Re: Kalifornia or Arizona
Depends on how you define affordable, ofcourse.
A 3/2 in a decent neighborhood
Townhouse: approx $600k+
Single-family home: approx $750k+
Some pockets in San Jose can be cheaper, but then again, there is a reason they are cheaper. San Jose is generally extremely safe (infact its the safest big city in US), so the deciding factor is schools. Good school districts are more expensive. If you work anywhere near the IT hub of North San Jose, then expect 35-45 min commute if you want a good school district.
Some of the best schools are in Cupertino, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Atherton and Mission District of Fremont. Out of which, only the last one is probably where normal salaried people can afford to buy something (the rest are CEO-type of mansions or rentals). The area where we live is known as Evergreen Hills (95135) which is South-East of San Jose, with excellent schools, has gotten fairly pricey in the last couple of years. A 2/2 townhouse is available for about $550K.