Cost of Living - SoCal vs. Bay Area (San Diego, San Francisco: real estate, homes)

[imranyunis]

Hi - My wife and I currently live in Seattle and are seriously considering a move to Southern California (the OC or LA area). She is originally from Utah and misses the sun, but I don't want to move to Utah so SoCal seems like a good compromise as a place to get her some sun.

We are also considering the bay area, however. A couple of questions when comparing SoCal to the Bay Area:

1. Is the weather considerably better in SoCal compared to the Bay Area? Do people in the Bay Area still get the sun year round?

2. Is the cost of living in the Bay Area considerably higher than SoCal? Looking at real estate prices, the cost of living looks comparable, but the perception is that the Bay Area is more costly.

By the way, when I say 'Bay Area' I mean we would look for work in the San Francisco area and live outside of the city to where we could commute in to San Fran in 30-45 minutes on BART. Possibly San Ramon.

Thanks,

Imran

[ccm123]

Having lived in both places extensively, here is my feedback:

1/ It depends on what you are looking for. Places (such as the inland areas of SoCal and the Bay Area) can get quite hot, especially in the summer. San Francisco stays relatively cool, year around. In the winter, SoCal is usually warmer (by 5-10 degrees) than in the Bay Area and the winter is when I miss the sunny weather of SoCal the most! SoCal is generally more sunny in the winter. If you can live by the beach in SoCal, the weather is ideal, in my opinion.

2/ The housing is more expensive in the Bay Area and for comparable prices, the properties will be smaller. SoCal has more real estate supply (bigger geographic area), so you should have a better selection to choose from. Bay Area cost of living generally is about 10% higher (food and other costs) than in SoCal.

[sav858]

If you live 30-45 min outside the city in a place like San Ramon I wouldn't say its "considerably" better just because it's pretty warm and sunny overall inland. Winters are definitely cooler and rainier though compared to SoCal. The rest of the year is fairly comparable. It's the coastal weather in NorCal that really blows IMO.

I think homes are a lot more for what you get in NorCal. Salaries tend to be better but depending on what kind of position you land you might be better off in SoCal. Housing in the Bay Area is so overpriced, more so than in SoCal.

[LakersWon310]

Originally Posted by imranyunis

Hi - My wife and I currently live in Seattle and are seriously considering a move to Southern California (the OC or LA area). She is originally from Utah and misses the sun, but I don't want to move to Utah so SoCal seems like a good compromise as a place to get her some sun.

We are also considering the bay area, however. A couple of questions when comparing SoCal to the Bay Area:

1. Is the weather considerably better in SoCal compared to the Bay Area? Do people in the Bay Area still get the sun year round?

2. Is the cost of living in the Bay Area considerably higher than SoCal? Looking at real estate prices, the cost of living looks comparable, but the perception is that the Bay Area is more costly.

By the way, when I say 'Bay Area' I mean we would look for work in the San Francisco area and live outside of the city to where we could commute in to San Fran in 30-45 minutes on BART. Possibly San Ramon.

Thanks,

Imran

LA is the place to be. The Bay is too boring.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

LA is the place to be. The Bay is too boring.

The OP didn't mention which part of SoCal they were consider. Could be OC, San Diego, Inland Empire, etc. Those are more boring than the Bay Area, but LA definitely has the most stuff to do in California. Unfortunately, LA isn't a very scenic or beautiful city. It's kind of an ugly place with great amenities. But I guess you can't have everything...

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by imranyunis

Hi - My wife and I currently live in Seattle and are seriously considering a move to Southern California (the OC or LA area). She is originally from Utah and misses the sun, but I don't want to move to Utah so SoCal seems like a good compromise as a place to get her some sun.

We are also considering the bay area, however. A couple of questions when comparing SoCal to the Bay Area:

1. Is the weather considerably better in SoCal compared to the Bay Area? Do people in the Bay Area still get the sun year round?

