I am a Program Officer at Open Philanthropy who joined as a Research Analyst about 3 years ago.
The prior two places I lived were New Brunswick, NJ and Oxford, UK. I live in a house with a few friends. It is 25-30m commute door-to-door via BART. My rent and monthly expenses are comparable to what I had in Oxford but noticeably larger than what I had in New Brunswick. I got pay increases when I moved to Open Phil, and additional raises over time. I’m comfortable on my current salary and could afford to get a single-bedroom apartment if I wanted, but I’m happy where I am.
Overall, I would say that it was an easy adjustment.
Surely rent is much higher than Oxford on average? It’s possible to get a great place in Oxford for under £700 per month, while comparable in SF would be $1300+. Food also seems about 30% more expensive, and in Oxford you don’t have to pay for a commute. My overall guess is that $80k p.a. in SF is equivalent to about £40k p.a. in Oxford.
To chime in as someone who has very recently spent a lot of time in both London and SF, a 1.8:1 ratio (as in $1.8y is about the same as £y) is very roughly what I would have said for living costs between that pair, though living circumstances will vary significantly.
Pound to dollar exchange rates have moved a ton in the last few years, whereas I don’t think local salaries or costs of living have moved nearly as much, so I expect that 1.8:1 heuristic to be more stable/useful than trying to do the same comparison including a currency conversion (depending what point in the last few years you picked/moved, that ratio would imply anywhere between a 1.05x increase and a 1.55x increase).
Perhaps other staff will chime in here, but my take: our pay is competitive and takes cost of living into account, and we are near public transportation, so I don’t think the rents or commutes are a major issue. As a former NYC resident, I think the Bay Area is a great place to live (weather, food, etc.) and has a very strong effective altruist community. I don’t see a lot of drawbacks to living here if you can make it work.
How do you enjoy living in/near and working San Francisco? How’s the commute, the expensive housing, and all that affected your lives?
I am a Program Officer at Open Philanthropy who joined as a Research Analyst about 3 years ago.
The prior two places I lived were New Brunswick, NJ and Oxford, UK. I live in a house with a few friends. It is 25-30m commute door-to-door via BART. My rent and monthly expenses are comparable to what I had in Oxford but noticeably larger than what I had in New Brunswick. I got pay increases when I moved to Open Phil, and additional raises over time. I’m comfortable on my current salary and could afford to get a single-bedroom apartment if I wanted, but I’m happy where I am.
Overall, I would say that it was an easy adjustment.
Surely rent is much higher than Oxford on average? It’s possible to get a great place in Oxford for under £700 per month, while comparable in SF would be $1300+. Food also seems about 30% more expensive, and in Oxford you don’t have to pay for a commute. My overall guess is that $80k p.a. in SF is equivalent to about £40k p.a. in Oxford.
Cost-of-living comparison between San Francisco, CA and Oxford, UK: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&country2=United+States&city1=Oxford&city2=San+Francisco%2C+CA&tracking=getDispatchComparison
I don’t mean to make a claim re: averages, just relaying personal experience.
To chime in as someone who has very recently spent a lot of time in both London and SF, a 1.8:1 ratio (as in $1.8y is about the same as £y) is very roughly what I would have said for living costs between that pair, though living circumstances will vary significantly.
Pound to dollar exchange rates have moved a ton in the last few years, whereas I don’t think local salaries or costs of living have moved nearly as much, so I expect that 1.8:1 heuristic to be more stable/useful than trying to do the same comparison including a currency conversion (depending what point in the last few years you picked/moved, that ratio would imply anywhere between a 1.05x increase and a 1.55x increase).
Perhaps other staff will chime in here, but my take: our pay is competitive and takes cost of living into account, and we are near public transportation, so I don’t think the rents or commutes are a major issue. As a former NYC resident, I think the Bay Area is a great place to live (weather, food, etc.) and has a very strong effective altruist community. I don’t see a lot of drawbacks to living here if you can make it work.