How much does living in Silicon Valley cost

The founder of amoCRM, Mikhail Tokovinin, is a successful IT businessman who has been living and working in San Francisco.

Mikhail decided to calculate the cost of living in Silicon Valley. Here are estimates of how much a family of three needs to live in this expensive region of Northern California, which is gradually turning into one large office.

So, the living wage:

$3000 — minimum rent of 1Bedroom. They say you can find it for 2000, but it will be an area where you and your child will not go. However, living with a child in 1BD is also hard. $500 — medical insurance. Yes, you can try to save money, but with a baby in your arms, it's crazy, so $500 is the minimum. $1000 — kindergarten. Yes, you can go to the state, but if you rent the cheapest apartment, then the garden will be appropriate, so you can invest this thousand in a paid garden, or you can rent, of your choice. $ 300 — communal, including Internet at home. Less is unlikely to work for three people. $100 — mobile communication for two. $200 — travel. If you live in San Francisco, then you can do with public transport. $1000 — food. It is unlikely that you will be able to feed three people on less than $ 1,000 a month. $ 200 — unforeseen expenses. Even if you stay at home all year, you will 100% spend $2,400 a year on additional expenses.

But this is survival, because the official poverty threshold here is now $117,000 a year (approximately 7,400,000 rubles).

To live normally, it will take more:

$4,500 — rent a 2BD in a decent neighborhood. $ 1000 — medical insurance for the family. $ 1500 — kindergarten and baby sitters. $ 500 — communal + mobile. $1000 — car (+ parking if it is a city). $3000 — food and restaurants. $500 — additional expenses and tourism within the state (6000 per year).

Total: $12,000 per month / $144,000 per year = $210,000 with taxes (approximately 13,300,000 rubles).

$7000 is the minimum rental of a 3BD+2BH house in a decent place. $1500 — medicine. $2000 — a good kindergarten and baby sitters. $ 500 — communal and mobile. $ 1500 — a normal car + insurance + parking + gasoline. $ 3500 — food and restaurants. $ 1000 — purchases and extras. expenses.

Total: $17,000 per month / $204,000 per year = $350,000 with taxes (approximately 22,105,000 rubles).To live well and better, the formula is more complicated, since taxes grow progressively and at some point become the main item of expenditure. But I think we should start with 30-35 thousand a month or more than 700 thousand a year with taxes.

At the same time, if you think that housing / education / medicine / transport and other food for this money will be much better than in Moscow, you are mistaken. More often, even the opposite.

It is not surprising that the locals howled at the dominance of startups and high-tech companies.

Imagine that you were born here, grew up, but became not a programmer, but, for example, a civil servant, a teacher or a policeman. Now you are a beggar. You can't provide your children with a decent future, while all your fault is only that someone has a crush next to you.