Considering a promotion in Sunnyvale... questions about the area (San Jose: fit in, apartments)

[Verio]

I'm currently making in the mid 80's out in Texas, where the COL is very low. I'm considering a promotional opportunity out in Sunnyvale that is around 115k. I currently have a family of four (a wife and 2 small children). The wife is almost done with her Masters program, but does not have any professional experience.

1. My first question is, we currently rent for about 1500/mo for our house + 300 for utilities. Can I find anything close to that within commuting distance to Sunnyvale? I wouldn't mind a 45 minute commute.

2. What sort of public infrastructure is there like in the surrounding area? My wife is a Public Health professional, but the area we currently in, doesn't have much interest in any Public Health services.

3. How are the school districts?

4. I know 115k sounds like a lot of money (it does to me at least, at age 27), but will I be living paycheck to paycheck out there?

This would be a great career progression opportunity for me, but I don't want to bankrupt my family by doing it.

Thoughts??? Thanks!!

I'm in the Information Security/Industrial Security field.

[Nell Plotts]

I live in Portland, daughter & family (of 4) lived in Sunnyvale. I will share my observations.

1. Housing is the most expensive part of living in the Silicon Valley. To put your present housing cost in prospective, it would be hard to find a nice professional's home to rent in Portland for what you are paying now. Tell your employer that you are very interested in the opportunity but want to explore your housing options first. Remember that if you can find acceptable housing, even if it is significantly more expensive than what you are paying now, in Sunnyvale you will save a lot of time and money commuting.

2. Your wife should contact Kaiser Permanente about employment opportunities. They are headquartered in the Bay area and have a public health orientation.

3. Reading between the lines, your children are young. This will be your first house in the area, you will move again. Sunnyvale's grade schools are fine.

4. Probably, particularly if you spend money on 'stuff'.

Keep in mind that you are at the beginning of your career. If you are in a technology field this is where the action is. After a couple years of strong performance you can build on this.

[Zeya]

Originally Posted by Verio

I'm currently making in the mid 80's out in Texas, where the COL is very low. I'm considering a promotional opportunity out in Sunnyvale that is around 115k. I currently have a family of four (a wife and 2 small children). The wife is almost done with her Masters program, but does not have any professional experience.

1. My first question is, we currently rent for about 1500/mo for our house + 300 for utilities. Can I find anything close to that within commuting distance to Sunnyvale? I wouldn't mind a 45 minute commute.

A house for 1500 would be pretty tough. I had a single apartment that went from 900 to 1150 from '05 to '09, and that was considered a sweet deal. That was in Sunnyvale 94086 by the way. Renting a house is going to be substantially more than my 1150. I can't estimate exactly as I've never rented a house. I have friends who rent two bedroom apartments for like 1500 or so. So I imagine a house might be closer to 2k.

2. What sort of public infrastructure is there like in the surrounding area? My wife is a Public Health professional, but the area we currently in, doesn't have much interest in any Public Health services.

It's rough right now. My girlfriend just got her LVN license. It's almost impossible for her to get a job. I'm assuming your wife might be an RN, in which case it'll be a bit easier, but still not a walk in a park to get a job. You'll have to be prepared to "float by" without her income for a few months.

3. How are the school districts?

In Sunnyvale? How old are they? Elementary might be okay. I wouldn't send my kids to public school much past 5th grade in California. Sunnyvale is probably better than San Jose schools though. I guess I can't comment too much here though, I'm really not sure.

4. I know 115k sounds like a lot of money (it does to me at least, at age 27), but will I be living paycheck to paycheck out there?

Not with two kids and a wife to support, it doesn't. Hard to say though. Again I don't know how old your kids are and how much you can cut spending to make it by. I think you can make it. You might want to consider getting an apartment with 2-3 rooms at first. A storage shed with nice security and A/C costs a little bit a month for your extra crap that won't fit in the apartment. Then when your wife lands a job, start thinking about getting a mortgage? Housing is it's own crazy chimaera out here, main point being that it's expensive as heck.

