Anyone Else Thinking of Moving Out of Bay Area? (San Diego: home, job market)

[PhoenixSomeday]

Yup, we did, just last March. We were native to it, and we love it for being home, but the cost of living is just flat out heinously immoral. The traffic is really really bad too (f***ing hell, evening rush hour is 5 hours!), so that definitely didn't help matters. Add in the near impossibility of breaking into the entry level software development market back home (which was easy here in Phoenix), and the deal was sealed. Even if I were to end up being offered a $150k+ senior level position however many years from now, I wouldn't take it. Ever. For the kind of house, property, family, and life that we want, I just can't justify spending $3M+ of hard earned money for the same dirt, wood, concrete, and stucco that can be had everywhere else for 1/6th - 1/8th the price.

Now I'm not saying that the south bay sucks or anything, because it really is great. I love home, and I miss it, but I think of the cost of living and those thoughts disappear real quick.

The only way I'd go back is if I came into $20M+ somehow. Then, it MIGHT be justified. MAYBE.

[jbunniii]

I'll be moving out when I retire. Can't afford to keep that much money tied up in housing when the same house can be bought almost anywhere else in the U.S. for 1/4 the price.

[duffdog]

Originally Posted by teoreticar

Not really. Why would I when income per household here is above 200k

Income may be slightly higher than other places, but it is more than offset by the skyrocketing housing costs. If you could make %50 of what you make in the bay area, you would be able to afford an awesome family home in most other places.

[NYMTman]

Originally Posted by PhoenixSomeday

Yup, we did, just last March. We were native to it, and we love it for being home, but the cost of living is just flat out heinously immoral. The traffic is really really bad too (f***ing hell, evening rush hour is 5 hours!), so that definitely didn't help matters. Add in the near impossibility of breaking into the entry level software development market back home (which was easy here in Phoenix), and the deal was sealed. Even if I were to end up being offered a $150k+ senior level position however many years from now, I wouldn't take it. Ever. For the kind of house, property, family, and life that we want, I just can't justify spending $3M+ of hard earned money for the same dirt, wood, concrete, and stucco that can be had everywhere else for 1/6th - 1/8th the price.

Now I'm not saying that the south bay sucks or anything, because it really is great. I love home, and I miss it, but I think of the cost of living and those thoughts disappear real quick.

The only way I'd go back is if I came into $20M+ somehow. Then, it MIGHT be justified. MAYBE.

The South Bay isn't even that great, IMO. If I had $20M, I'd buy a home in Santa Barbara or Santa Monica, or maybe Jackson Hole or Aspen. Perhaps the Upper East Side of Manhattan, if you're into cities. Yet, the South Bay housing is becoming comparable to all the above, despite being comparatively plebeian and offering very little other than engineering jobs.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by NYMTman

The South Bay isn't even that great, IMO. If I had $20M, I'd buy a home in Santa Barbara or Santa Monica, or maybe Jackson Hole or Aspen. Perhaps the Upper East Side of Manhattan, if you're into cities. Yet, the South Bay housing is becoming comparable to all the above, despite being comparatively plebeian and offering very little other than engineering jobs.

Hmmm...got 1.7 million down here in the South Bay...and hardly anybody works in something other than engineering? Living the reality, we down here see that there do exist other means by which to gain a paycheck.
And we endure. With a smile. Even if we don't have four or five bedrooms to rummage around in.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by NYMTman

The South Bay isn't even that great, IMO. If I had $20M, I'd buy a home in Santa Barbara or Santa Monica, or maybe Jackson Hole or Aspen. Perhaps the Upper East Side of Manhattan, if you're into cities. Yet, the South Bay housing is becoming comparable to all the above, despite being comparatively plebeian and offering very little other than engineering jobs.

Well, other than Santa Monica or NYC, those other places you mentioned are all vacation or retirement communities. You may have that as your 2nd home, but there aren't thriving industries supporting steady income from there.

I agree that the Silicon Valley is very overpriced and much of it is not that great. Some of the areas around Los Altos Hills are very nice, but maybe not comparable to those resort cities you mentioned. Its just the law of supply and demand. Of course, if you can afford a mansion in Los Altos Hills, you can probably afford a pied-a-terre in Aspen.

[Local123]

Nope I'd never want to leave. Love it here and luckily I do have a comfortable 2600sf to live in. I get why people would want to paint it as an awful place to live though. Makes sense. There are so many people that love the area though and not just for the tech jobs.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Californian12345

I've lived in the Bay Area my whole life. We currently live in Willow Glen and we work up the peninsula. As our kids are getting a little older (4 and 2) we are starting to look at schools and our lives in general. We're finding that perhaps the Bay Area may not be all it's cracked up to be; crime is getting worse and worse, especially in San Jose, traffic is terrible, and if we want to move closer to work, it's $2m for a house thats 2500 sq ft built in 1955, it's getting very crowded and expensive everywhere you look.

We're throwing around the idea of moving out of state to get away from it all and get a better quality of life for the price.

Are we crazy? Is anyone else thinking this way? Does anyone else feel like the allure of the Bay is fading?

Your perception of increasing crime may not be accurate, however, the cost environment here is very tough, as you note. In our case we are thinking more about where we will end up after we have milked the career aspect for all it's worth. For me personally it will be bitter sweet, since I grew up here (then left, then returned later). But it would be stupid to sit on overpriced property meanwhile living a life of de facto elder poverty. So unless "our ship comes in" we will definitely cash out and leave at some point.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by beb0p

I've looked at this very closely and my conclusion is.... move to Sacramento!

- housing is way more affordable. Way, way more.
- You are still close to the Bay Area
- You are still in CA (and protected by Prop. 13)
- Much closer to Tahoe
- Easy move back to the Bay Area if things don't work out
- They support the same football/baseball teams that you do


Locations that I've considered:

- Texas. Beware of the hidden cost (insane high property tax. insane high home insurance. High maintenance cost. I am not convinced Texas is more affordable than CA over the long haul, after the hidden cost has eaten away your budget). Bad weather. Different culture (except for Austin).

- New Orleans. See above. Plus, the high cost of auto insurance in the Big Easy will shock you.

- Florida. Lacks many meaningful jobs that you find in expensive states. A better place to retire to than to raise a family in.

- Seattle. Still expensive relative to most places. Can't stand the weather. Hates the culture of "PNW Chill".... the culture of too many super laid back people who are not interested in making new friends and want you to just leave them alone.

- Los Angeles. Same problem as SF.

.

The issue with Sacto is jobs, especially if one is in tech. Far fewer options.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

But it would be stupid to sit on overpriced property meanwhile living a life of de facto elder poverty. So unless "our ship comes in" we will definitely cash out and leave at some point.

Not sure if you even have to leave the Bay Area to cash out. My wife and I have joked about selling our large house when we retire and moving up to the Napa valley, with a small place. By that time, we'll probably even be able to buy it with cash. The wine/culinary lifestyle sounds very appealing during retirement.