How I felt about moving from Singapore to the Bay Area, California.

Thinking of moving to Silicon Valley? Having lived in the Bay Area for 3 years (2018–2020), people often ask me about my time there. Here is one Singaporean’s take on it.

Apart from the process to secure a role and a visa (all about the H1B1 visa over here), I’ve decided to share my personal perspective as a Singaporean in the Bay Area. It’s by no means representative of everyone’s experience, since I (a) was only there for 3 years, (b) only worked in tech companies, and (c) was living through the reign of the craziest American president (oh and how could I forget covid-19), so those were definitely very different times.

This article will cover the following areas, so feel free to skip ahead to the most relevant sections for you:

1. Work culture and career growth
2. Cost of Living and Salary
3. Housing and Homeless people
4. Food — Groceries and eating out
5. Cars and driving license
6. Leisure activities — Hiking, traveling

1. Work culture and career growth