This would be a great career progression opportunity for me, but I don't want to bankrupt my family by doing it.

Thoughts??? Thanks!!

I'm in the Information Security/Industrial Security field.

Also weigh in if this career move is a step up, in terms of climbing the ladder. Consider that you might get a promotion and a pay bump in 4 years or so. Good luck bro.

[mstnghu2]

$1500 for a house would be very hard to come by, especially in Sunnyvale. The western side of the Santa Clara Valley up through the peninsula is typically where the highest rents in Silicon Valley are. I live in Newark in the East Bay in a 4/2 house in a nice but middle class area and am paying $1950/month...and I think it's cheap!

$115k/year really won't go far. $80k in Texas goes much farther than $115k in the Bay Area.

If the opportunity is going to further your professional career and create a situation where you will be able to make much more money living here than where you're currently at, then I'd say take the plunge. If the job isn't going to substantially increase your ability to make more money in the future, then it probably wouldn't be worth it. Money is only worth its purchasing power and it doesn't go as far in the Bay Area as it does in most other parts of the country.

[silverkris]

I would also concur that the move is only worth it (to take a financial hit, in terms of purchasing power) if you can expand yourself professionally, e.g. if you are in the tech business...Silicon Valley is in the center of it. If you're in the energy business (traditional oil, coal and gas) - you're much better off staying in Texas because that's where the center of the action is.

[Nell Plotts]

Agree will all of the above, except to observe that the Cupertino, Palo Alto and Los Altos public schools are excellent.

[brc12]

I currently rent a house in the cambrian area (south san jose) for 2050. Relatively nice area. Can't comment on the schools though.

[hindsight20-20]

I would highly recommend you reconsider moving out to Sunnyvale or the surrounding area. My wife, son, and I moved here from Sacramento two years ago for a substantial pay increase and have found ourselves more poor than ever. Rent is astronomical, for very little, old and delapitaded homes. Our son is close to entering kindergarten and we don't feel comfortable with either the public school system or private schools. Although they have high API and are great academically, our son will be minority (having small kids yourself, take a good look at schools demographics before you move here or anywhere else - that was our biggest mistake prior to moving here). I have recently decided to take a new job, for 25% less money, because we can't take living here anymore. You will be close to the beach though and the weather is awesome.

[Verio]

Hmm... lots to consider here.

To answer some of the questions, my daughters are 1 1/2 and 6. My wife doesn't have her RN, she's just a Public Health major, working on a Masters in Healthcare Administration/Business Management.

This would be a significant opportunity career wise, but there seems to be a lot of negativity and downsides about moving/living in the area.

I just can't imagine how the people who work at McDonalds or Starbucks survive, etc.

[Nell Plotts]

Because the weather is generally mild parks are an extension of the living room, unless it is raining or very chilly you will find them well utilized. Not every culture demands a bedroom for each child, rooms are multi-use, particularly in Asia. Families adapt to smaller living quarters. Singles share housing, it is not unusual for a household be multi-generational or accommodating more than one family.

Many have said that housing in San Francisco is more expensive than New York City. Some include the Silicon Valley in that description. If you can leverage this promotion as one rung in your professional ladder it will be a good move, if not then I don't think it will be smart. Lots of people are very happy there, they love the weather and adapt. Whether you and your wife can do that I don't know.

FYI, RN programs are hard to get into.

As for the person who slammed the schools both public and private I don't know what their expectations are. One social issue in Sunnyvale/Cupertino is a high % of Asian parents who put a lot of pressure on their children to do VERY well in school, many speak more than two languages. If your kids find that environment intimidating then maybe they won't like the school. My daughter and her husband lived in Sunnyvale for several years with small children. They had no concerns about their local grade school. He is a HS teacher, she an executive - both with high expectations for their kids. They moved because a promotion enabled them to buy a more expensive home, not because they were unhappy with the neighborhood.

Were I you I would interview for the job and while you are there explore the area. If you get a second interview discuss the cost of living.