move from LA to SF (Los Angeles, San Francisco: apartments, for rent, how much)

[lizbeth77]

I am seriously considering a move from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and am pretty much ready to go now-except I would ideally like to have a job lined up. I know for certain I want to end up in that city, but am looking for advice on the feasibility.

1. Any comments on the cost of living? Can I find something in a safe area for less than 1400?
2. Whats the job market like right now? I am an HR professional with exp. in recruitment/selection, compensation, training, and performance management with about 7 years experience and an MA in my field. How long should I expect it to take to find a job that will pay the rent?
3. Should I bring my car up there?

Thanks!

[bmw335xi]

1. You can find something safe for $1,400 but it will be a small studio unless you are willing to share an apt with other renters.

2. Compared to the rest of the United States, good. Especially when it comes to higher end jobs.

3. If you want to live IN the city, probably not with $1,400 rent budget. Many garages charge $200-$400 per month for a space. If you want to save a bit on rent and live in San Bruno for example, keep your car.

[mayorhaggar]

Depends on what the "something" you are looking for--a 1br? A studio? Do you have to live in SF or are you ok with some of the nearby suburbs? Also it depends on where you get a job and how long you want to commute to work, and how you want to get to work--public transit, driving etc. You're not that far away so I would try and line up a job before you get here so you can know what your commute would be like and how much you could afford to pay for rent. Honestly I think the job market still sucks here, I would not expect to find a job right away.

A studio in SF is about $1000-1200 for something decent in a nice area. A 1 bedroom within SF starts around $1300-1400 and that is for something in a nice area but that will be a really basic and probably small place and might be kind of decrepit, but sometimes you see nice places for that price--but generally apartments in SF are pretty old and small. You can get cheaper rents in the suburbs--Rockridge in Oakland is 20 minutes on BART from downtown Oakland and you can get a studio for about $850 and a 1br for about $1100 or so. But the monthly cost of riding BART really adds up, so keep that in mind--same for if you were driving to work from the burbs.

You don't need a car in SF but the public transit is not 100% reliable or convenient there. But it can be a real hassle to park in SF, though in most areas you can park on the street if you are persistent about finding a space. In Rockridge you wouldn't have to worry about parking at all, there are spaces all over the place.