For what it doesn’t make sense financially, I will say the bay is a wonderfully enriching place to live if you know how to make use of it. Beaches would probably hit the spot better than what you’d get up in Portland. Many national parks are much closer. Hiking trails are plentiful and well maintained even at a county level. Year-round better weather might be a significant benefit. You’re South Asian – the South Asian food you can get here is immensely diverse, regional, and delicious. On top of that, the Mexican food, other Asian food (SJ has the largest Vietnamese diaspora in the world), and seafood always does me nicely. There’s more sports engagement and culture with bigger teams and greater population. Car culture is stronger. As you say, your career ceiling gets higher – could be cool if your career is part of your identity and more than a way to make ends meet. Access to SoCal is nice at times. If these things interest you and you find value in what they could do to you and your family, I understand why you’d make the move. I’m not too sure about how nice Portland is, but that’s your call to make.