Potentially moving to San Franscisco

username2013

Hi

Potentially my company may be moving to San Francisco and if that occurs we would be getting offers to move, sorted with visas etc. Not sure if I would like to go, have a lot of things to consider which I am hoping to get some information on here.

Accommodation: I have moved abroad before and generally the way most people(or at least people I know) is to initially stay with a friend or maybe a hostel/hotel. I don't know anyone in San Fran and have a wife and kid now so we would need something fairly decent starting off. We would need at least a 2 bed(preferably not an apartment - but maybe). So for a townhouse or a house what would we be expecting to pay for monthly rent in San Fran, or Oakland/Berkley etc? Checking some websites, it states that the average cost of a 2 bed in San Fran is about $3000. However I have been checking some rental websites and don't see anything in this price range, it's more 4k and up.

Californian Taxes:
I hear these are some of the highest in North America. Between federal and state taxes what can I be expecting to pay on say a salary of 100k. (this would not necessarily be my salary but as it's a nice round figure should make it easy to calculate taxes)

Daycare for kids:
How much on average would day care be a month for a 18 month?

General Cost of Living:
The company I would be working with is based in downtown San Fran. How much would it be go for lunch etc there? I know this can vary massively on the place but say for example an average takeout lunch from a mid price range restaurant?

Monthly Transportation costs:
How expensive is public transport in San Fran?

ceadaoin.

I don't know anything about San Francisco specifically, except that it's extremely expensive (!), but could your company cover the cost of temporary accommodation and relocation? It would probably be difficult to find somewhere to rent while not even in the country. When we moved to the U.S., my husbands company paid for a studio apartment for him until he found a house for us to rent and they covered half the rent for 2 years. Could you try to negotiate a relocation package with them?

username2013

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I don't know anything about San Francisco specifically, except that it's extremely expensive (!), but could your company cover the cost of temporary accommodation and relocation? It would probably be difficult to find somewhere to rent while not even in the country. When we moved to the U.S., my husbands company paid for a studio apartment for him until he found a house for us to rent and they covered half the rent for 2 years. Could you try to negotiate a relocation package with them?

Yeah, they will give us a relocation package all right. That's not a bad idea, for me to move down initially and then try and find some place. I'll have a look at air bnb now and see how much a small place would be for a month (hopefully I don't have a heart attack when viewing the prices!)

Thanks ceadaoin!

Recognition Scene

Very common to get corporate accommodation when being relocated so would look for that as part of your package. Last relocation package I had was cash based, but have previously had an apartment paid for for 4-6 weeks, a couple of times.

$3000 for a 2 bed sounds in the right ballpark, but obviously varies by neighborhood or on how far you're willing to commute by MUNI/Caltrain/BART etc

val_jester

username2013 wrote: »

Hi

Potentially my company may be moving to San Francisco and if that occurs we would be getting offers to move, sorted with visas etc. Not sure if I would like to go, have a lot of things to consider which I am hoping to get some information on here.

Accommodation: I have moved abroad before and generally the way most people(or at least people I know) is to initially stay with a friend or maybe a hostel/hotel. I don't know anyone in San Fran and have a wife and kid now so we would need something fairly decent starting off. We would need at least a 2 bed(preferably not an apartment - but maybe). So for a townhouse or a house what would we be expecting to pay for monthly rent in San Fran, or Oakland/Berkley etc? Checking some websites, it states that the average cost of a 2 bed in San Fran is about $3000. However I have been checking some rental websites and don't see anything in this price range, it's more 4k and up.

Californian Taxes:
I hear these are some of the highest in North America. Between federal and state taxes what can I be expecting to pay on say a salary of 100k. (this would not necessarily be my salary but as it's a nice round figure should make it easy to calculate taxes)

Daycare for kids:
How much on average would day care be a month for a 18 month?

General Cost of Living:
The company I would be working with is based in downtown San Fran. How much would it be go for lunch etc there? I know this can vary massively on the place but say for example an average takeout lunch from a mid price range restaurant?

Monthly Transportation costs:
How expensive is public transport in San Fran?

