Hi Residents,

My husbands company has asked us to relocate to Palo Alto. Would like to know the break up of the cost for a family of four including 2 children. Kindly let me know the cost for the items listed below:

1. School
2. Rental
3. Utilities
4. Communication ( modile, cable)
5. Meals ( vegetarians)
6. Medical
7. Transportation ( car, public)

We are planning to move in the month of August 2013. Hence any inputs on the above will be highly appreciated

Thanks so much in advance

Regrads,
Vinny

in August, school is out, so that one is free.

Thx Malcolm but we would be there for at least 2+ yrs ....not just in August

$4,500-$6,000 monthly. Or even more depending on rental you choose

What school?  Public school is free.  Having kids is very very expensive.  Meals, do you eat out or cook at home?  Medical, does your company cover health insurance (if not, I would not take the job).  Transportation, you'll each need a car.  If they kids are old enough, they'll need their own cars.  Cell phones with data, probably $120 to $200 per month.  There is some website on cost of living for various communities.

Where are you moving from?  India?

Move to Fremont or Newark..much cheaper and it's just right over the bridge.

Hi All,

Thank you so much for the response. Jst to answer some of the question:

- My kids are 4 and 6 yr old. So if they drive a car u know what will happen :). So car expense for them is out of question.

- We will be moving on L1 visa.and my husbands company will be covering for health insurance. Some top up maybe required.

- We are vegeterian and will be cooking at home

- We are moving from Singapore

Besides we are looking at rental not exceeding 3K/ month. Hence do u have any suggestion whether we look at Palo Alto or should we look at nearby areas.

How far is Newark/ Fremont from Palo Alto. Do we have good school in these area ? How are public schoold in Palo Alto. Through the websites I have heard a lot of good thing about Unified School district. Apprecaite if someone can give me more info.

Also please let me know websites which can giv a rough estimate on cost of living. Apprecaite all of ur help and guidance.

Thanks so much
Vinny

Mt View will give you more bang for your buck. I don't have info on all the financials, but remember this: all that glitters isn't gold, $$ won't get you all you want, and don't be swayed by the high API scores.

I am biased but I also know this community well, and I will leave it at that.

Fremont is probably 30 min from PA on a good day. Good for families. I lived in PA, it is pricey to rent there.

Rent:
$3K a month rent gives you 2 bedroom single home or apartment in OK areas.
School:
Send your kid (6 yrs old) to public school first and see if you can afford private school  later. Your 4 yrs old is not old enough for school yet unless you want to send him/her to preschool.
Heath Insurance:
I don't know any companies that pay the entire costs.  For family plan, expect to pay $200-$400 a month after your husband's company pays. This is on top of the co-payment/deductibles.  Some companies have a very bad plan and you would have to pay up to $700 a month for family plan and still have a very high deductibles.

Information from websites or other online information are helpful. If you are very concerned, please call and find out.
I work in Palo Alto but live across the bridge. I have two kids too, 4 and 8.
Good luck.

I would definitely check out Mountain View. It's close to highways, schools, and has a nice downtown area. Great vegetarian restaurants within a 5 mile radius. Mountain view is about a 10-15 minute drive to Palo Alto. However I would not scratch out Newark or Fremont. I personally like Mountain View better. Although Fremont has great hiking areas if you like the outdoors.

Plus you don't have to pay a toll if u reside in Mountain View

Hi All,

Thank you so so so much for your valuble inputs. It seems I am at the right platform :)

Yes it seems a good idea to send kids to public school and later check if we can afford private schools. Also do you have any rough idea on preschool ? I would like my 4 yr old naughty boy to attend pre-school as after settling down I also plan to look for job.

Besides we are looking at 2 bedroon apartment. I believe Palo alto rental is expensive hence I will explore nearby areas closer to Palo Alto.

@ Naomi  Mountain View seems exciting. Besides it will sometimes save me from cooking with veg restaurants located close.Will I get an apt with gud facilities for a budget of 3K/ month in Mountain View ? If yes which one do you suggest ?

Normally what is the range of Utility bills as  plan to do a lot of cooking. Can i break down the cost as below. Any inputs will be highly appreciated.

