$67K do-able in Sunnyvale? (San Jose, Santa Clara: 2015, apartments, for rent)

[TexaCo Mom]

My son recently accepted a job in Sunnyvale. After looking at apartment prices for studio/1 bdrm and considering the COL there (considerably higher than here in TX), is $67K enough for a single person to live?

Also suggestions on areas to live would be helpful. It appears areas outside of Sunnyvale are a bit more affordable (and that term is used loosely). He's not into the club scene, but enjoys the sports bars to catch a game and some wings.

Thanks for your input.

[mstnghu2]

$67k is more than doable if your son lives a reasonably frugal life. Even if he does splurge a bit, he should still be perfectly fine. Often times, the most expensive parts of the Bay Area are the places with the best schools, which don't appear to be an issue for your son.

Making close to $70k as a single person with no kids is really not difficult in the Bay Area. It becomes an issue when you get married and have kids and have to worry about schools. There are plenty of decent, safe places to live throughout the South Bay that should be attainable for your son.

Your son should focus his search on Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, San Jose and Campbell. The closer to work the better, because commuting can be terrible here. The further south and east he heads in San Jose, the longer his commute will be. Actually, downtown SJ may be a good option. It's a very central South Bay location and your son would have access to sports bars, etc. There are plenty of reasonably priced places to rent downtown.

[branh0913]

Originally Posted by TexaCo Mom

My son recently accepted a job in Sunnyvale. After looking at apartment prices for studio/1 bdrm and considering the COL there (considerably higher than here in TX), is $67K enough for a single person to live?

Also suggestions on areas to live would be helpful. It appears areas outside of Sunnyvale are a bit more affordable (and that term is used loosely). He's not into the club scene, but enjoys the sports bars to catch a game and some wings.

Thanks for your input.

It's more than doable if he is going to stay with room mates. If not, he'll get eaten alive. 67k is not even close to enough to sustain yourself in Sunnyvale. 1 bedroom apartments in Sunnyvale are easily $2200 a month, and that's STARTING. There is also electric, gas, and other utilities. They're almost never bundled into rent in the Bay Area. Plus Sunnyvale is dull, Murphy Street gets boring very fast. So he may find himself going to downtown San Jose to do more fun stuff. I know you say he doesn't like to have fun, but a lot of people like to have fun. However on 67k, there isn't much fun to be had.

You have to be realistic. In the Bay Area his standard of living is sure to drop a ton. People try to play it down on these forums, but Sunnyvale is amongst the most unaffordable places in Silicon Valley, if not the most unaffordable place. Milpitas may be a better choice, but it's not the greatest commute to Sunnyvale.

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by branh0913

It's more than doable if he is going to stay with room mates. If not, he'll get eaten alive. 67k is not even close to enough to sustain yourself in Sunnyvale. 1 bedroom apartments in Sunnyvale are easily $2200 a month, and that's STARTING. There is also electric, gas, and other utilities. They're almost never bundled into rent in the Bay Area. Plus Sunnyvale is dull, Murphy Street gets boring very fast. So he may find himself going to downtown San Jose to do more fun stuff. I know you say he doesn't like to have fun, but a lot of people like to have fun. However on 67k, there isn't much fun to be had.

You have to be realistic. In the Bay Area his standard of living is sure to drop a ton. People try to play it down on these forums, but Sunnyvale is amongst the most unaffordable places in Silicon Valley, if not the most unaffordable place. Milpitas may be a better choice, but it's not the greatest commute to Sunnyvale.

If your son happens to work near a light rail station, then I would recommend renting around the light rail routes.

He can certainly rent in San Jose downtown, which is fast becoming a more urban environment, and more conducive to bicycling, and also has access to light rail stations throughout the Downtown area.

He will have a world-class library in Downtown to tide him over, and sports bar galore in Downtown as well.

From Downtown San Jose, he can also take lightrail to Downtown Campbell, Downtown Willow Glen for small-town fun. Santana Row for those occasional clubbing, eating out moments is just 20 minutes bike ride away to the west of Downtown.

Also, regarding sports. The San Jose Earthquakes will be completing their soccer stadium to the north of Downtown by end of next year, starting with 2015 season they will be in a spiffy new stadium with a phenomenal rake (no bad seat in the house!). Tickets to Quakes games are the cheapest in the Bay area (not counting A's discounted tickets, of course), and the atmosphere is much much younger and funner. If he has a bit more money, he can walk from Downtown to the SAP Arena, where the San Jose Sharks hockey team, considered one of the elite powerhouses of the league, plays to sold-out crowd for the last 10 years.

If he doesn't like public commute, I would suggest him to find a place as close as possible to his work place. The key to happiness, for young and old in this area, is to have as short a work commute as possible.

[ketch89]

Originally Posted by branh0913

It's more than doable if he is going to stay with room mates. If not, he'll get eaten alive. 67k is not even close to enough to sustain yourself in Sunnyvale. 1 bedroom apartments in Sunnyvale are easily $2200 a month, and that's STARTING. There is also electric, gas, and other utilities. They're almost never bundled into rent in the Bay Area. Plus Sunnyvale is dull, Murphy Street gets boring very fast. So he may find himself going to downtown San Jose to do more fun stuff. I know you say he doesn't like to have fun, but a lot of people like to have fun. However on 67k, there isn't much fun to be had.

