How much does a social worker's salary pay to live in San Jose or anywhere in The Bay Area? (Oakland: transfer to, move to)

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

That being said, if you ever do decide to move up here I'd recommend the Santa Cruz Mountains. I've been in this area (Scotts Valley and Boulder Creek) for some years now, commuting to a good-paying job in the valley. That drive isn't for the weak, but if you're confident and competent it's no biggie; 45min each way for me, and zero traffic at the times I'm coming/going. People are laid-back and friendly, housing prices are lower, and it has that small-town vibe but with access to amenities. I don't want to pitch it too hard, because we like it how it is! But the rest of the Bay Area seems not to care, since they like their urban-suburban lifestyles. So I guess it doesn't hurt to mention.

Santa Cruz was already expensive before the pandemic, then it got worse with remote workers flooding in. According to Zumper median rent for a 1-bed is about the same in Santa Cruz as San Jose ($2300 vs $2500). Scotts Valley prices fall somewhere between. Some of the small mountain towns are a bit less expensive, but with longer commute on 9 (or Bear Creek Rd) vs. 17.

I did the drive from Scotts Valley to the Silicon Valley for 10 years. I don't recommend it unless the pay is *very* good and makes up for all the gas, vehicle wear-and-tear, and headache of that commute.

[Janoritish]

Well, I lost hope of ever finding a job in the Phoenix area. I'll be applying to CA now. It's fine, I'm sure many therapists live out of their cars at a truck stop or living in North Hollywood.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Janoritish

Well, I lost hope of ever finding a job in the Phoenix area. I'll be applying to CA now. It's fine, I'm sure many therapists live out of their cars at a truck stop or living in North Hollywood.

You could look at a number of areas in Northern California, I already mentioned Contra Costa County, there is also Solano County, Napa County, Sacramento, Placer Counties and others further North. I doubt if you would be living out of your car if you pursued a career in a county not in the immediate Bay Area where rentals are really expensive

[Janoritish]

As long as I'm still close to a BART station. I really feel like the COL is the same as in Phoenix in those areas.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by Janoritish

As long as I'm still close to a BART station. I really feel like the COL is the same as in Phoenix in those areas.

Of the places 2sleepy listed, only Contra Costa County as BART. Antioch is probably your best bet for affordable rentals near BART. Per BART time tables, it's about 1 hr by BART to Oakland/San Francisco if the trains are running on schedule. COL calculators vary, but the Antioch area is somewhere around 15% - 40% more expensive to live.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

Of the places 2sleepy listed, only Contra Costa County as BART. Antioch is probably your best bet for affordable rentals near BART. Per BART time tables, it's about 1 hr by BART to Oakland/San Francisco if the trains are running on schedule. COL calculators vary, but the Antioch area is somewhere around 15% - 40% more expensive to live.

Antioch is more expensive than Berkeley/Oakland, or less?

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Antioch is more expensive than Berkeley/Oakland, or less?

Sorry, I'm being unclear. More expensive than Phoenix.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

Of the places 2sleepy listed, only Contra Costa County as BART. Antioch is probably your best bet for affordable rentals near BART. Per BART time tables, it's about 1 hr by BART to Oakland/San Francisco if the trains are running on schedule. COL calculators vary, but the Antioch area is somewhere around 15% - 40% more expensive to live.

But if she got a job in Solano County, and lived in Solano County (or any of the others that I mentioned) I'm not sure why not having access to BART would be a deal killer. Every one of those counties have bus service and Sac has light rail..but maybe I'm missing something about why no BART would be a deal killer?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Antioch is more expensive than Berkeley/Oakland, or less?

Median home price in Antioch is 567k, but personally I wouldn't choose to live there. Brentwood is a better and safer place to live, but it is more expensive with a median home price of 758k. Median home price for Oakland is 690k, Berkeley is 1.2 million. Martinez is 704k, Walnut Creek 734k But again, I'm assuming she will be renting so how relevant is the sales price of homes?

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Median home price in Antioch is 567k, but personally I wouldn't choose to live there. Brentwood is a better and safer place to live, but it is more expensive with a median home price of 758k. Median home price for Oakland is 690k, Berkeley is 1.2 million. Martinez is 704k, Walnut Creek 734k But again, I'm assuming she will be renting so how relevant is the sales price of homes?

If rents are too low relative to prices this tends to shrink the supply of rentals. Few people are going to buy a $500k house as a rental if low rents make it a poor investment. And if a rental is owned outright there's a strong incentive to sell and reinvest elsewhere if alternatives (stock market, REITs, different location, etc.) provide a much higher return. Conversely, high rents relative to prices encourage more rental stock. So while there may be small variations between cost of renting vs owning, these tend to more or less move together in the long term.