Expense                                       Per Month Annual
Extra Curiccular Activities for kids 500 6000
Rental                                       3000 36000
Utilities                                        600 7200
Mobile & Telephone                     400 4800
Grocery + Meals                     2000 24000
Medical                                        400 4800
Internet, Cable TV                     100 1200
Total                                         7000 84000

Thank you once again and looking forward to more inputs.

Vinny

While housing cost is expensive in Palo Alto, it's nothing compared to Singapore.

So true Peter ..not only housing but also intl. schools and cars r very expensive ...:)

BMW insurance is astronomical
Farmer's markets are astronomical
Movie popcorn is astronomical

Pretty much everything is astronomical in Palo Alto - and  California in general

"Scummyvale" - huh.

*adds notes to spreadsheet*

YEah Singapore is expensive. At least the food is amazing.

Hi All,

Thanks once again.

With all these I am getting a clearer picture. We are still in the process of making a decision vis a vis Palo Alto  and Singapore.

Thank you for the brief on the cost. Any more inputs on the cost will be highly appreciated.

cheers...vinny

Hi Vinny,

I moved to Palo Alto almost 4 years ago. My son was in the middle of 5th grade. I could have chosen nearby cities (my job is at Stanford), but I'm glad I chose PA. Living close to where you work is a plus because commuting on the Peninsula/South Bay is a nightmare.

It seems like your budget is in line for a 2 bedroom apartment in PA - stay to the West of Hwy 101 and you'll be fine. Utilities are provided through the City of Palo Alto (electricity, gas, water, garbage). I've found the rates to be competitive to other cities' providers. Of course your costs will be cheaper with an apartment because you won't have to worry about yard care and sometimes properties cover the cost for garbage. What you have budgeted seems sufficient. I have a 2 bedroom apartment and my electricity is $70, water is $80 per month (garbage is covered) for a family of 3. Of course this will be more for your family of 4 and will depend on the efficiency/age of the appliances in your unit.

Public schools are top notch - they have ranked among the top in the state and even the nation. Keep in mind that Palo Alto Unified School District starts in mid-August. You need to start the enrollment process as soon as you procure housing, because PAUSD requires more documentation (of residency, immunizations, etc) than I've experienced in other districts. Enrolling early will also help you get into the neighborhood school closest to you.

Palo Alto Recreation District has great activities for toddlers and school age kids year-round. There are also many well-groomed parks, public pools and libraries in town.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Diane

Wow Diana..ur inputs have given me a good insight on school and utility cost.

And thanks for the heads up on school admission. What is the timing for a normal day school. I plan to work after getting setlled hence need to understand do I need to put my child in child care after school.

Also do you have info on pre-school. What is the cost of pre-school.

Any inputs will be highly appreciated.

cheers...vinny

California and the Bay Area especially has the freshest farm produce anywhere.  This is great for vegetarians.  There are also lots of Indian families here (you are Indian I presume?).  So culturally you should be very comfortable.  I have a nephew who is posting to Singapore for 2 years (actually his wife is, and he works remotely for a company here).  So far they are looking forward to coming back to the Bay Area next year.  They do not like living in Singapore, even though they love the food.

Vinny, for elementary school, I recall it being 8:15 am - 2:40 except Wednesdays which had early dismissal at 1:40. Some elementaries have varied schedules, you can check out neighborhood schools at pausd.org .

Many preschools and after school programs are run through Palo Alto Community Child Care paccc.org - the fee schedule is on the website.

Thanks so much Peter and Diana. I am now getting positive vibes to move to palo alto...

i think one major advantage we have in singapore is that we get maid very easily and they are very well trainined to do all house work. This I shall miss lots in palo alto.

Seems I need to come out of my comfort zone and do some domestic work. BTW gud part is that household chorus may help me to shed some weight :)

any more inputs will be appeciated.

cheery...vinny

Friends,

Need some more info;

Are the apartments fully furnished ?
What about white goods ?

Thanks so much in advance,
Vinny

Vinny apartments here are unfurnished unless specifically titled furnished.

Thx Diana :)

Any idea on websites where I could get a rough idea on cost of furnitures ?

Rent is too damn high

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What kind of furniture? Low end Ikea is in East Palo Alto - ikea.com. A lot of people start off with that when they first settle here.

