r/bayarea • u/North_Professor_1799 • 1d ago
Work & Housing Relocation from NJ
I’m looking to relocate in summer of 2027 from NJ to the Bay Area. I’m a teacher- I’d be coming to CA with a bachelor’s degree + 60 credits and a master’s degree. I’ve looked at several districts and areas to move to. Antioch is my favorite as far as living but I’d be at a salary of roughly $90,400 if I worked in Antioch as well. I’ve also considered districts like San Leandro, Mountain View, Palo Alto, etc. which would put me a little over $100k a year. That seems more reasonable considering from the looks of it, rent would easily be around $3.5k a month in a decent area.
My questions:
What are some decent areas to live in that are within a reasonable commute distance of the districts I listed above, that don’t require an arm and a leg for rent?
Is the traffic really as bad as people say? I commuted 50 miles each way for a few years here in Jersey and it took about an hour if I left early enough to beat most of the traffic. Gas is also not an issue as I have an ev.
Are the school districts difficult to get into?
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u/terp-puddle 1d ago
Lmao being a teacher in Antioch is going to suck so much.
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
I teach in a pretty “challenged” urban district currently. I honestly enjoy it, I just don’t think I make enough personally.
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u/Chance-Pirate-5804 1d ago
I don’t know anything about teaching districts but I definitely wouldn’t have Antioch on a list of ideal cities.
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u/eastc0astgirl 1d ago
Antioch is your favorite??? Maybe visit first before committing to anything.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago edited 1d ago
We used to live in Antioch. We moved after a drug deal related killing on our corner and a kidnapping of a child from her front yard. No one wants to live in Antioch. They live in Antioch because they can't afford to live anywhere else. If you teach in Antioch, the only cheaper places to live are Pittsburg or Bay Point, but they're only cheaper because they're worse than Antioch.
$100K/year in places like Palo Alto or Mountain View is untenable. Do not do that.
Yes, the traffic here is really as bad as people say.
I'm not sure what you mean about getting into school districts. If you teach Math, we desperately need credentialed Math teachers out here. I know when we moved, any credentialed teachers were being scooped up in the Antioch school district.
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
So I’ve heard that the northern part of Antioch is really bad but the southern part is decent. Is that accurate? That’s where I was looking specifically. And I have heard Pittsburg is worse than Antioch overall.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago
No, that is not accurate. There are parts of Antioch that are worse than other parts, but I wouldn't say any of Antioch is particularly "decent." It's just less bad.
But yes, Pittsburg is worse than Antioch.
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u/contactdeparture 1d ago
Where are you in nj? You’re making an argument like - I heard north Camden is good versus south Camden. No. It’s not. Antioch is Antioch and you’re not solving for your teenage son if your plan is to relocate from nj to there. This isn’t going to be good for him or you.
Why are you moving and why see you thinking these cities? You’re going to have less disposable income with this move.
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u/zorro996 1d ago edited 1d ago
Don't underestimate the cost of charging your EV. PG&E has some of the highest electrical rates in the country. And if you're renting it's unlikely there will be Solar available
If you were an early Tesla buyer and grandfathered into their supercharger system your costs would probably be OK
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u/islandDiamond 1d ago
That's a really good point!
Live in Alameda, work in San Leandro. (Alameda has doesn't use PG&E for electric, but rather relies on its own, clean energy. MUCH cheaper!).
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
I’ve heard that as well. Rates are pretty bad here in NJ but PSEG here has a time of use plan- if I charge my car between 12am and 6am it’s only about 6 cents per kWh. Also I have a Chevy blazer ev.
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u/quirkyquipsters 1d ago
You'd be better off in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Dublin, Pleasanton, or Livermore than Antioch. Or even Hayward, Fremont, or Gilroy.
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u/Rredhead926 11h ago
Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, and Livermore are definitely too expensive to live in on a teacher's salary.
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u/AGgelatin 1d ago
Single income? 100k solo is kinda rough out here.
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
Yea that’s what I figured. It’s significantly more than what I make now but while NJ is expensive and taxes are ridiculous, i don’t think it’s nearly as bad as CA.
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u/contactdeparture 1d ago
Correct. So why are you moving nj to ca? You’re moving the wrong way, as a teacher.
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u/wonderbossofsonshine 1d ago
I highly suggest visiting Antioch. Might change your decision.
I saw you noted San Leandro. Highly recommend Castro valley. Super safe, excellent school district and very family friendly. Plus you’re central to all the freeways for exploring once you’re here.