First of, San Francisco and the Bay Area as a whole is a wonderful place to live. It is really beautiful city that always has stuff going on, but at the same time you are close enough to other interesting places. You have the option of going hiking in the Marin Headland or the Muir woods for a day, or going down to Big Sur and Santa Cruz for sunshine and beaches during the summer. You’re also only a few hours driving from Lake Tahoe which is great for skiing in the winter but also stunning during the summer.
 
In terms of accommodation and transport, it is an expensive city. We do have the BART which means you can live in the East Bay or south of San Francisco, but it is not the most reliable in bad weather. The Muni bus and light rail system is alright, but could be better. The fare is $2.50 each ride, which gives you a pass that’s valid for 90 mins no matter how many buses you take or how far you go in that time, or you can get the monthly pass for $73. Rent is supposedly beginning to slightly drop, but it is quite expensive and I would imagine $3000 will not go overly far, but you should be able to find somewhere in the city for a one or two bedroom apartment. I would recommend checking this website (http://www.1239-17thapts.com/), my friends recently got a two bedroom place in the Sunset through it.  
Taxes are relatively high in San Francisco and California compared to other parts of the USA, but there are benefits to that, and it is still much lower than what you would pay in Ireland, I imagine.
Unfortunately I cannot help you with the daycare costs, but it might be an idea to contact the Irish Immigration Pastoral centre (info@sfiipc.org). They are really helpful and have lots of information.
Meals really vary quite a bit depending on what you get and of course tipping. I work on Market Street by the Twitter building and they build a store for their staff and others to use. You can get meals for about $20 there, but you can definitely find cheaper. I work for a non-profit and we’re normally on a budget but can do meals for meetings at around $200, including tips, for 14 of us. Groceries can be expensive if you go to whole foods or the like, but the sunset has good stores that offer cheaper prices.
I’d be happy to chat with you more about the city if you’d like. I have been here nearly five years and still really like the city.

SweetSand

Before you make the move I would def consider all the pros and cons.

Price wise, I think it will depend a lot where in California you are going to be based. We were in Mountain View last year for 9 months for my husband's short assignment, so it wasn't a relocation as such but here is some info for you (hope it will come useful):
- accommodation - we were living in 2 bedroom apartment in Mountain View itself, it was paid by my husband's company for us, but if you were to rent out the same, it would ve been $3600 for unfurnished per month, our one was furnished hence more expensive. For that price it was just an ok apartment, built in 1960s, with an old 4 ring electric cooker and etc, no granite, nothing flashy. It did have a great swimming pool and massive hot tub, so cant complain (not apartment itself but the whole complex). And I d say forget about a house, it's more likely going to be an apartment
- groceries - extremely expensive in comparison to Ireland. I still remember my 1st shopping in Safeway (similar to Tesco in quality) as it was very close to us and coming out after paying $325 with 2 small bags of bare essentials like cereal, butter, oil etc and only 1 chicken. I missed Aldi and Lidl so much there. We did find Trader Joe's to be the best fit/reasonable for us but even at that, forget about steaks or any decent raw meat as it will cost you a fortune. No fillet steaks for €5.99 like you get in Lidl but then I think California has the biggest amount of vegetarians in US. Another tip, watch out for unit prices, ex in Ireland we are not used for lb prices, thats how I ended up paying over $17 for a bag of apples which on the price tag said $3.99 but that was per lb. As for Whole Foods - it is an amazing store but I really don't know who can afford shopping there, I still remember their ad for Thank's Given turkey for $165!!!
- childcare - we have 2 girls (4 and almost 6), I didnt have working visa so couldn't work at the time, so we didn't use any childcare. We, however, have relocated to Boston permanently since and looked at the prices her and you ll be lucky to find anything under $2500 per month/per child in the cresh. I would imagine California going to be more expensive. But then, while there, I made friends with this Irish girl with 2 small kids and she found an Irish childminder nearby for very reasonable price.
- general rule I used to have - multiply everything from Ireland by 2, so if you earn €50000 in Ireland, you should be at least earning $100000 in California for similar comfort of life. A pint of beer could easily cost you $8-10. Tips, drove me mad, forget about 10%, its like 15-20-25% which is insane. Eating out wasn't necessarily crazy expensive but add a drink or two each and it goes from $50 to $80 minimum.
- again, depending where you are going to be based, I found myself so lonely in the first few months. I think anywhere in silicon valley it's going to be the same, it just not a very family friendly place. In our massive apartment complex there was no other families, all singles/couples from mostly Asia/India, young, working long hours. Yes, there was 4 lovely playgrounds within a walking distance but no mothers there with kids, either nannies or elderly asian/indian grannies. I found I just had no one to talk to. It was a hard adjustment for me, I went from working 4 days a week to being with kids all the time, which by no means I am complaining about but it was a big change. And time difference didnt help with ringing back to Ireland and Belarus (my home country). We moved to MV in October and it was March by the time I made some good friends, so was super sad to leave in June. Now, if you are going to live in SF itself it might be a completely different story and it is all very personal anyway, just my experience I guess.
- something to keep in mind, if you are relocating on L1 visa your wife will get L2 which will allow her to work anywhere but she will still have to get EAD (employment authorisation document), which she will have to apply to from US and it normally takes 3 months to get but might be slightly longer. I am waiting for mine now since we have relocated to Boston and it costed me $380 but I think the price has gone up since to $420. And you cant work while you are waiting.
- taxes - I don't know about them in California as my husband wasn't paid there but before we moved to Boston I googled tax calculator for Massachusetts and the result it gave me was pretty accurate to what my husband is getting now. So I am sure you can do the same for California.
- bottom line - we had an amazing experience and I would do it all over again, but we did come back broke. Two reasons for that: my husband wasn't paid there (so we basically lived on his Irish wage, but apartment and car were paid) and we traveled a lot and I mean it, we were gone every week-end as we didn't think that we'll be back in the States so soon.
And as for you coming here 1st - I dont know, I would make sure your company is going to provide you accommodation (we are getting 2 months acc + 2 months car rental at the moment) so 3 of you can move at the same time as otherwise you ll be looking at paying for flights for yourself to fly back for your wife and child.
Feel free to ask me any questions!

