Seattle vs San Jose (Bellevue, Redmond: sales, apartment, rent)

[tyronen]

I've been offered a job in a company that has offices in both Silicon Valley and Kirkland. My wife doesn't work outside the home, and we have one child (a baby) and will probably have another in a few years.

I find myself strongly tempted by the lack of state income tax and much lower housing costs in Washington compared to California.

Questions:
- Is 11-1200 a month a reasonable expectation for a 2-bdrm apartment in Kirkland, Redmond, or Bellevue?
- Are these areas bland suburbs, or are there interesting stores and things to do?
- Just how bad is the rain? How cold does it get in winter?
- How is crime in abovementioned areas?
- If we lived in (what sounds like) cheaper areas north or west of Seattle, how long might the commute to Kirkland be in rush hour traffic?
- How do non-housing costs (auto insurance, food, utilities etc) compare to northern California?

Thanks for your help.

[the dufferz]

I cannot give accurate info as to the cost of rent, so I can't be much help there, but you should find good info. in the net regarding that.

One persons bland may be another persons exitement... but all things considered there are plenty of things to do. Bellevue and Redmond have major malls, Bell Square being the high end, lots of outdoor activities, healthy nightlife in some areas etc. The nice thing about the "eastside" is that Seattle is only a few minute drive from Bellevue proper.

The rain is what it is. We get a lot of drizzle that you can be out in, get a bit damp but you dry off as soon as you are indoors. The "soak to the bones" downpours are more rare than most would think, but we get those throughout the year. The issues many have is the gloom of cloud cover. This we have on a regular basis fall through Spring. The value of this weather, however comes with cleaner air, green everywhere and after the clouds break, you wake up one day and see the cascades, olympics, or mt. Rainier in full glory, well makes it worth the clouds in my opinion.

As for temperature, we are very temperate. the average daytime temp in the winter is in the 40's. Snow is possible, usually a day or two unless we get a fluke snow storm. Nightime temps. can get into the 20's and in extremes to the teens and single digits, but that is rare. It will take you a winter here to adjust if you are a typical warm weather person, so be prepared.

Summers in Seattle can be really nice with high temps in the mid to high 80's and clear skies. The drawback is polution due to the lack of wind and rain.

The Puget Sound area is perched between the puget sound and the cascades mountains. This means that there is water and mountains close by. I have heard it said that you can water ski and snow ski all in the same day here... not like you would want to, but both recreation styles are readily available.

You may find that living north of Kirkland will save you some money on rent. Check out places north of the King county line in Snohomish county (Bothell, Mill Creek). The commute from Bothell to Kirkand would be around 30 minutes on a typical day.

As for non-housing cost, consult with an insurance agent regarding your auto. What does food cost where you live? I can tell you that we probably have the same food selection that you have but you may find more selection of seafood. Utilities for my family is around $50 each per month for cable and high speed internet, 8 cents a kilowatt hour for power, $1.20 per therm for Natural gas, Gasoline prices are around $2.50 per gallon, Movies are $9 bucks a pop unless you matinee. We have walmart and target. Espresso stands are required by law every 50 feet in all directions.

If there is any option to visit prior to moving, let us know when you will be here and there should be some more specific ideas as to areas to look for housing etc.

Good luck,

The dufferz

[Woodc]

I lived in San Jose from 1998 to 2001 before moving to escape the high living costs. Here are the answer to your questions:

- I can't quote you on rent costs, but they will be cheaper than SJ
- Bellvue is not bland, and is quite up and coming with new office/condo towers and lots of shopping; but nothing like Seattle or SF. Redmond and Kirland are typical suburbia.
- I've lived here for serveral years and even I get tired of the rain. Winters are only mildly colder than SJ, but it's the springs that are tough. When the rest of the nation is enjoying warmer sunnier weather, we are still stuck in cloudy cool weather.
- In the three cities you mentioned, there is very little crime; and much less than you would find in SJ. These are rich, posh communities thanks to Microsoft nearby.
- If you don't want a long commute, do NOT live on the west-side of Lake Washington. Travelling over the bridges is a nightmare during rush hour. If you work in the I-405 corridor, live in the I-405 corridor. Seattle traffice is no better than the bay area.
- You will being paying less for utilities and insurance rates, and more in sales tax. Housing costs are the biggest savings; although, the 3 cities you listed have some of the most expensive housing costs in Seattle metro.

Good Luck!

[Luke9686]

I'm going to chime in here, as I currently live in San Jose. I think the rents in Seattle are pretty comparable to the rents in San Jose. The difference is purchase price. I rent a two bed, bath and a half townhome in a suburb called Cupertino, which is the most expensive area around San Jose. I pay $1300 a month. Now, if I were to purchase this same townhome in Cupertino, I would pay at least $600,000.

The previous person said the three suburbs you had mentioned would have less crime than San Jose. While the suburbs would have less crime, please note that Seattle has about double the crime that San Jose has, and San Jose is twice as large. San Jose is a very safe place. I hardly ever here of anything happening here, and when it does it is usually on the east side of the city. The suburbs of San Jose will be just as safe as the suburbs of Seattle.

If you don't mind renting, I would definately pick San Jose over Seattle. It is sunny most of the time, even in the winter. This past summer was my first summer here, and there literally was not a cloud in the sky from the end of April until about October. That is crazy. Even in the winter it is usually sunny 3-5 days a week. Silicon Valley is a very rich area, probably more wealthy than Seattle. I know Seattle has Microsoft, as well as other companies. Silicon Valley has Google, Yahoo, Ebay, HP, Apple, Symantec, Cisco, and probably a hundred others I am forgetting. Just like the wealthy suburbs of Seattle, rich people here in San Jose don't like crime. Statistically 1 out of every 9 people here are millionaires. Traffic is not too bad in San Jose. During rush hour it gets kind of bad, but not as bad as other places I've lived.

San Jose is a very family oriented place, and everyone is very friendly. The ocean is less than an hour away, San Francisco is an hour, and the mountains are about four hours. Like I said before, if you don't mind renting, come here. Purhasing a nice three bedroom, two bath will run you about $650,000, on the low end.

Hope that helped.

[mlw530]

Where do you work? I'm looking for a position to relocate from San Jose to Seattle as well. Any leads? I'm an experienced marketing programs manager, lead generation. Trying to move there by Sept. 2007.

Any referrals or tips?

Thx,
Mike
mlw73@hotmail.com

[_Charles_]

Never mind the weather or the relative cost of living. It is the people you live with. Google the term "Seattle Freeze" and then make your choice.