2. Is the cost of living in the Bay Area considerably higher than SoCal? Looking at real estate prices, the cost of living looks comparable, but the perception is that the Bay Area is more costly.

By the way, when I say 'Bay Area' I mean we would look for work in the San Francisco area and live outside of the city to where we could commute in to San Fran in 30-45 minutes on BART. Possibly San Ramon.

Thanks,

Imran

1. Weather - Really depends on what you're comparing. If you're saying SF, its generally chilly and windy and often foggy. I wouldn't say that SF has good weather, but there are other draws there. If you go inland in the Bay Area, it gets warmer and much nicer in the summertime. It would be comparable to SoCal inland areas, although a tad cooler on average. In the wintertime, SoCal in general is warmer and sunnier, regardless of whether you're on the coast or inland. One thing to note on being near the coast in SoCal. It can be every bit as foggy as the Bay Area coastal areas, but its just not cold and blustery. It can actually be 70 and pleasant when its foggy in SoCal and you can get away with wearing shorts/

2. Cost of Living - I think there's a huge difference. SoCal can be very pricey if you're right on the ocean, but if not, I think you can definitely get a lot more for your money there and the higher Bay Area salaries don't generally make up for this. I also agree that SoCal in general has much better housing stock than the Bay Area to choose from, so be prepared to lower your standard of living when it comes to housing up here.

[CuriousAboutCA]

Originally Posted by imranyunis

Hi - My wife and I currently live in Seattle and are seriously considering a move to Southern California (the OC or LA area). She is originally from Utah and misses the sun, but I don't want to move to Utah so SoCal seems like a good compromise as a place to get her some sun.

We are also considering the bay area, however. A couple of questions when comparing SoCal to the Bay Area:

1. Is the weather considerably better in SoCal compared to the Bay Area? Do people in the Bay Area still get the sun year round?

2. Is the cost of living in the Bay Area considerably higher than SoCal? Looking at real estate prices, the cost of living looks comparable, but the perception is that the Bay Area is more costly.

By the way, when I say 'Bay Area' I mean we would look for work in the San Francisco area and live outside of the city to where we could commute in to San Fran in 30-45 minutes on BART. Possibly San Ramon.

Thanks,

Imran

Have you and your wife considered Phoenix?

If you don't mind the heat, Phoenix is probably a better compromise than Southern California because it's sunnier and cheaper than both the Bay Area and L.A. Real estate prices and income taxes, in particular, are much less expensive in Arizona vs. California. Some of the Phoenix area suburbs (Mesa, Gilbert, etc.) could even be described as a cross between Utah and Southern California!

Denver is also another viable option.

[Lycanmaster]

From my own limited experience as well as my co-worker's, SF is definitely the more expensive overall compared to SoCal.

[luigi1212]

Both places are way OVERpriced! Try Colorado before Californians get it overpriced as well. Otherwise, if you are willing to pay $250,000 for a bathroom in CA, go right at it cuz it's a nice state.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by imranyunis

1. Is the weather considerably better in SoCal compared to the Bay Area? Do people in the Bay Area still get the sun year round?

It really depends on where in the Bay Area and where in SoCal. The Inland East Bay will be a bit cooler than SF in winter (and not any sunnier) and a lot warmer & sunnier in the summer. Winters will be somewhat overcast, but nothing like Seattle. Summers in the inland East Bay are warm to hot and reliably sunny all summer long (mid to upper 80s during the day with occasional 100 degree heat waves).

Originally Posted by imranyunis

2. Is the cost of living in the Bay Area considerably higher than SoCal? Looking at real estate prices, the cost of living looks comparable, but the perception is that the Bay Area is more costly.

The cost of living is higher in the Bay Area, but salaries are also generally higher, so it's a wash on average. A lot of it, however, will depend on your specific job and industry. A lot of the salaries in the Bay Area are inflated by folks in the tech & financial industries. If you're not in one of those industries, you might come out ahead in SoCal.