Should we move to high COL? - Page 2

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by maptome 

OP, here. How much reserve?  Without dipping into investments, we have enough emergency cash for 2 years.  That should be enough, right?  That reminds me, we do get some income from investments in addition to DP's salary, but I'm not adding it in because of market volatility.

2 years sounds great but I would recalculate your emergency fund based on the new location's costs to make sure... Will it still be 2 years or would it be more like a 6-month fund? Will you need to dip into that fund at all for day-to-day expenses if you move, or will you be able to keep it aside specifically for unplanned emergencies?

[GearGirl]

I think it's great that you are going for it, we did something similar (on less$) and we are still in the Bay Area because we love it so much.  My advice to you is to get an apartment in Los Altos within walking distance to downtown.  Los Altos is very fancy, but downtown is too cute for words and it is unbelievably family friendly, and in many ways easier than Palo Alto (although right next door) because it is just families, not singles and college students competing for the apartments.  Because of that the rent stays "reasonable" even though you are getting one of the very best areas.  There are great playgrounds and parks, and we rented a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment in a small (maybe 8 unit) complex with a pool (fully fenced for safety but so pretty to look at).  We could easily walk to town, and we love downtown Los Altos.  As the kids got older and school aged and since we were not in high tech it wasn't really the right fit for us (we are in Marin County now) but Los Altos was wonderful.  I am an explorer so I went all around and got to know all the towns in the area, and I do think it is the best option.  

[ItsBasilThyme]

I think Sunnyvale area is a great choice!!! It's WAY more affordable, and you probably won't have as big of an income shock there. Sunnyvale/mountainview has lots of young families just starting out like you in the 100-150k range. I don't know the areas of Sunnyvale very well - I'm mostly familiar with just the palo alto through Burlingame area of the peninsula. I wish we could move further south - you just get so much more for your money there. But dh works in the city and doesn't want to add another minute to his commute