Should I take a new job and move from Mobile, Alabama to Mountain View, California?? (Daphne: apartments, insurance)

[denab78]

I am in the process of getting an offer letter from a company in Mountain View, California. I make about 65k, here in Mobile, Alabama. I am offered 85k at my new job. My wife doesn't work and I have a 2 yr old kid. The problem is Mountain View is ridiculously expensive from what I have gathered with my casual google search so far. I live in a decent, 3 bedroom house for about $900 /month, but a 3 bedroom apartments in Mountain View are in the range of $3000 - $3500 /month. It just blows my mind!! I was excited to be selected for this position, but it seems like my standard of living will go down significantly if I take this job. What do you guys think about Mountain View? Should I take this job? Also, average price of a house there is $753,306. Those people are CRAZY! What is wrong with them? I am not feeling this move, what do you all think??

[cpg35223]

My viewpoint? Stay exactly where you are. California is economically imploding at the moment while the Southeast is economically growing.

But let's just talk dollars and cents here with a quick cost of living comparison.

To even consider having a comparable lifestyle in California, you would need to make $107,149. That's a 65% bump in cost of living. Or, working things the other way, an $85,000 salary in that part of California would be the equivalent of making $51,563. So you effectively just took a 22% cut in pay. And my gut feel is that Mountain View will cost you even more.

Taxes are higher, too. $85,000 in California means your take home is $58,782 with two deductions. Meanwhile your take home in Alabama on a $65,000 salary is $48,942. So you will be shouldering a much more expensive lifestyle with only an extra 800 bucks a month to work with.

And that really doesn't even take into account the grotesquely expensive housing costs out in California. Unless it's a career move with a ton of upside spelled out for you in writing by a company that's not going anywhere, I wouldn't take that job on a bet.

[lg1985]

I'm with cpg....Stay exactly where you are. Also, people in California are NOT very welcoming, especially not to southerners. The way people live there is totally different from how the rest of the US lives. If you don't have someone to come and cut your grass for you,, you are considered low class and looked down upon.

[denab78]

Thanks a lot cpg35223 and Ig1985!! I really appreciate the input! I am going to turn down this offer. After getting input from you guys and my own gut feeling, I am now convinced that this would be a stupid move on my part. I really appreciate your thoughts!!

[WhoDat2011]

I think you know the right decision here. There isn't much of anything good out there in that California. Sure it's beautiful but the cost of living is outrageous. You can go out there every weekend and still be well ahead.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by denab78

Thanks a lot cpg35223 and Ig1985!! I really appreciate the input! I am going to turn down this offer. After getting input from you guys and my own gut feeling, I am now convinced that this would be a stupid move on my part. I really appreciate your thoughts!!

Well, not necessarily.

No is the most powerful word in the English language.

Now that you're equipped with your knowledge, you can tell these people that the salary they're offering amounts to a major cut in pay. Make it up to them to up the offer.

[AlwaysBeachin]

Stay here. You will drown with $85k in CA. This is the cheapest place in the country to live. Not many job opportunities but you can easily live on less here. I don't see how folks in other places do it. Yeah you make more, but obviously the difference is not near enough to "make up for it". Cost of living is easily 3 times as much but you're not making 3 times $65k either. See? That's why I haven't moved to Chicago. I refuse to take a step down in my living standards. BTW, my property taxes (homestead exemption) on my little 1400 sq. ft. house in Daphne are $285 per year. I know people in my company that live in places that pay $6000 in property taxes. They don't make six figures either. It's a no brainer to me.

[denab78]

Thanks for all your responses! 85k is definitely not worth the move.

[DudShan]

Originally Posted by lg1985

I'm with cpg....Stay exactly where you are. Also, people in California are NOT very welcoming, especially not to southerners. The way people live there is totally different from how the rest of the US lives. If you don't have someone to come and cut your grass for you,, you are considered low class and looked down upon.

Total hogwash. Nearly all of us in California cut our own grass, what little of it there is, if we haven't replaced it with xeriscape; gimmie a break. You really can't support a family in Mountain View on a mere $85k household income unless you're skimping on insurance and retirement saving.

[steven r.]

I agree with the previous posters that staying where you are is probably the best bet. I'm from New York and moved south and when I compare cost of living I'm better off having to moved south. My friends try and bust my chops about it all the time but I just tell them that my 3 bedroom house cost me 85k here in the south, how much did you pay in New York again? Shuts them right up...lol.