San Jose vs Phoenix (San Francisco, Santa Clara: home, neighborhoods, living in)

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by 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?

Neither is awful. Both cities are thriving with strong economies and moderate crime. They are typical western car-centric cities: sprawl, lots of driving, strip malls, not walkable. Not my preference, but a lot of people like it. Lots of great restaurants, bars, parks, hiking, and things to do.

Indeed, summers in Phoenix are HOT. "But it's a dry heat" Really, the dryness does make a big difference. 100F in the shade in Phoenix is like 90F in San Jose which is pretty normal. Of course, Phoenix also gets heat waves that are a lot hotter. 115F is just plain hot. That's why folks have pools and AC. People do stuff outdoors before the heat of the day, then cool off poolside or inside during the afternoon. Once the sun sets and things cool off a touch it's pleasant to be outside in shorts and sandals. The rest of the year is quite nice with sunny days and mild temps 8-9 months of the year. Skiing is a little over 2 hrs away in Flagstaff, which is also a good place to escape the summer heat. Close proximity to Sedona (great art scene, beautiful landscape, and mountain biking) and the Grand Canyon. Relatively close to the National Parks in Southern Utah. And the Sonoran Desert has it's own unique beauty and landscape, especially during the bloom.

San Jose is also uniquely special. Milder temps overall, but certainly colder and (hopefully) rainy during winter when Phoenix is a dream. It's part of a much larger metro, so there's a lot more culture and things to do in San Jose. About 30 minutes to the beach and redwood forests, a little over 3 hours to Tahoe, 1.5 hrs to wine country. Not as cold/windy/foggy as the coast during summer. It still gets hot at times, with 100+ days and higher humidity than Phoenix (except maybe during their monsoon). However, housing is A LOT more expensive. While you can still find a basic 3/2 for under $400k in Phoenix, you're looking at more like $1.25M for the same house in San Jose. IMO, traffic is worse in San Jose, especially weekend traffic getting back into the Bay Area.

I've spent time in both cities and I know people in both. They each have a lot of great things and, like all places, some negatives. Quality of life is very subjective, so know yourself and being willing to make tradeoffs that work for you.

[roadwarrior101]

Honestly, with only a small difference in salary, I think your lifestyle would be much better. Sure, you could find somewhere only a little bit more expensive to live in SJ. But, is this really a prime neighborhood? I'd venture to guess not, so it may not be an apples-to-apples comparison.

I think the benefits of SJ are the weather (mainly summertime), jobs (if you're in high-tech) and proximity to SF. For 2/3 of the year, Phoenix has great weather, so that's a non-issue most of the time. As you're not in high-tech, as long as you can handle the weather and don't need your regular SF fix, the benefits of SJ aren't that compelling.

Phoenix has more going on in terms of the urban scene. In my opinion, the culinary, entertainment and nightlife scene of Phoenix/Scottsdale are far better than what you'll find in SJ. It's more accessible vs having to drive 50 miles up the road on 101 to get that in SF. As someone who's lived in Phoenix before, I can tell you that I greatly prefer the vibe of the city of Phoenix to SJ. If I were in your shoes, I'd stay in PHX.

[sjnative]

Too much unsaid.

Where would you work in San Jose?

Would it be in San Jose proper, or the silicon valley more broadly?

That'll determine your commute.

The longer and therefore more arduous your commute, the more it will negate whatever benefit your derive from living in or near the silicon valley.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by 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.

95116 is basically one of the poorest and least desirable zip codes in San Jose. It's not as bad as other "bad neighborhoods" in other large cities, but the quality of life is most definitely lacking (dead grass on front lawns, paved over front yards, cars parked everywhere because houses packed with 2 families trying to make ends meet, more noise and congestion because the neighborhood wasn't designed for that many people, people keeping chickens/roosters in their yards that crow all day), and crime is definitely higher than other parts of town, even if it's not horrible.

[Ruth4Truth]

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..?

OP, Fremont has more reasonable rents. You could take a job in SJ and commute from Fremont, or take a job in Fremont. I realize over a year has gone by since you posted, but I thought I'd answer your question anyway. I think you could find what you're looking for right in the Bay Area,without having to search overseas. But it's up to you, of course.

[artillery77]

Originally Posted by 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.

You're thinking the other way. Northbound in the morning is a breeze. SJ to Fremont is a good commute yet.

[Tall Traveler]

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..?

SJ is about 43% more expensive according to the site I use. Where it will really show up is when you go to buy a house as SJ is about triple or more for the same size place.

On the other hand, SJ has a much better year-round climate, lower crime, and access to the coast and other beautiful areas of nature nearby.

If it were me, it would take a higher differential than what you were offered to entice me unless you had family in SJ area and just wanted to be there or just can't handle the Phoenix summers.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

SJ is about 43% more expensive according to the site I use. Where it will really show up is when you go to buy a house as SJ is about triple or more for the same size place.

On the other hand, SJ has a much better year-round climate, lower crime, and access to the coast and other beautiful areas of nature nearby.

If it were me, it would take a higher differential than what you were offered to entice me unless you had family in SJ area and just wanted to be there or just can't handle the Phoenix summers.

Agreed. I've lived in both areas. I do agree that SJ (and the Bay Area) have a lot more to offer overall. But, I also moved here almost 20 years ago. While the cost differential was substantial even then, it's gotten way more extreme. You cannot discount this for a quality of life, especially if you are trying to raise a family.

If I were starting out and hadn't bought a place in the Bay Area in the economic downturn in 2009, I don't think the extreme cost of living here would be worth it.

With that said, summers are brutal in Phoenix and are only getting worse. I'd probably try to arrange a gig where my family and I could live somewhere else for 2-3 months during summer vacations. Or, I'd consider a city with a cooler climate vs Phoenix for my year-round destination.

[Tall Traveler]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Agreed. I've lived in both areas. I do agree that SJ (and the Bay Area) have a lot more to offer overall. But, I also moved here almost 20 years ago. While the cost differential was substantial even then, it's gotten way more extreme. You cannot discount this for a quality of life, especially if you are trying to raise a family.

If I were starting out and hadn't bought a place in the Bay Area in the economic downturn in 2009, I don't think the extreme cost of living here would be worth it.

With that said, summers are brutal in Phoenix and are only getting worse. I'd probably try to arrange a gig where my family and I could live somewhere else for 2-3 months during summer vacations. Or, I'd consider a city with a cooler climate vs Phoenix for my year-round destination.

We are considering a small place in Flagstaff or possibly Idaho to escape the summers here in Phoenix. We moved to Phoenix during the pandemic from the Pacific NW and I will say your body does acclimate to the heat to some degree and you have to develop coping mechanisms as well.

In Phoenix area, we have a lot of young California families that have moved from the Bay area as well as Socal in order to afford to buy a family home.

[AnythingOutdoors]

It's been 18 months since OP started this thread, interested to know what they ended up doing, how they feel about the decision, lessons learned, and so on.