Diana we will need everything as we dont plan to bring furniture along with us. Would apprecaite if you can share the tentative cost of things like bed, sofa, TV cabinets, dining table etc

The prices are all listed on the website I shared.

Thx diana...just browsing through them. U all have been a great help...thx so much

There are many stores where you can get furnitures and white goods.  Macy's has furniture store and general dept store.  IKEA is another option.  Targets sell white goods and kitchen appliances.  Many many other stores.

Thank you Peter. I am assuming that white good will be available in apartments. Is my assumptions correct ?

What's a white good? Looking it up on google it seems to be what we would call a major appliance.

Any rental apartment or house includes a refrigerator, heater, and water heater, plus an oven and stove. Larger and more luxurious apartments include a clothes washer and drier inside the unit. Smaller and more downscale urban apartments have pay laundry rooms. Similarly, most nicer places have a dishwasher. The television is typically up to you and the cleaning equipment. Most apartments do not include air humdifiers or dehumidifiers or air filters.

San Francisco is one of the few places where you do not really need air conditioning (a cooler) because it never gets too hot. The farther south you go in the peninsula the warmer it is. So in Palo Alto, a private home probably has cool air, but some older homes do not.

Most rentals do not include a microwave, although it could be built into your installed oven.

If you are living for short term, Ikea is your friend. I think they have this furniture store in Singapore. There are many beautiful expensive furniture stores, but you can also buy inexpensive and used furniture, and lots of stuff for free if you find someone who wants to give it away.

Gil is right about what appliances come with apartments. Palo Alto is definitely warmer than San Francisco. I've lived in an old apartment without an AC here and was miserable. Try to get one with an AC or one that has a window where you can install a unit.

* someone called for needing a Unit installed?? I got here as quick as i could...

Keep in mind that heat rises and upper levels are warmer than lower levels. The top floor's roof often gets a full blast of sunlight causing the apt to get really hot. Living below the top floor, you are somewhat insulated from the heat.

Hey Thanks so much everyone..FINALLY WE HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO MOVE....:)

Highly highly appreciate all your inputs.

WE will physically be coming on 1st August, Can i get ur expert guidance on :

1. How many days in advance do we need to apply for school admission ?
2. How soon shud we start searching for apartments availablity ?

Company will be providing 1 month hotel stay..Hence if we want to shift to an aprtment in september can we start searching from 1st week of august or do we need to start earlier ?

Please advice.

One more thing

Are Pre-schools avaialbil in PAUSD? I need to send my 4 yr old to a pre-school..Do we have a public pre -school or all are private ?

1) apply as soon as you have an address. All of the documents you need are on the pausd.org website under documents
2) look for apartments as soon as you get here. It's a pretty competitive market for affordable apartments

The school district doesn't offer preschool. Only the Palo Alto Community Child Care organization I told you about.

1)* it's under Enrollment not documents

Just one more thing,....
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There actually is a pre-school affiliated with the PAUSD called Pre-School Family:  psf.pausd.org.  However, enrollment is limited and spots are not always available.  Some other highly-regarded pre-schools are Friends pafns.org, Parents Nursery School parentsnurseryschool.org, and Bing stanford.edu/dept/bingsc…, which is affiliated with Stanford.  

The PAUSD school year starts on August 15 this year, and you need to show home ownership or a signed lease contract  to register, so unless you get here earlier and secure some long-term housing, your kids will not be able to register in time for the start of the school year.  For more information, go to pausd.org/parents/regist…

Palo Alto is a fantastic place to live, especially if you have young children.  Unfortunately, many home buyers agree with me, and this is pushing housing prices into the stratosphere these days.

Great place if you have the money. This City is full of snobs though :-/

Hi All,

Thank you so much for the info..just went thru some websites..Yes we need to close place of stay as soon as we reach...thank you for the heads up,

now need to plan where to stay and which apartment. budget between 2.5 - 3K.

Any recommendation will be highly appreciated:

Apartments closer to schools will be my first priority.

Hi All,

Thank you so much for the info..just went thru some websites..Yes we need to close place of stay as soon as we reach...thank you for the heads up,

now need to plan where to stay and which apartment. budget between 2.5 - 3K.

Any recommendation will be highly appreciated:

Apartments closer to schools will be my first priority.

Just one more thing,....
gocreate.com/workouts/im…