Just something that stood out for me when I re-read your post, if the whole of your company is going to relocate to SF it might not be as easy for them to relocate all of you as they might think, unless they are leaving an office in Ireland. That way you can potentially get L1 visa but again it I might not know other options.

Statesbound

Hi, I am in the same boat. My husband, myself and our 1 year old are moving in approx 7 weeks. Accommodation is really expensive!!! There is a website where you can calculate your tax in each state. It's called smartasset.com. I think a salary of 100k gets u almost 78k take home according to this website. I have looked on Zillow.com for accommodation but craigslist is cheaper, I found! Let us know how you get on 😊

username2013

SweetSand wrote: »

Before you make the move I would def consider all the pros and cons.

Price wise, I think it will depend a lot where in California you are going to be based. We were in Mountain View last year for 9 months for my husband's short assignment, so it wasn't a relocation as such but here is some info for you (hope it will come useful):
- accommodation - we were living in 2 bedroom apartment in Mountain View itself, it was paid by my husband's company for us, but if you were to rent out the same, it would ve been $3600 for unfurnished per month, our one was furnished hence more expensive. For that price it was just an ok apartment, built in 1960s, with an old 4 ring electric cooker and etc, no granite, nothing flashy. It did have a great swimming pool and massive hot tub, so cant complain (not apartment itself but the whole complex). And I d say forget about a house, it's more likely going to be an apartment
- groceries - extremely expensive in comparison to Ireland. I still remember my 1st shopping in Safeway (similar to Tesco in quality) as it was very close to us and coming out after paying $325 with 2 small bags of bare essentials like cereal, butter, oil etc and only 1 chicken. I missed Aldi and Lidl so much there. We did find Trader Joe's to be the best fit/reasonable for us but even at that, forget about steaks or any decent raw meat as it will cost you a fortune. No fillet steaks for €5.99 like you get in Lidl but then I think California has the biggest amount of vegetarians in US. Another tip, watch out for unit prices, ex in Ireland we are not used for lb prices, thats how I ended up paying over $17 for a bag of apples which on the price tag said $3.99 but that was per lb. As for Whole Foods - it is an amazing store but I really don't know who can afford shopping there, I still remember their ad for Thank's Given turkey for $165!!!
- childcare - we have 2 girls (4 and almost 6), I didnt have working visa so couldn't work at the time, so we didn't use any childcare. We, however, have relocated to Boston permanently since and looked at the prices her and you ll be lucky to find anything under $2500 per month/per child in the cresh. I would imagine California going to be more expensive. But then, while there, I made friends with this Irish girl with 2 small kids and she found an Irish childminder nearby for very reasonable price.
- general rule I used to have - multiply everything from Ireland by 2, so if you earn €50000 in Ireland, you should be at least earning $100000 in California for similar comfort of life. A pint of beer could easily cost you $8-10. Tips, drove me mad, forget about 10%, its like 15-20-25% which is insane. Eating out wasn't necessarily crazy expensive but add a drink or two each and it goes from $50 to $80 minimum.
