Any of you guys out there with first hand information on SF area having stayed in the area (San Jose, Mountain View area) in terms of
1) Cost of living. I mean rent for a 2\\\\3 bedroom apartment.
2) Cost of food etc if it is any major cost difference from Canada.
3) Public school system in that area and the quality of school education.
4) Culture in schools. is it comparable to canada (for e.g calgary or mississauga areas)
5) Income Tax rates.
6) Any guess how much is the net effect with NAFTA Tax structure if we maintain canadian status (for health care) as well as usa taxes.
7) Excess Cost of healthcare above the HMO Insurance that may be offered by the employer.
8) Any suggestion about place to stay in view of good schools community etc in the above mentioned areas.

Thank you very much in advance for your time. In the mean time I am investigating further on the net.

rp

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I will answer those questions that I know of
1) Cost of living. I mean rent for a 2\\\\3 bedroom apartment.

Around USD 1350-1500. (Average Locations)


2) Cost of food etc if it is any major cost difference from Canada.

Food Cost For a family of two it will cost you about - USD 600

3) Public School System
The Best Public schools are in the areas with the highest rent/real estate.
Cupertino and Palo Alto are the best place to stay in view of Good Schools.


Castguru

Hi,

1. Two bedroom apartments are from USD 1500-1800 in Cupertino area where schools are good. Otherwise you should be able to get one from 1200-1500.

2. Cost of food: you should be able to finish it with 400-500 provided you do your vegetable shopping in Indian stores. But in bay area, you have plenty of Indian stores. You can do wholesale shopping in Costco.

3. Public schools are good. Many people prefer Cupertino as Indians and Chinese are more there.

4. Gas prices are so high in Bay area. It is around $2.60 per gallon with the lowest. So if you live closeby to work place is always better.

5. You have to pay federal and state income taxes unlike in some states, you don't pay state income tax.

6. Regarding health insurance, whatever your employer provides is fine. No need to pay more. HMO is good too but it depends on your copayment per visit.

7. Are you looking for elementary, middle or high schools? In Sanjose, you can look in Evergreen, Almaden or in Cupertino too.

Good Luck!!!

Thank you very much for the information.
We are currenly looking for Elementary school. (I am assuming here that most children go to the public schools as in Canada. ). So from the initial information seems like Cupertino would be the place to look for......
rp

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Hi,

Most of the kids go to public school. But some Indians send the kids to a private school called challenger which costs around 800-1000 per month for elementary school. You should make a choice.

Hi,
Fremont is a very good place. Mission school district is the Best, closely followed by Irvington School district. Fremont is a very safe place. I have lived there for several years.
Indian Groceries are very cheap. Look for apartments in http://www.sulekha.com" rel="nofollow">LINK , http://www.planetguru.com.You" rel="nofollow">LINK can place/look for any type of ads.

You have to pay State Income Tax in California.

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HOPE