If you’re going to San Francisco…
Be sure to read our guide on careers in the Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area is in Northern California, US. It encompasses the wine country of the Napa and Sonoma vallies, as well as Silicon Valley, home to many of the world’s biggest high-tech companies. More than 7.5 million people live in the area in cities such as San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. With an unemployment rate of about 3.6% – lower than the US average of about 4.7% – the Bay Area has a vibrant and healthy job market. In fact, the number of job openings in the region has grown roughly 13% year over year, according to Scott Dobroski, a trends analyst at the career website Glassdoor.
However, living costs have skyrocketed. The median home price in the greater Bay Area was about $766,000 (£629,520) in 2015, which dwarfed the US average of $248,000, according to the Bayarea Council Economic Institute. Data from CoreLogic indicate that, as of August 2016, the median home sale price was up 5.2% from the previous year.