Landed a job in Silicon Valley - now what? Advice Needed!

[gretzteam]

Seppia: your direct way to analyze the situation made it very clear for me: I clearly do not want to live in a fucking truck!
Thanks for that - feels like sometimes you go down a rabbit hole and forget where you are heading!

[Tuskalusa]

I live in Santa Clara. I think I probably worked for the company that occupied the campus that you are going to work for. I was able to ride my bike to work from Santa Clara (and I wasn't even a mustachisn then...just liked to be outside).  It was awesome!

Santa Clara is great. There are a lot of communities who like to hang out without sipping wine in Napa. Couldn't be happier here. Check out the Summerwood Apartments. Conveniently located. Park like setting. Would be very affordable with a roommate.

[clarkfan1979]

If you are a single guy, it's going to be very doable to implement MMM. If you fail, it's your fault.

1) Micro-apartment (250-400 sq. ft.). Most people won't do this, so they are cheaper. I currently live in a 332 sq. ft. apartment on Kauai for $1100/month in rent with my wife. Most regular apartments that are 700-800 sq. ft. are $1500/month. We are less than 1 mile to the beach, so we don't mind the smaller living space.

2) Make friends and get roommates. This will be harder to do if you are new in town.

3) RV. My wife and I lived in an RV for 3 months for the past two summers in the Denver, Co area. I have never done it longer than 3 months.

Good luck!

[gp_]

i didn't read every post in this thread, but are you working in santa clara? if so, why not consider living in santa cruz? it's about 45 min away, and you mentioned that you're into kite surfing. the commute could be hell, but it's a slice of paradise outside of silicon valley, but still extremely close. rents in santa cruz have gone up a bit, but i'm sure you could rent a room or even find a small spot for a lot cheaper than living in the valley.

[Happy in CA]

I lived in Mountain View and then San Jose for about 25 years until 2015, when I moved to the Santa Cruz area.  I mostly worked downtown San Jose. As others have said, San Jose is boring and may seem especially so when compared with smaller towns that have downtown areas with restaurants, bars and stores.  But in my experience you pay dearly for the privilege of living near these downtown areas, and after a short time the novelty wears off.  The restaurants are crowded even when the food is not that good, Starbucks is Starbucks, and even in these walkable towns most people still drive everywhere.  So IMO you will get better value in San Jose, and there are some walkable areas, like Willow Glen or the area west of downtown near the train station.  The commuting routes are somewhat longer than if you lived in Cupertino, Sunnyvale or Mountain View, but the housing is cheaper.

Another area you might consider is South San Jose, such as the Cambrian area or possibly Almaden Valley.  These areas have even more (endless) suburban subdivisions and are not walkable per se.  They do have Apple and Google buses available. They tend to be popular with people who have adopted an outdoor lifestyle, because they offer proximity to parks and trails for running, hiking, mountain and road biking.  You may get tired of downtown Campbell, but you're unlikely to get tired of the county parks, which as Galliver says below, are really great. 

[quote author=galliver link=topic=56685.msg1104039#msg1104039 date=1464736268
I think the South Bay has some of the best city and county parks I have seen anywhere. Especially compared to the block-sized lawns with a playground out in the burning sun that passed for parks in the Midwest. South Bay parks had trees, walking paths, benches, stone walls one could sit/lay on...places to jog, play frisbee, read a book. Weather is typically amenable, too. Rancho San Antonio Co Park used to always have some people flying model airplanes. You can also plan up to a 14 mile hike there (I think it's called "Black Mountain"), if you are so motivated, though parking can be problematic. Sanborn-Skyline Co Park is a great place for a picnic and a volleyball game on the weekend. Really just a ton of outdoor recreation options off Hwy 9 and Hwy 17 in the Santa Cruz mountains, for the weekend. Or take Caltrain into SF and walk the neighborhoods, piers, GG park, Sutro Baths, etc.
[/quote]

+1 - I even know where there is legal street parking for Rancho San Antonio.

[nemesis]

Personally, unless you have family in the area, or bought a house in the 90's before the housing prices exploded, see what you can do to find a decent job out of Silicon Valley.

I've done my tour of duty in NorCal.  Now I get to make NorCal money, just not in NorCal... lol.  Telecommuting is awesome.

[CanuckExpat]

OP made post originally almost a year ago. Not sure if they still need advice or they have moved already.

OP, any updates. What did you end up doing, and what is your impression of the area?

[cognitiveitch]

I'm going to disagree with everyone who is saying downtown San Jose is boring/awful. I lived there for about 3 years and loved it. No, it's not SF, but it's very walkable and there are plenty of things to do and see. I had a great time hitting up the monthly art walk, going to concerts in the park, grabbing cheap last minute hockey tickets, etc.

When I return there to visit friends now, it seems like there's been a lot of effort in recent years to revitalize it even more. It's got a nice urban neighborhood vibe and, once you start meeting people there, you'll always be running into someone you know.

There used to be some pretty affordable housing just north of downtown around Japantown, too. If you can easily catch a shuttle or some public trans to work from there, you could do a lot worse in terms of neighborhood in the valley.

[Tuskalusa]

Hi There,

I have lived in Santa Clara and San Jose all my life. While this is a HCOL area, it's completely possible to rent/buy a (modest) place, have some fun, make some friends, and still FIRE. I did.

Silicon Valley companies pay well, for sure. There are a lot of people who spend every last cent they earn...there are plenty of neat ways to throw your money to the four winds. However, there are also a lot of realistic folks who like to go hiking, play tennis/cricket/basketball at the local park, or enjoy a glass of wine in the backyard. The trick is to find those like-minded folks. They might not be all the people you work with...a lot of high-earners embrace the $$$ lifestyle...but there are mustacians here.

With some creativity, you can reach your goals and meet some great people too.  Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Jose might be some good places to start. Drive around the neighborhoods and see what's for rent. Check out Craigslist. There are some good options.

Welcome to California!

[lr]

You're not going to figure this out by planning ahead. Rent an apartment near work and get to know the area. Don't buy fancy stuff at first. You'll figure out what you like and don't like, while easing the pressure of commuting while ramping up on this new job. Then you'll move somewhere you like better, possibly with roommates.

Yes, this might appear to cost more up front, but think of it as tuition for understanding a complicated real estate market. In the long run, you'll save by making fewer bad housing decisions.

[Ryland]

Rad! And congratulations! If you put your mind to Mustachianism you're going to kill it way faster than you could believe.

I just finished a 3.5 year stint at a silicon valley company. I lived right on the beach in SF for $850/mo. My average spending was $1.5k/mo. Note though, that I was 23-26 years old with no spouse/kids.

If you're into kiting you've got to check out Alemeda (you probably already know...), but you could get rent at 40-50% off SF rates, walk to the beach to kite and BART into the city for work. (assuming you're in SF.)

If you're down in the South Bay, check out living in Half Moon Bay or Pacifica (think back of the valley in Linda Mar, way less fog). Grew up right there with a mom and dad combine salary of ~$65k/year.

If you spend even $70k/yr, you're stashing $650k in 5 years. Those are big, big numbers, and fast, fast ways to get to FI. Good luck and keep us posted what you decide!