to commute for an hour, you're still going to be paying more than you would like. There's no great secret to it - you pay for being close, you live in a not so good area or a crappy apartment, or you pay a little bit less and have to drive a lot.

[Indiguy]

Thanks a lot for your reply Sonarrat .
How about living somewhere in Sunnyvale or San Jose and commuting to Mountain View-Google
What would be the average cost of 1 BR in these areas.

[Wintermomma]

SF bay area apts/housing for rent - craigslist
will give you a great idea of the cost of housing. If you see one listing far better-priced and nicer than any other listing, consider it a scam and don't include it in your averages.

https://www.crimereports.com/
will give you an idea as to the safety of areas.

[sonarrat]

Average for a 1 BR is going to be around $2,000 per month. A newer unit will be closer to $3,000, an older one might be less. In the past couple decades, Sunnyvale has been a popular landing spot for Indian immigrants but you will not be alone in Santa Clara, Mountain View, Milpitas, Fremont, Cupertino, western San Jose.

[vadaseri]

Try Sunnyvale on Mary Ave (between Maude and Central). There are 4 apartment complexes with access to Encinal park. Macara gardens, Windemeyer, The Meadows, Summer Hill. Ideal place for you since it is close to 101 and 237. 15 min commute to Google and a safe Indian neighborhood for your wife and kid. They will have plenty of company.

$95,000 -> after tax -> approx $6600/month

Rent for 1 BD/BA: $2600
Groceries: $300
Utilities: $100
Cable+Internet: $100
Cell Phone: $100
Baby formula, diaper stuff etc: $200
Doctor visits, medicine: $100
Clothing: $100
Eat Out: $100 (frugal)
Car Payment: $400 (if buying a new car)
Car insurance + gas + service: $300
Misc: $200
Savings: $2000 if you live frugally.

PM me if you need specific information about housing.

[Indiguy]

Thank you all for your quick response. Superb Vadaseri, i now got a lot of learning before hand.

BTW, will i be allowed to opt a 1 BR as i'll be will spouse and a Kid(4 year old), I mean a family of 3.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Right, the rule of thumb for occupancy maximums is 2 per bedroom plus one. I used to rent apartments in Santa Clara, and I had a young couple who used the living room as their bedroom, and gave the child the bedroom, so they could put her to bed and then watch television, be in the kitchen, etc., without disturbing her.

If she was a baby, you could even have her in a studio (an apartment without a separate bedroom). So, in case you have another baby, you can still stay in a 1 bedroom. At least until your landlord says anything about the new child getting too old. The landlord may not even ever say anything about it. But, when you first move in with your 4 year old, you will need a 1 bedroom.

Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale are all very nice and safe areas.

[dogandcat]

Originally Posted by Indiguy

BTW, will i be allowed to opt a 1 BR as i'll be will spouse and a Kid(4 year old), I mean a family of 3.

Yes, you will be. I'm 100% sure.

[Indiguy]

Wow, cool members on this forms, thanks for all your responses.