You have to be realistic. In the Bay Area his standard of living is sure to drop a ton. People try to play it down on these forums, but Sunnyvale is amongst the most unaffordable places in Silicon Valley, if not the most unaffordable place. Milpitas may be a better choice, but it's not the greatest commute to Sunnyvale.

What a ridiculous hyperbole... rofl.

Where do I start? First off, there are plenty of 1 bedroom apartments in Sunnyvale ranging from $1500-1800. Yes, there will be multiple applicants for all of them, and they're not brand-spanking new, but after a few tries you'll score one. The Bay Area uses craigslist more than any other metro, take a look there. Personally, I rent a 1 bedroom in Mountain View near Castro Street in a building built in the 70's - I pay $1595. Electric/gas runs me $35 in July, $125 in December, with most of the year on the lower end of that range. Cable/internet from Comcast is $100/mo. Trash and water are included. There's a common coin-op laundry room. The same apartment near downtown San Jose would cost about $200 less per month...

As far as Sunnyvale being "the most unaffordable place in Silicon Valley" - that's very far from the truth. Nearby cities like Los Altos, Saratoga, Los Gatos, and the neighborhood of Willow Glen in San Jose are all more desirable. I agree that Sunnyvale is boring, your son would probably be much happier near downtown San Jose.

Living in the bay isn't all about driving a BMW or wearing flashy jewelry. Yes, there are lots of folks flush with cash from their tech jobs, and they do drive bimmers and Teslas etc. For regular people though, we pay the premium to live here for the great weather, outdoor recreational opportunities, deliciously diverse ethnic food, dozens of annual festivals, and general tolerance of people who are different from one another.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

Also, regarding sports. The San Jose Earthquakes will be completing their soccer stadium to the north of Downtown by end of next year, starting with 2015 season they will be in a spiffy new stadium with a phenomenal rake (no bad seat in the house!). Tickets to Quakes games are the cheapest in the Bay area (not counting A's discounted tickets, of course), and the atmosphere is much much younger and funner. If he has a bit more money, he can walk from Downtown to the SAP Arena, where the San Jose Sharks hockey team, considered one of the elite powerhouses of the league, plays to sold-out crowd for the last 10 years.

+1
Earthquakes and the Sharks have lots of events and crowds in downtown SJ throughout the year. Things seem to be especially picking up at San Pedro Square Market, which has a lot of indoor and outdoor room for this stuff. (But the Brit is still a fine indoor/outdoor sports venue as well).

Earthquakes will also open Levi's Stadium in August with the first event there.
C'mon You Quakes!

Join us on January 30 at San Pedro Square Market as we unveil our new logo and celebrate our 40th anniversary as a club.

40th Anniversary RSVP | San Jose Earthquakes

[fashionguy]

Depending on his needs and whether he wants to have a family soon. If he's going to stay single for a while, I don't see any problem at all. Many Ph.D. students or post doc researchers live in the bay area with a salary of 30-40k.

Originally Posted by TexaCo Mom

My son recently accepted a job in Sunnyvale. After looking at apartment prices for studio/1 bdrm and considering the COL there (considerably higher than here in TX), is $67K enough for a single person to live?

Also suggestions on areas to live would be helpful. It appears areas outside of Sunnyvale are a bit more affordable (and that term is used loosely). He's not into the club scene, but enjoys the sports bars to catch a game and some wings.

Thanks for your input.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by TexaCo Mom

My son recently accepted a job in Sunnyvale. After looking at apartment prices for studio/1 bdrm and considering the COL there (considerably higher than here in TX), is $67K enough for a single person to live?

Also suggestions on areas to live would be helpful. It appears areas outside of Sunnyvale are a bit more affordable (and that term is used loosely). He's not into the club scene, but enjoys the sports bars to catch a game and some wings.

Thanks for your input.

He can find a sports bar anywhere in the Bay Area. There's even a sports bikini bar in Sunnyvale he can get in trouble in :-)

I just moved from Santa Clara, lived there for 10 years as an apt mgr there. There are really no bad neighborhoods in the area. So, he might as well live close to work. He can always move somewhere else down the road.

So, I would just look for an apt he can afford in Sunnyvale. Santa Clara is close to Sunnyvale, and is also really nice.

Here's a Craigslist search for max $1300 including Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. I figured his salary to net him 72% after taxes. Then figured his monthly income, divided that by 3. Landlords use a rule of thumb here that tenants should GROSS 3 x the monthly rent. So, figuring 1/3 of his NET, should leave him a good amount of wiggle room. 1/3 of his net = $1340 or so.

He'll have no problem finding an apt he can afford in a decent neighborhood.

SF bay area apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist

[TexaCo Mom]

Some good info here. Thanks all. It puts my mind at ease just a bit. He's a single, 23 yr. old recent college grad, with no girlfriend for the moment...so no immediate family plans He has some appointments set to look at apartments next week.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

There are a bunch of meetups in the area. He could make fast friends:

Meetup: find your people - Meetup

And this just looks like too much fun to me:

San José Bike Party | Building community through bicycling

Being a Texan, he'll have no trouble making friends. I love Texans! You're so friendly. Every time I've visited TX is was so hard to leave :-)