- again, depending where you are going to be based, I found myself so lonely in the first few months. I think anywhere in silicon valley it's going to be the same, it just not a very family friendly place. In our massive apartment complex there was no other families, all singles/couples from mostly Asia/India, young, working long hours. Yes, there was 4 lovely playgrounds within a walking distance but no mothers there with kids, either nannies or elderly asian/indian grannies. I found I just had no one to talk to. It was a hard adjustment for me, I went from working 4 days a week to being with kids all the time, which by no means I am complaining about but it was a big change. And time difference didnt help with ringing back to Ireland and Belarus (my home country). We moved to MV in October and it was March by the time I made some good friends, so was super sad to leave in June. Now, if you are going to live in SF itself it might be a completely different story and it is all very personal anyway, just my experience I guess.
- something to keep in mind, if you are relocating on L1 visa your wife will get L2 which will allow her to work anywhere but she will still have to get EAD (employment authorisation document), which she will have to apply to from US and it normally takes 3 months to get but might be slightly longer. I am waiting for mine now since we have relocated to Boston and it costed me $380 but I think the price has gone up since to $420. And you cant work while you are waiting.
- taxes - I don't know about them in California as my husband wasn't paid there but before we moved to Boston I googled tax calculator for Massachusetts and the result it gave me was pretty accurate to what my husband is getting now. So I am sure you can do the same for California.
- bottom line - we had an amazing experience and I would do it all over again, but we did come back broke. Two reasons for that: my husband wasn't paid there (so we basically lived on his Irish wage, but apartment and car were paid) and we traveled a lot and I mean it, we were gone every week-end as we didn't think that we'll be back in the States so soon.
And as for you coming here 1st - I dont know, I would make sure your company is going to provide you accommodation (we are getting 2 months acc + 2 months car rental at the moment) so 3 of you can move at the same time as otherwise you ll be looking at paying for flights for yourself to fly back for your wife and child.
Feel free to ask me any questions!

Just something that stood out for me when I re-read your post, if the whole of your company is going to relocate to SF it might not be as easy for them to relocate all of you as they might think, unless they are leaving an office in Ireland. That way you can potentially get L1 visa but again it I might not know other options.

wow, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed post, the information you supplied is very helpful. :-)

username2013

Statesbound wrote: »

Hi, I am in the same boat. My husband, myself and our 1 year old are moving in approx 7 weeks. Accommodation is really expensive!!! There is a website where you can calculate your tax in each state. It's called smartasset.com. I think a salary of 100k gets u almost 78k take home according to this website. I have looked on Zillow.com for accommodation but craigslist is cheaper, I found! Let us know how you get on 😊

Thanks, I will check out that website!

boreder

I've lived in the Bay Area for about 1 year and 9 months – I've seen all the "its incredibly expensive" stuff, and was half terrified and half excited when the move actually came around. While some things are more expensive than at home, it's all relative to your salary, and some stuff is way cheaper, too. Cars, for example, are a lot cheaper than home.

The lady who lived in Mountain View (Google Town) - that's one of the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area. Rivaled by Menlo Park / Palo Alto (Facebook) and Cupertino (Apple). Same way it's more expensive to live in Clontarf as opposed to Blanchardstown, or Cork City as opposed to Mallow.

I live about 10mins drive from Mountain View, in North San Jose, and pay a lot less than $3,600. A lot less. I live in a nice (new) 2-bed 1100sq ft apartment with a private rooftop deck, complex has a gym and swimming pool, put on family parties every month, and so on. You likely wouldn't want to live here and commute to SF everyday, but it is possible to find property that's not crazy money, and still comfortable.

