San Jose Salary? My Paycheck Barely Covers My Coffee and My Existential Dread
so you think san jose is just tech bros in hoodies chasing million-dollar exits? cute. i’ve been here five years, three jobs, two broken printers, and one very confused cactus i kept alive by screaming at it. the average salary? $128k. yeah. great. let’s translate that into reality.
first: rent. you want a 1-bedroom that doesn’t smell like someone’s regret? $3,400. no, that’s not a typo. it’s not even a studio. it’s an 8x12 box with a microwave that beeps like a dying robot. i heard a girl on the bART last week say she pays $4,100 for "a legal sleeping space" and actually sounded proud.
here’s the math i do quietly on my phone at 2am:
| Expense | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rent (1br) | $3,400 | If you’re lucky, it has a window |
| Utilities | $180 | LOL, includes wifi that cuts out when the neighbor’s drone flies overhead |
| Groceries | $550 | You pay $12 for a bunch of kale that looks like it’s been through a war |
| Car Insurance | $220 | Because yes, you need a car. “Public transit” here means a bus that’s always 47 minutes late |
| Gas | $280 | Every trip to the beach feels like a pilgrimage |
| Coffee | $190 | 3 visits to Grindstone, one to Ritual, one to that place where they grind beans to the sound of acetone |
| Student Loans | $700 | Still paying off undergrad. my degree is in "learning how to speak corporate but quietly cry" |
| Total | $5,520 |
so yeah, $128k is $10,666/month. after taxes? $7,500. you’re left with $1,980. and this is assuming you don’t get sick. or need a new phone. or want to see your family. or have a hobby that involves paper.
overheard at the 7-eleven:
> "I just maxed out my credit card buying a golden retriever. Why? Because i needed something that actually smiled back."
> "My landlord raised my rent $500 because i composted. Said it "flooded the aesthetic.""
sandwiches here cost $18. you pay extra if you want the bread toasted. the vegan avocado toast at Kava has a side of judgment and a price tag that violates the Geneva Convention.
i’ve driven to santa cruz in an hour. 45 minutes to sfo to catch flights that cost more than my rent in marseilles. my neighbors in cupertino are probably millionaires. my neighbor in san jose walks around in a full tuxedo because he says he “will never stop auditioning for life.”
the weather? today it’s that weird silvery gray they get in april-like someone spilled mercury over a spreadsheet and forgot to clean it up. the air smells like burnt almonds and overpriced pineapple juice from the farmers market.
drunk advice from a girl in red boots at The Cellar:
> "you want to live here? find a job that pays in equity. or find someone who owns land. or just move to the philippines and pretend you’re still in tech."
i actually looked into that.
i’ve talked to four people who work at Adobe, Apple, and Salesforce. all of them have a “why am i still here” tattoo hidden under their sleeve. one of them uses his salary to fund a ghost hunting podcast. another drives to yosemite every month just to cry into a 35mm film camera.
if you’re here for the job - congrats, you’re rich. if you’re here for the life? you’re just hustling to keep your worth from bleeding out with every Uber Eats delivery.
links i live by:
- San Jose Renters’ Horror Stories (Reddit)
- Yelp’s "Worst Landlord in San Jose" Thread
- Where to Find Free Parking (Unofficial but Sacred)
- This one place still serves $3 tacos. Don’t tell anyone.
i still haven’t found the perfect coffee. and i probably never will. but i keep looking. because in san jose, even broken things by the roadside are kind of beautiful - if you’re willing to pay $32 for the privilege of seeing them.
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