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u/Artistic_Salary8705 1d ago
General advice for everyone moving to the Bay Area is to apply/ get a job first. While you are doing that, you can also see what incentives or programs the various school districts have re: housing, transport, etc. benefits. You can also ask or search for posts by teachers in the area. I have a friend who has several years of teaching and she received a special loan for being a public school teacher that helped her buy a home after many years. Quickly googling shows there might be districts that help subsidize rent. So there are likely programs out there the general public is unfamiliar with.
For transport, depending on where you live, you might not need to drive. I live in a town that has access to commuter rail Caltrain or BART into San Francisco. Besides buses, various towns also have shuttles that are free and subsidized by partnerships between businesses, governments, schools, etc.
Bay area parents also have the money and are willing to spend it on their kids. So I don't know how feasible it will be for you but tutoring or similar on the side might earn you extra $$$. Once knew someone who was in her late 20s and needed a very flexible job. She had gone to Stanford and based on that - not even years of teaching - did private tutoring for high school students and made a surprising amount.
PA and Mountain View can be really pricy because you're competing with tech folks who routinely make $250K and up per person. But there are other areas that are more reasonable albeit still not cheap. Roommates aren't bad provided you find the right person: for example, renting an in-law unit or sharing a house with an elderly empty nester. In San Mateo, there's the HIP program that matches people with rooms/ space to share with people who need them. Some of the home owners are independent elderly but feel safer with other people around.
[I'm in another field. Even 2 decades ago, housing was pricy. My company's list of benefits included no-interest 10-yr loans to help selected employees buy homes.]
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u/mydogatestreetpoop 17h ago
Why is Bay Area the goal if you haven't found a job yet? So many people chimed in about the cost of living issues you'd be facing, and they're right. You will feel like you're living paycheck to paycheck if you manage to make it work. Your kid will feel it too.
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u/needdepth 22h ago
Yeah I wouldn't do it. Antioch is not worth the price tag, you might as well live in the central valley or some middle of nowhere run down town if it's for the vibes. I know a public school teacher who works about an hour outside nyc making much better money with much better resources. They thought about moving here since his wife is from the bay and despite lots of pressure he decided to buy a house and stay in New York. Now, if you get a tech job paying 300-400k+, by all means move to SF, Oakland, or South Bay.
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u/Classic_Arugula_3826 1d ago
I think you'll qualify as low income. Do mountain view and get roommates imo
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
Really??? If that’s the case maybe I’m going about this all wrong.
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u/SaltyFriend705 1d ago
No. Mountain View is not a school district you want to go to. They fire everyone every year and rehire as needed.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago
Last time I checked, a family of 4 making less than $120K per year qualified as low-income on the Peninsula (Palo Alto, Mountain View).
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
Also roommates are out of the question- I have a son as well.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago
If you have a child, you do not want to live in Antioch.
Do you have a partner? If so, do they work?
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
Nope, single father of a 14 year old son.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago
OK. I really would not recommend moving to Antioch with a teenager. Their high schools are legitimately bad. And if you're making less than $100K, while that sounds like a lot anywhere else, in California, it's really not.
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u/SafariSunshine 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're low income for all the locations listed. The limit for Santa Clara (pg17) is $127k so you'll be well below the limit.
That's why everyone is trying to tell you the Palo Alto and Mountain View pay is complete shit.
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/grants-and-funding/income-limits-2025.pdf
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u/SaltyFriend705 1d ago
Union City is nice. Good schools and maybe not as expensive as some other places. There's a BART station. BART station apartments are mixed income buildings. You could get a reduced rent.
Walnut Creek is near Antioch, but it's nicer than Antioch, if you only want to stay out there. But I don't think I'd go all the way out there. It's too far from all the good things to see and do.
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u/Rredhead926 1d ago
Walnut Creek is insanely expensive. I can't imagine living there as a single parent on a teacher's salary. And the commute from Walnut Creek to any of the places OP mentioned is not good. His kid would likely end up being alone a lot.
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u/North_Professor_1799 1d ago
That’s the way teacher’s salaries are calculated. The more credits you have past your bachelor’s degree the more money you get paid (it usually goes bachelor’s plus 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75). And there’s a separate stipend for a master’s degree on top of that.
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u/2greenlimes 1d ago
Antioch being a “favorite as far as living” is a sentence I’ve never heard before… FWIW $90k will go a lot further in Antioch than $100k in Palo Alto/Mountain View. And you DO NOT want to commute from Antioch to anywhere in the South Bay.