As the poster above also mentioned, it took about 90 days for my wife to get her EAD, and she was starting to feel a bit lonely and removed from the world, despite facetiming home during the day. However, once she got a job and made some friends that way, everything went back to normal.

Moving here is the best thing I've ever done from a personal and professional point of view. The opportunities to progress my career here are far greater than at home, and the outdoor lifestyle that the good weather encourages is really great, too. Being able to plan a BBQ on Sunday and not have to worry if it'll be raining or not is a good thing.

Not to mention, if you like sports, this is the best area in the world to be in. 2 NFL teams, NHL team that was in the Stanley Cup Finals last season, NBA team who were champs 2 years ago and in the finals last season. 2 baseball teams too - I haven't warmed to that as much, but the SF Giants seem pretty good, and their stadium is incredible. Soccer team is getting better, too. 45min flight to Vegas for the boxing / ufc.

- - -

To answer some of your original questions;

Taxes are about 33%. If your spouse doesn't work, you'll get an extra exemption for them. You'll get another exemption for your kid, too, so it'll go down a bit. How much exactly, I'm not sure.

Accommodation - as above, it depends on the area you want to live in and / or can afford. Houses and townhouses are more in demand with families (that usually have 2 incomes), so are a premium over apartments. However, its common to find generously sized apartments that will be fine for a small family. Apartments here are way more common than at home.

Also, the costs vary day-by-day. You may have already noticed this. The difference season-to-season is easier to notice. The most expensive times to lease a property is right at the start of the year, and during the summer. This is when most of the relocations happen, and so the supply and demand of property comes into play, and the property gets more expensive.

Cost of living - again, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want. Lunch and coffee in SF will probably cost about $18-20. You could go to Costco and get stuff to make sandwiches and eat for 2 weeks on the $20 if you prefer. Most companies have subsidized cafes for employees. I spend about $10 / day on lunch / coffee.

I don't know about childcare (yet!).

If you think of anything else, I'm happy to answer.

faceman

The Bay Area is wonderful. But its expensive compared to Ireland. Buts its not all bad. While personal tax is high, its still much lower than Ireland. Just like anywhere, some supermarkets are more expensive than others. Trader Joes is cheap. Aldi are expanding in the US too but they're not in the Bay Area yet.

Traffic at rush house is hell if you arent using public transport. And most people can't outside of the city because it sucks. One colleague's drive is 13 minutes door to door with no traffic but takes an hour in rush hour. Running a car is FAR cheaper than Ireland.

For lunch yesterday I was in one of my favourite sandwich haunts here (I dont live here but Im out here alot on extended trips). I had a sourdough sandwich, crisps and a coke. It cost $14.

Getting credit and the cost of it is tricky at first. Take out a credit card and pay your bills on time and your credit profile will improve. (They dont take into consideration your credit history from Ireland)

From what I understand the going rate for a babysitter is about $20 per hour. Childcare costs can range between $1,500 to $2,000 per month.

Rent is super expensive all over the Bay and particularly in San Fran. The proximity to good schools is a big factor in rental costs. Do your research thoroughly.

Best of luck with the move!

username2013

faceman wrote: »

The Bay Area is wonderful. But its expensive compared to Ireland. Buts its not all bad. While personal tax is high, its still much lower than Ireland. Just like anywhere, some supermarkets are more expensive than others. Trader Joes is cheap. Aldi are expanding in the US too but they're not in the Bay Area yet.

Traffic at rush house is hell if you arent using public transport. And most people can't outside of the city because it sucks. One colleague's drive is 13 minutes door to door with no traffic but takes an hour in rush hour. Running a car is FAR cheaper than Ireland.

For lunch yesterday I was in one of my favourite sandwich haunts here (I dont live here but Im out here alot on extended trips). I had a sourdough sandwich, crisps and a coke. It cost $14.

Getting credit and the cost of it is tricky at first. Take out a credit card and pay your bills on time and your credit profile will improve. (They dont take into consideration your credit history from Ireland)

From what I understand the going rate for a babysitter is about $20 per hour. Childcare costs can range between $1,500 to $2,000 per month.

Rent is super expensive all over the Bay and particularly in San Fran. The proximity to good schools is a big factor in rental costs. Do your research thoroughly.

Best of luck with the move!

