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Old 02-05-2023, 06:16 PM
 
126 posts, read 68,086 times
Reputation: 36

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I'll look into Alameda, all of the areas west of Oakland, Oakland itself, and other affordable areas. I wouldn't mind Dublin or Walnut Creek. Even Oakland is a very nice city. I'll probably end up renting off of craigslist because my credit is not great. I'll make this work. I wanna live in the Bay Area. And if it doesn't work, I'll look into Orange County and San Diego.
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Old 02-05-2023, 06:34 PM
 
Location: East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, CA
23,281 posts, read 23,649,722 times
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Just FYI, Orange County (OC) and San Diego will be likely just as expensive as the Bay Area, if not close.

California is an expensive place to live.
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Old 02-05-2023, 07:00 PM
 
126 posts, read 68,086 times
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I wanna live in The Bay Area. I'm gonna make it happen.
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Old 02-05-2023, 07:20 PM
 
2,668 posts, read 2,592,465 times
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While I wouldn't call it common, there are people who live out of their vans because of the high cost of living in the Bay Area. It can be very basic (just insulate the van and put a mattress in the back), or it can be quite elaborate like this company in Oakland that modifies vans (I've never used their services, so I can't vouch for them). Since you have to have a place to sleep, and transportation, combining the two can save you a lot of money.

If you look for "stealth camping bay area" on YouTube you'll find a number of videos of other people doing it, like
this one. Sign up for Planet fitness or a similar service, so you have a place to take a shower, etc.

Without a doubt you can live in the Bay Area if you want to, other people do it. I can't say I recommend it, though. California is a high cost state, and other than people with a very high income (>$300K/year) you'll probably have a better quality of life just about anywhere else. No harm in trying it for a year, and decide for yourself if it's worth it.

Good luck!
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Old 02-05-2023, 10:47 PM
 
126 posts, read 68,086 times
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You know what, no, I'm not sleeping in my car. If it's too expensive, I might just reconsider this all together. I also spoke with a friend who lives in OC who is working on moving to Florida. He said California is not what I'm thinking it is and talked about how it's so super expensive. I for some reasons thought it was the same cost as living in Phoenix, but boy was I wrong. I think I may just end up reconsidering at this time. I'm not open to roommates or living in my car.

It might still be on the back of my mind though, and I still do want to come out and visit. I may look at some of those craigslist apartments and see what they look like in person too.
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Old 02-06-2023, 11:02 AM
 
Location: Boise, ID
1,033 posts, read 723,157 times
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Well, I certainly agree with your friend that California isn't the Shangri-La many imagine. That's not to say it's a bad place. If you're wealthy and like what the state has to offer it can be a wonderful place to call home. But it is expensive, and each person has to decide if it's worth the price of admission. For those of more modest means, this includes housing hacks like living with roommates, or even questionable living arrangements like RVs or other unofficial dwellings such as garden sheds or garages.

I was born and raised in the Monterey Bay area (just south of the Bay Area) and spent 20+ years living/working in Tech in the Silicon Valley, but we moved to Boise just before the pandemic hit. One our main motivations for the move was a better future for our kids. We owned houses in CA, but it was apparent that it would be nearly impossible for our kids to thrive there as adults, and that's not what we want for them.

The typical pattern we want our kids to avoid: While folks with low to moderate income can find ways to hack living in a VHCOL area (as mentioned above), it's still a struggle to make ends meet. This is fine for a few years, but for many time slips away and before they know it they've been living paycheck to paycheck for 20 years and have nothing saved, no retirement, and no equity. That's a very tough place to be in one's 40s or 50s. Whereas the people we know that moved to lower cost areas, on average, had more success buying a home, saving, and investing, and are in a much more stable situation in mid-life.

Also, while we were in CA we helped a few on the precipice of homelessness with temporary free housing (in one of our rentals) and/or cash assistance. These were folks that moved to CA and weren't prepared for the VHCOL and quickly got in over their heads. They quickly burned through their savings as the expenses added up. Our part was mostly to help them get back to where they came from (usually where they already had a support network). An expensive lesson for them.

You're kinda going back and forth here w.r.t. living in CA. If you ultimately decide to try the Bay Area I think you can make it work for a year or two, but make sure you have a Plan B to get out if you're just squeaking by and can't increase your income up to a level where you're actually getting ahead.
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Old 02-06-2023, 11:24 AM
Status: "I'm turquoise happy!" (set 23 days ago)
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
23,872 posts, read 32,141,209 times
Reputation: 67737
Quote:
Originally Posted by moguldreamer View Post
No.

Go elsewhere. The Bay Area is for people with much, much higher incomes than you will be paid. You will be miserable. You will feel far more impoverished than any of your clients.
And, my friend, that is a terrible feeling. She's gotten some good advice, from you, Ruth, Outdoors and others. She just isn't listening.
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Old 02-06-2023, 11:40 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,063 posts, read 106,896,974 times
Reputation: 115814
OP, why not wait until you have your degree and certification in social work before tackling the challenge of living in the Bay Area? It's possible to do it on a relatively low income; people have done it and gotten by ok, reporting their experiences on this forum. But you're going to need a professional certification to get a job even marginally qualified to cover basic living expenses. Even better if you could wait until you got an MA, so you could be a social work supervisor.

I don't think you have to write off the Bay Area permanently. You just need more time to prepare for it.
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Old 02-06-2023, 12:48 PM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,721 posts, read 25,889,902 times
Reputation: 33795
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janoritish View Post
I definitely would do those drives. I'm starting to think that people might be the same there. I'm still going to visit and see what it's like.
Have you considered Contra Costa County? The pay is in line with the rest of the bay area, there are a lot of County government jobs which come with great pay, job securities and benefits and has some really nice and very friendly small towns, i.e. Martinez, Benicia, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. The County does have openings for social workers, but I'm not sure how much experience you have etc. Social Worker II with 3 years exp has a pay scale of $82,171.92 - $90,594.48, and they are pretty easy to promote to another level once you work there. They have their own county hospital & health services which isn't common anymore. https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/38/Jobs You might also check Indeed for openings in that area in your field.
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Old 02-06-2023, 01:32 PM
 
126 posts, read 68,086 times
Reputation: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2sleepy View Post
Have you considered Contra Costa County? The pay is in line with the rest of the bay area, there are a lot of County government jobs which come with great pay, job securities and benefits and has some really nice and very friendly small towns, i.e. Martinez, Benicia, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. The County does have openings for social workers, but I'm not sure how much experience you have etc. Social Worker II with 3 years exp has a pay scale of $82,171.92 - $90,594.48, and they are pretty easy to promote to another level once you work there. They have their own county hospital & health services which isn't common anymore. https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/38/Jobs You might also check Indeed for openings in that area in your field.
Yes! I have looked into those small towns too. I just really want to live there. I'm gonna end up renting through Craigslist too most likely.
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