Affordable suburbs within 30-60 minutes of the city? (San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, for rent)

[RNinVirginia]

My family and I are possibly moving from the Richmond Virginia area to San Francisco area. We have two small children and have been living in a family friendly suburb here in Virginia. We have a large 3 bedroom home with on a 1/4 acre with a pool. I know we cannot find anything similar in SF for a price we can afford but hope to come up with the closest approximation. Our budget to rent for the first year is probably $1800 a month or so. Is it even possible to find something safe and family friendly within commuting distance for this price? I have heard that the BART system is great, but am not sure if there is anywhere we could afford to live within reasonable distance of a BART station. Or CalTrain.

At any rate, a list of areas to look into would be helpful- even if they would be somewhat out of our price range. (You never know)

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[sonarrat]

That budget puts you in the East Bay, and not nice parts of it. A very basic 3-bedroom in a good school district over the bridge will put you in the $2200-2500 range. That would cover areas like Walnut Creek, Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda), and San Ramon.

[Curmudgeon]

If I may ask, given what you have there and the fact that Virginia is a beautiful state and somewhat less expensive than California, why are you moving? Is it an occupational or family issue and why California and especially the Bay Area which can be horribly expensive?

[mayorhaggar]

$1800 would get you a 2 bedroom apartment in most parts of the Bay Area. Could maybe look at somewhere like Solano County or I dunno around Livermore or further East, but getting to either area would be more than an hour to get to downtown SF. If you're getting a job offer to move here and $1800 is your monthly budget and you expect to get the same housing as you have in VA, they aren't paying you an equivalent income by Bay Area standards to what you're making in Virginia.

[RNinVirginia]

Hmm, that's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the honest input. We have been doing research on our own and may need to negotiate for higher pay. (The $1800 a month is based on the lowest pay for that position)

We are hoping to move back West after moving from CA to VA 6 years ago. Not only do the majority of our family live in CA (we spend about $6,000 a year flying back and forth) but we do not like the climate here in Virginia. It's beautiful in the Fall and Spring. Winter is freezing and Summer is HUMID with tons of mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies. I guess we are spoiled by growing up in California, and I do understand why Virginia would seem like paradise due to the affordable housing and whatnot. However, it is very different here from the West coast- different culture, etc. Just not where we want to settle down.

This job is the only thing on the West coast that has opened up after 3 years of searching. My husband's job is very specialized.

Thanks so much again for the input. I'll be planning on budgeting for rent to be $2200 or so to live somewhere decent. If they can't pay us enough to afford that we'll have to consider turning the offer down!

[lmk1707]

I think Pleasant Hill may be your best bet for convenience, family orientation, and having a decent chance of finding something in your price range. Other affordable options tend to be far/inconvenient, or don't have good schools.

SF bay area apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[padvocate]

You could try the Tracy area, alot of people dont think its great and I dont either, but its not really congested, schools are decent, gang violence is limited. The drive into the bay inst the greatest but it is doable to have a good family environment and things to do within an hours drive. I commute everyday to mountain view.
As you I have already relocated my family from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago to CA, specifically Tracy, we have a 5 bedroom, 3 bath, two car garage and built in pool and our rent is 1800/m, plus utilities and cable another 500. I may add that I make over 150 but Tracy is a good place to settle in and explore and when and if you find something you like better then try that.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by padvocate

You could try the Tracy area, alot of people dont think its great and I dont either, but its not really congested, schools are decent, gang violence is limited. The drive into the bay inst the greatest but it is doable to have a good family environment and things to do within an hours drive. I commute everyday to mountain view.
As you I have already relocated my family from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago to CA, specifically Tracy, we have a 5 bedroom, 3 bath, two car garage and built in pool and our rent is 1800/m, plus utilities and cable another 500. I may add that I make over 150 but Tracy is a good place to settle in and explore and when and if you find something you like better then try that.

how long is your commute and what time do you leave?

[jade408]

I think the biggest beef with Tracy if how far it is from most parts of the Bay Area. Otherwise it is a generic suburb. Going over the hill can be torture.

If your husband's job in SF, Tracy is a bit inconvenient. It would make more sense to look at the suburbs in northern Contra Costa county. Like Pinole, El Sobrante. I do not know much about Hercules, but it could be an option. A bit traffic-y on 80, but closer to BART than Tracy.

[sliverbox]

$1,800 is doable if you are willing to look around. You might be looking at something like an older house in the East Bay. I'd probably look around in Berkeley, Alameda, parts of Oakland like maybe the Piedmont or Rockridge area, and other places. We pay less than $1,800 for our 4 bedroom house but we've also lived in it for over 5 years.

I'm sort of with the other commentator about moving back. I'm originally from TN and will probably be moving back mainly because the quality of life here is pretty awful in comparison. If you left 6 years ago its probably about the same as it was back then: Heavily overpriced and overcrowded. But mainly the cost of living is pretty bad.