Thanks! Haven't actually decided if we would move yet. Probably should have mentioned in the original post that I am currently living in Toronto for about 7 years now. Really like it here and it feels like home, but I suppose moving from here would not be as big as step as moving from Ireland.

username2013

boreder wrote: »

I've lived in the Bay Area for about 1 year and 9 months – I've seen all the "its incredibly expensive" stuff, and was half terrified and half excited when the move actually came around. While some things are more expensive than at home, it's all relative to your salary, and some stuff is way cheaper, too. Cars, for example, are a lot cheaper than home.

The lady who lived in Mountain View (Google Town) - that's one of the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area. Rivaled by Menlo Park / Palo Alto (Facebook) and Cupertino (Apple). Same way it's more expensive to live in Clontarf as opposed to Blanchardstown, or Cork City as opposed to Mallow.

I live about 10mins drive from Mountain View, in North San Jose, and pay a lot less than $3,600. A lot less. I live in a nice (new) 2-bed 1100sq ft apartment with a private rooftop deck, complex has a gym and swimming pool, put on family parties every month, and so on. You likely wouldn't want to live here and commute to SF everyday, but it is possible to find property that's not crazy money, and still comfortable.

As the poster above also mentioned, it took about 90 days for my wife to get her EAD, and she was starting to feel a bit lonely and removed from the world, despite facetiming home during the day. However, once she got a job and made some friends that way, everything went back to normal.

Moving here is the best thing I've ever done from a personal and professional point of view. The opportunities to progress my career here are far greater than at home, and the outdoor lifestyle that the good weather encourages is really great, too. Being able to plan a BBQ on Sunday and not have to worry if it'll be raining or not is a good thing.

Not to mention, if you like sports, this is the best area in the world to be in. 2 NFL teams, NHL team that was in the Stanley Cup Finals last season, NBA team who were champs 2 years ago and in the finals last season. 2 baseball teams too - I haven't warmed to that as much, but the SF Giants seem pretty good, and their stadium is incredible. Soccer team is getting better, too. 45min flight to Vegas for the boxing / ufc.

- - -

To answer some of your original questions;

Taxes are about 33%. If your spouse doesn't work, you'll get an extra exemption for them. You'll get another exemption for your kid, too, so it'll go down a bit. How much exactly, I'm not sure.

Accommodation - as above, it depends on the area you want to live in and / or can afford. Houses and townhouses are more in demand with families (that usually have 2 incomes), so are a premium over apartments. However, its common to find generously sized apartments that will be fine for a small family. Apartments here are way more common than at home.

Also, the costs vary day-by-day. You may have already noticed this. The difference season-to-season is easier to notice. The most expensive times to lease a property is right at the start of the year, and during the summer. This is when most of the relocations happen, and so the supply and demand of property comes into play, and the property gets more expensive.

Cost of living - again, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want. Lunch and coffee in SF will probably cost about $18-20. You could go to Costco and get stuff to make sandwiches and eat for 2 weeks on the $20 if you prefer. Most companies have subsidized cafes for employees. I spend about $10 / day on lunch / coffee.

I don't know about childcare (yet!).

If you think of anything else, I'm happy to answer.

I hear ya about the weather, I currently live in Toronto and it's great to be able to plan for BBQs etc during the summer. Fairly settled here which makes this a big decision. When I first came here I was on my own, different story with a wife and a kid now. Thanks for your response!

boreder

faceman wrote: »

Getting credit and the cost of it is tricky at first. Take out a credit card and pay your bills on time and your credit profile will improve. (They dont take into consideration your credit history from Ireland)

For the OP, or anyone else reading that is considering a move; This didn't end up being too tricky - I was expecting (after reading on various sites) to have to give some $$ towards a secured credit card and spend 6-9 months building up my credit.

But when I went to open a normal bank account, the lady I dealt with just wanted to see my offer letter, and approved me on the spot for a credit card with a limit of 10% of my annual salary.

Similarly, I needed to get a car once my initial 5 week rental was coming to an end. There are schemes in place to help 'Foreign Professionals' that are in the country on a visa. I got a good rate on the finance, too. It was all very easy to arrange.

As a result of having a credit card and auto finance straight away, my credit score now is pretty healthy, should I wish to stay long term / get a mortgage, etc.

