Sure, but in the counterfactual non-rent-control world, staying in SJ at $1000 isn’t even an option. Maybe efficiencies bring down prevailing rents a little bit, but enough to matter?

The more interesting question is, why are the 50 miles between SF and SJ reserved for sparsely packed single family homes and one story strip malls?

That’s changing. They’re building higher up in Redwood City, South SF, and the surrounding areas. It’s costly to replace the older model of American development from the 50’s. They waited until the last minute to start working on the issue.

Redwood City has been interesting to watch. I hope they get more diverse retail with the added increased density. Right now it is a lot of restaurants and bars, which while nice to have, means that it misses out on a lot of the foot traffic and such that other Peninsula cities like neighboring San Carlos, or Mountain View, etc. have.

Redwood City is also nicely positioned as a mid-point between SF and South Bay.

Beyond that, it seems the entire El Camino corridor is being heavily developed with retail and high-density condos and apartments.

Interesting. I looked at some of these complexes - similar rents to new construction in downtown SF (and similar unit sizes). Why? Schools, maybe?

Many complexes along El Camino on the peninsula seem to be increasing rent wherever possible. They "renovate" (add stainless appliances basically) and it lets them increase rent for a unit by a few hundred dollars at least. They also charge 200-300 more for a parking spot (I've spoken with complexes before where one unit without parking was 200-300 less than another with one spot, or a unit with an extra/second spot).

Some of these areas (Redwood City in this case) are next to major Caltrain stations with Baby Bullet stops. But they're also convenient (technically speaking) for going on 101S/N to work, etc.

Right, but why are people willing to pay as much/more for these complexes relative to a shiny high-rise in downtown SF?

They may have more square footage, pools, warmer climate during summer, more parks for children/pets, better schools in some areas as mentioned.

That's part of why I'd prefer living on the peninsula than in downtown SF. Weather is consistently better in the summer months. More space/less people (except for rush hour traffic). More parks for recreation. Pools aren't necessarily a deal breaker for me, but it's a nice extra.

A shiny high-rise is nice but unless you can afford a penthouse or similar you're probably looking at a small unit. Less space, fewer parks, more people everywhere (tourists, homeless, etc.)

The schools in RWC are not great (although hopefully that will change with the influx of reset Prop 13 tax dollars from new residents.

The downtown has a solid layout though and lots of room for growth. The RWC downtown has the potential for offering a lot more than some neighboring downtowns that are less dense and could be a nice hybrid between SF and more "suburban" Peninsula cities.

Real question, why not look for a different job closer to San Jose?

And here we see nerfhammer@ point being made. Your question is good. And that shows that the laws discourage people from seeking work far from where they currently live.

I'm relatively fresh out of school (just over a year full-time at my current job) so I don't know that it'd be as easy to just switch now without looking like I hop job to job.

Moving jobs after a year is very common in tech. If you have any co-workers who left, asking them for referral (if they like the new gig) is a great way to go about it. Lots of companies pay referral bonuses so your old co-worker will be happy about it too. I'm on my third job after graduating and have more than doubled my income in 3.5 years.

A year in is a perfect time to hop IMHO.

maybe you could swing 3 remote days a week at some point?

Possibly; my manager basically already does that, but then he's a manager so he has the rank to do it.

You should use the long commute as leverage, i.e. you need to either work one more day a week from home or start looking for something closer to SJ. You won't come off as looking disloyal to the company because everyone understands how brutal that commute is.

You're asking: what's the advantage of being willing to look farther afield to find your perfect job? That's what people in this thread are talking about when they say "labor mobility".

In case you want me to answer, there are myriad advantages: the chance to work with your most preferred tools, on a product that's more interesting you, with maximally compatible coworkers, etc. All the normal reasons people go somewhere besides where they were born for a job.

Are you willing to live with housemates?

That's the only way you're going to come anywhere near your current rent. As a bonus you'll get more space generally and some community.

Not particularly. I've had that experience before and much prefer being on my own now. I find my community elsewhere. I prefer to think of my apartment as my own space, whereas a house (or shared multi-room apartment) would require having a communal kitchen/living room.

I have a friend in Oakland paying $1200 for his own place (rent controlled). Might be near impossible to find, but it’s out there!

How exactly do you get a rent controlled steal in San Jose? Those 8% annual increases add up (multiply up) very quickly.

Found a small, privately-owned 8 or so unit apartment building that a coworker of mine was living at back when I was in school. She recommended me to the apartment manager/owner, who then gave me a good deal on a unit that needed things re-done (carpet, paint, etc.) by not renovating it as planned. Since it's rent-controlled they've only increased my rent by a small amount twice in my 5 years living there.

if they only increased it twice, then that's not due to rent control, which allowed for 8% each year (recently changed to 5%)

No. You misunderstand what I said.

My unit is rent-controlled. However, the owner of the building has only increased rent twice, both being the max they could under the rent control limit. They just haven't continually increased it on an annual basis because apparently they haven't needed to.

so you're saying they "banked" the increase

still, an annualized 8% is quite a bit (over 5 years it would be 46%)

Yeah. I'm honestly very fortunate in my situation. Many low income families pay more and don't necessarily have rent control like I do.