I'm slightly older than you (my college friends finished their PhDs 2 years ago), grew up in SV and still work here. With respect to cost of living, I think it

I'm slightly older than you (my college friends finished their PhDs 2 years ago), grew up in SV and still work here. With respect to cost of living, I think it is fine to start a career here. A PhD starting salary at most (big) places will cover a 1 bed room in a good area with decent transit options like San Mateo just fine. You won't live like a king but you won't like like a miser either. That being said looking for places while still being Tennessee will be hard, so you might get a sublet for 2 months and look for a more permanent place after you arrive. Where it gets really hard is when you start looking for homes to buy when you start a family, and care about school districts. If you're open to moving out to the South East after getting established in your field (not sure if you want to stay in chemistry/pharma or head towards purely data oriented roles), you would be able to mitigate this [1] One thing I'd consider is how feasible moving across the country will actually be. Anyways, happy to answer questions over email. Contact is in profile. [1] you should definitely look at Cambridge/Boston if you want to stay in pharma/chem.