Not sure if this applies to other areas in the states, but relocations are really common here, so I guess the banks / car dealers / etc. are setup to handle the influx of new customers who are likely paid well and in decent jobs.

First piece of advice - stop calling it "San Fran" as soon as you move there

My own feelings in no particular order:

• Accommodation is expensive. By the time it gets reasonable, you are not really living in San Francisco and have a long-ish commute. And the area you live in won't necessarily be much fun (American suburbs can be very dreary - have to get in the car to do anything, even in California). I would be super careful around choosing where to live and being realistic. If you are in Mountain View for example you are really only going into the city to work (and Downtown is boring) and occasionally at the weekend.
• On that note, San Francisco is a wonderful city but imho not as much fun as Dublin. Before making major commitments I would remember that Californians are, well, a little odd. You might be in for some culture shock. Obviously some are great but there's a definite vibe about the place that isn't for everyone. It's not 'messy' like Ireland is on a night out for example.
• One huge plus is the outdoors. There are fantastic places an hours drive from the city and truly stunning places three hours drive (Yosemite, Tahoe, Humboldt etc). If you like hiking, climbing, cycling etc it's a wonderful place to live.
• Weather is pretty good and if you are living in Toronto you will probably appreciate the mild winters. The summer isn't as bad as people say and if you want real heat you just nip over the hills (you might end up living there anyway). Actually the negative would be if you are over the hills it is really hot in summer or can be.
• The general situation of the city is stunning. You can't replicate that. If you are into boating or anything along those lines it is unbeatable. Can't swim in the ocean though.

I think if you aren't that bothered about things like a busy social life and you like the outdoors and so on, it's a great place to live. I have spent a lot of time there but never actually had to do personal finance so can't advise on that.

Statesbound

Hi, I'm also planning on moving to the bay area in 7 weeks. Hope you don't mind me gate crashing! Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good bank and mobile phone provider. I pay €20 pay as you go at the moment and I have unlimited data. Data and prepay would be important. Also, what would be the best way to transfer some set up money from Ireland to usa?

DM addict

boreder wrote: »

For the OP, or anyone else reading that is considering a move; This didn't end up being too tricky - I was expecting (after reading on various sites) to have to give some $$ towards a secured credit card and spend 6-9 months building up my credit.

But when I went to open a normal bank account, the lady I dealt with just wanted to see my offer letter, and approved me on the spot for a credit card with a limit of 10% of my annual salary.

Similarly, I needed to get a car once my initial 5 week rental was coming to an end. There are schemes in place to help 'Foreign Professionals' that are in the country on a visa. I got a good rate on the finance, too. It was all very easy to arrange.

As a result of having a credit card and auto finance straight away, my credit score now is pretty healthy, should I wish to stay long term / get a mortgage, etc.

Not sure if this applies to other areas in the states, but relocations are really common here, so I guess the banks / car dealers / etc. are setup to handle the influx of new customers who are likely paid well and in decent jobs.

I can second this - it might depend a bit on your bank of choice, but ours were used to dealing with folks coming in from overseas, so set us up with a credit card/car loan no problem.

boreder

Statesbound wrote: »

Hi, I'm also planning on moving to the bay area in 7 weeks. Hope you don't mind me gate crashing! Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good bank and mobile phone provider. I pay €20 pay as you go at the moment and I have unlimited data. Data and prepay would be important. Also, what would be the best way to transfer some set up money from Ireland to usa?

My relocation consultant brought me to Bank of America the day after I got here, my intention was to just get up and running with them, and then have a look around to see whats what. They will create an account for you without a SSN, which I've read is fairly unusual. I never bothered to move to another bank, because the service has been excellent. My wife also has her accounts with them, and similar to my experience, once she had an offer letter, she was approved for good credit card there and then.

I used TransferWise to transfer money from Ireland to USA. I got decent rates, and the money was usually in my USA account 2-3 days after transferring from Ireland. I've used it to send money back the other way too, with no issue.

My wife is on a pre-pay with T-Mobile and has unlimited everything for $35 / month. That is the cheapest we could find at the time (about a year ago). Once your phone is unlocked, you can walk in and buy a sim-card. My job pays for my service, but from the adverts on TV and stuff, mobile service seems a good bit more expensive here.