Help! My hubs was offered a gig in Silicon Valley--a great opportunity with a startup, and he is really excited about it. That being said, we are Canadian and due to all sorts of immigration rigamarole that I don't really understand, the type of visa that is currently available (TN) would not allow his dependents (me!) to work. Cue panic.
Anyone living in the Silicon Valley area, can you give me an idea of what some general benchmarks might be for a family of 4? I do not want to arrive with a ridiculous idea of what a 'decent' monthly income would be only to have my bubble burst and be stuck without the opportunity to work to help with things!
Oh, so I have decided to leave a poll--what do you think that the minimum annual income level for a family of 4 would be (renting, not buying)?
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I haven't voted yet, but I wanted to say that it largely depends on where you live. Do you know what city you're living in yet?
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@Boogs: Hi! Thanks for the note--we are thinking about the Willow Glen area of San Jose--any idea about that?
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@woodentulip: SV is expensive. Willow Glen is pricey, too! Honestly don't know how much it would cost to feed a family of 4, but tax and groceries are expensive here. Rent may be something like $2500/mo depending what you get. I'd probably say above $90k if possible.
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@woodentulip: Willow Glen is a nice area. I lived in San Jose for a few years. One of the best ways to get a sense of cost is look on craigslist at the type of housing you want. You can start to get an idea of rental costs that way. SJ area is an expensive area to live in, and doing it on one income may be challenging. Another thing to think of, depending where his job is head quartered, look at housing in Milpitas, Saratoga (some parts are expensive, some aren't), or even Fremont. South San Jose has some less expensive areas too, but avoid East San Jose! My MIL lives in the south part of San Jose and works in Willow Glen. Her drive time is 10-15 minutes by surface streets, not too bad.
San Jose does have a nice public transportation program that isn't too expensive. transit.511.org can help you map out how to get where you are going. Also, there are a lot of parks in the SJ area. They have some great children's things to do too, museums and whatnot. Let me know if you want more info! -
Thanks so much for the info and please keep it coming! I am a little hopeful that coming from Canada will make the sticker shock a little less shocking, but the whole thin has me quite panicked!
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@woodentulip: MaisyMay said exactly what I would have! If you can afford it, it's a nice area, though.
Traffic can get pretty nasty around here, so if you can keep your commute time short it's definitely an added bonus. Do you already know what city your husband will work in?
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@woodentulip: I know this isn't directly related to your question but if you want to stay in the US long term, I would recommend applying for your green cards as soon as possible. That isn't always recommended while on a TN, but you should consult an immigration attorney for your options. As long as your husband is on a TN or H1-B, you will not be able to work. Only after you get an EAD/green card will you be able to obtain employment (or you are able to get your own work permit). It took YEARS for mine so I would recommend applying sooner rather than later. You would also want your husband to discuss this with his employer prior to accepting employment since it typically requires sponsorship from them. Good luck!
Traffic can get pretty nasty around here, so if you can keep your commute time short it's definitely an added bonus. Do you already know what city your husband will work in?
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