Chade on 29/10/2011 at 01:58

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Hi All,

It looks like I'll receive a job offer in San Fransisco shortly. We're going to start talking about compensation, etc, next week. I'll do some research into the city and surrounding areas this weekend, and I was hoping that someone at TTLG might have some advice to share ...

It sounds like a nice place to live, my concerns are more practical:

1) What sort of salary would I need to support a family over there (wife / two kids / one kid in school), assuming we needed to settle in a decent area either in San Fransisco or within a 40 minute commute on public transport?

2) What are the public schools like over there? What are the private schools like (and how expensive are they)?

3) How will California's financial problems affect me on a day-to-day basis? What state is the health care system in? etc ...

4) Umm ... that's about it off the top of my head. Any other advice you have is very welcome, of course.

Thanks everyone ... :)

Aerothorn on 29/10/2011 at 06:05

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San Francisco is quite expensive - while there some dispute as to what constitutes a living wage, the (http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/) Living Wage Calculator seems like a solid place to start, and that says there'd need to be an income of (http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/counties/06075) $32.70 to support two adults and two kids. Make of that what you will.

For what it's worth, I've really liked it the few times I've been - I greatly prefer west coast culture, and San Fran combines the laid-back California attitude with a real energy. There's a lot going on there. Public transportation is definitely above average for American cities, which is good because, as noted, parking is horrendous. Don't know anything about the school system - natives will have to speak for that.

As far as budgetary stuff goes, rapidly increasing health care costs is more of a national issue than a state one (though California's broken political system doesn't help), and something that isn't likely to change soon; the Affordable Health Care Act is mostly a reform bill that doesn't do a lot to control cost, and even that mild legislation is hated by half the country and viewed with suspicion by a solid majority. That said, in this country health care is traditionally paid for by the employer; you should be covered with any decent job, but as health care costs continue to increase that will either change or it will come out of your wages (as it effectively does now).

heywood on 29/10/2011 at 09:02

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San Francisco is a very nice city. I have friends in the Bay area that I occasionally see and have visited SF several times and really enjoyed it. I never lived there, but it's a place that my wife and I have thought about moving to in the past. I think I like Sydney better, but there are a lot of similarities.

As Aerothorn says, it's one of the most expensive cities in the US. But coming from a major Australian city, the cost of living won't be too shocking. Housing costs are probably comparable to Sydney or Melbourne, but groceries, clothing, and finished goods will be cheaper. It's hard to say what level of compensation you need because it will vary significantly depending on where you decide to live, what kind of housing you're looking for, how much you save, and how much disposable income you expect to have for recreation, etc. If I remember right, your line of work is software. Same for me, so if you want to talk about typical compensation levels by position & experience, send me a PM.

Are you going there on a secondment from your present company or are you going to be hired directly by a US employer? If going on a secondment, your tax situation may be complicated. They may offer tax equalisation, but if not make sure you do your homework before agreeing to compensation. If you're going to be employed directly by a US employer, your tax burden will probably be a little less than it is now, but not dramatically so. When I ran the numbers on taxes before coming to Australia I was surprised the difference wasn't bigger.

Commuting in the Bay Area can be one of the low points. And traffic can be brutal. If the job is in the city, and you live in the city, you'll probably commute to work on the Muni network (buses and streetcars). It has good coverage in the city but it's crowded and not very reliable. If you live outside of the city and commute in, BART and Caltrain are nice, but both are limited networks so expect to drive or cycle to the nearest station as part of your commute.

Public schools can range from bad to very good depending on where you live. In the cities (SF, Oakland, San Jose) it will be harder to find good public schools. I'm not familiar with how the SF school system allocates students to schools, so I don't know how easy or difficult it is to get your kids into a good one. It's probably less of an issue in the early years (K-3) but definitely something to be concerned about. Better public schools are going to be found in the upper middle class suburbs on the peninsula from San Mateo down towards Silicon Valley, and along the Hwy 24 corridor to Walnut Creek. Or so my friends say anyway. Naturally, these will be more expensive. Private schools vary from OK to very good and tuitions vary from $20-40k. Not worth it unless you're stuck with bad city schools and are very well paid.

Assuming you're going to work at a medium-large company, you should expect health care to be covered through a group insurance policy that the company enters with a health insurance provider. The company will pay the bulk of the premium, and you will have to pay a portion too through a payroll deduction. For a family plan, the total premium will probably be somewhere around $10k and the company will probably pick up around 2/3 of that (it varies). In addition to the payroll deduction, you'll also have to make small copayments directly to providers for office visits and pharmaceuticals, and excesses for ambulances, inpatient care, and major procedures. If it's a large company, they may have multiple policies with different options to chose from, some with high premiums but low copays and excesses, some the opposite, some with medical savings accounts. And if you ever have to pay for an individual policy, it could be more like $12-15k for a family plan (doubled in the last 10 years!).

The California based TTLG-ers should comment on the state financial issues.

HTH

june gloom on 29/10/2011 at 13:52

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That living wage calculator is excellent. It's actually cheaper for a family of four in Seattle than in Cincinnati, if only just. Hmm.

Martin Karne on 29/10/2011 at 17:33

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You might need a chastity belt, just in case.




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