San Jose vs Phoenix (Fremont, Gilroy: real estate, apartments, renting)

[CirculateRX]

I'm a new Family Nurse Practitioner and I'm trying to decide where to live. My wife is a surgical tech. In phoenix, i've been offered 115k salary, she's been offered 55k. That's about $11,000 per month between the both of us after taxation. In San Jose I've been offered 130k and she's been offered 65k. That's about $12,800 after taxation. So we are looking at a $1,500 pay increase. Our current apartment in Phoenix is $2,000 a month. We found similar apartments for $3,300 a month in San Jose. And with gas and groceries etc being more expensive in SJ, there goes the "pay increase". However, when all is said and done, at the end of the year we will have CLOSE to the same left over. I -think- it just comes down to where we'd be happier living. I watch a vlogger who lives in the SJ area and often goes to Santana Row and nearby nature attractions and the city looks nice. Does anyone have advice?

Edit: I can also take a job in the Fremont area..?

[jdhpa]

> Does anyone have advice?
Personally, I would go with Phoenix. California is expensive in every way, and Silicon Valley is more expensive than California generally.

> I can also take a job in the Fremont area..?
I wouldn't commute to Fremont if I lived in San Jose. 880 is a parking lot during rush hour. Not that it can't be done, it can, but you need to enjoy sitting in your car.

Good luck.

[BRinSM]

San Jose and the entire South Bay can be a very nice place to live. I think the issue you'll run into relatively quickly, especially if you do like it here, is that putting down roots and buying a home will be near impossible at the income level you mention. In Phoenix, you can presumably get a nice home for $500k or an amount not too much more than that. Here in SJ, you're looking at probably tripling that number. $200k won't pay the mortgage on that expensive of a home, nor allow you to save for a downpayment. Remember that you'll be competing against tech workers who can take home $500k+ with a handful of years of experience. Add in a two income family and we're talking about close to $1M annual comp for a household (and I'm talking front line workers, not execs or even upper management). Having said that, summers will be much better here and the access to nature is unmatched.

[ccm123]

Phoenix is far more affordable than San Jose (and any other cities close by, including Fremont.)

Fremont was once more affordable, probably 20 years ago, but that gap has now narrowed. Folks in search of more “affordable” housing moved to places in the East Bay, such as Fremont, and prices have marched steadily upward over the last 20 years. I would say that Fremont and San Jose real estate prices are probably pretty comparatively priced.

You could live here and rent, but it would be a challenge to buy a home. As other posters have stated, there are a lot of well compensated Silicon Valley technology workers who are compensated with high salaries, bonuses and incentive stock option grants, which help them to place large down payments on properties, or even buy property with 100% cash offers.

Just wanted to also add that most properties here have been selling for over listed prices.
Homes in my area a few months ago were selling for roughly 15-20% above listed prices with multiple offers. I don’t know what the rising interest rates will do to the RE market, it remains to be seen.

Not trying to discourage you, this is the situation here.

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by CirculateRX

I'm a new Family Nurse Practitioner and I'm trying to decide where to live. My wife is a surgical tech. In phoenix, i've been offered 115k salary, she's been offered 55k. That's about $11,000 per month between the both of us after taxation. In San Jose I've been offered 130k and she's been offered 65k. That's about $12,800 after taxation. So we are looking at a $1,500 pay increase. Our current apartment in Phoenix is $2,000 a month. We found similar apartments for $3,300 a month in San Jose. And with gas and groceries etc being more expensive in SJ, there goes the "pay increase". However, when all is said and done, at the end of the year we will have CLOSE to the same left over. I -think- it just comes down to where we'd be happier living. I watch a vlogger who lives in the SJ area and often goes to Santana Row and nearby nature attractions and the city looks nice. Does anyone have advice?

Edit: I can also take a job in the Fremont area..?

San Jose, and all of Silicon Valley, has so much traffic, it just sucks the life force out of you. Where in San Jose? There is a big difference between quality of life depending on where you are. San Jose is quite spread out.

Silicon Valley can be a great place to work if you're in tech with the right skillsets - you can make enough to live there comfortably. But you're not in tech, and hence you won't benefit from an Initial Public Offering or from stock options. Your compensation in San Jose is far too low. Tell them they need to bump it by 40% for you to consider relocating there.

[General I80]

San Jose is expensive, but some of Eastern San Jose can be cheaper. Especially if your work is in Downtown, this will be a good way to avoid traffic, with the ZIP Code 95116 being an example.

[AnythingOutdoors]

As others have pointed out, while you can live just fine on your salary in SV, you're unlikely to be a homeowner unless the region gets serious about building a lot more housing and/or tech becomes less dominant. If you're okay with that, and the traffic, high gas prices, etc... then my advice is to visit in person and see for yourself. Spend part of a week, ideally a mix of mid-week and weekend, living like a local: Go grocery shopping, tour apartments that are in your price range, drive potential routes during rush hour, visit the coast and/or Santa Row on the weekend, buy a tank of gas, and so on. Get a sense for the region and it's neighborhoods, the lay of the land and overall vibe.

[Nasudesu]

As much as I like to see more younger people in medical fields moving and living here, it is too expensive to purchase here in the Silicon Valley. Many commute long distance to work here in the medical fields unfortunately. Mass transit options are better here.

There are more dense condos being proposed and built much more than in the past and although I prefer less density, it cannot be helped as we need more housing for those trying to live here who do not own.

No question, weather here is great and many places to visit relatively within a day’s drive, but Phoenix area’s housing for people in your age and budget is so much better. Areas south of Silicon Valley such as Gilroy and Morgan Hill may offer better housing situation.

[04kL4nD]

Phoenix, like other cities, used to be an affordable alternative to the Bay Area as little as 2-3 years ago. This is no longer the case as rents and home values have shot up quite a bit.

Overall QOL is much better in the Bay Area if you're OK with renting and being close to work, but this assumes you have the time/energy/money to enjoy all that it has to offer (hiking/dining/wine country/etc).

If you're a homebody and don't get out much, there's no sense in paying a premium for "amenities" you won't use regularly.

As other have pointed out, buying property in the Bay Area is not only insanely expensive, it's time-consuming and frustrating since so many people will overpay the list price by several hundred thousands, and/or come with all-cash offers. I would personally recommend an extended visit to see if you even like the area before committing to a move. Best of luck.

[thinkingandwondering]

To me, it would come down to weather. I could not live in Phoenix. SJ also gets hot, but nothing like Phoenix. If super hot weather doesn't bother you, then the next criteria for me would be safety, walkability, and culture (cool or boring or some other culture).

I personally detest SJ and have never been to Phoenix, but based on weather alone, Phoenix sounds unbearable and I am guessing it's on the cookie cutter side, culture-wise (as is SJ).

Why is the choice only between those two awful cities?