Considering heading to SF!

[jade408]

With the rents trending the way they are in SF right now, your budget is too low. You'll probably want to stick to like Berkeley or Oakland. Or Walnut Creek or San Mateo if you want something more suburban. San Mateo has crappy off-peak transit options. Berkeley and Oakland have transit options in abundant and are the best choices to be car-free. (And the cab ride isn't that expensive either).

Based on your budget I'd focus on those. Berkeley is good if you are a student, but the housing quality is pretty crappy. If you get a subsidized student apartment then go for it. Otherwise check out Oakland. Apartments are nicer and more affordable. You can live in areas like downtown, by the Lake, Temescal or Piedmont Ave. All of these areas have lots of young people and young couples too. You might even stick around with a kid for the early years...

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by titoav15

Sure Well only an rough estimate of income... I am looking at I guess about $1800-$2300 from an apartment.

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You might find a few 1BRs in that price range, but they'll probably be out in the Sunset/Richmond districts, or else in less desirable areas like Ingleside.

These days, many if not most younger people are either (a) fleeing to Oakland and/or (b) living with roommates.

[californiawomann5]

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I used to live there..risky imho. Just wanted to re-cap for the record

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by beb0p

Also, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, and San Mateo have cute downtown. .

As does Alameda, which is centrally located (it's literally in the bay!) and very safe. However, transportation -- since most of it is an island -- can be a bit of a challenge. There are express buses to SF, and ferries too; there are BART stations nearby in Oakland but neither of them is in a particularly safe area, so you might still want a car even if only to drive to the BART parking lots.

Anyway, Alameda seems to fit all most of the OP's needs. Cost-wise, it's significantly cheaper than SF. It's much quieter than Oakland or SF, but it does have quite a few decent restaurants and even a few fun bars -- like Forbidden Island, one of the Bay Area's finest tiki bars if you're into that sort of thing.

[titoav15]

Thanks for all the replies! You guys are awesome!! Just wondering if its worthing keeping my car? Is the cost of keeping it worth it? i.e. gas, insurance and yearly maintenance, parking?

Are there any other neighborhoods to stay away from in SF other than the once mentioned?

[rca215]

The car situation depends on where you're going to live and work. I live in the city and commute to Novato, which is an abysmal public transportation commute but quite nice by car. So I kept a car. My apartment technically came with parking, but I think my landlord valued it at $200 a month, which sounds about right for what I've seen for spots on Craigslist in my neighborhood (Inner Richmond/Laurel Heights). Beyond that, insurance for me is about $1200-1300/year. Gas isn't too bad, but I moved from the Chicago area, which is sometimes considered the highest in the country. Maintenance is, well, the same as everywhere else, although I guess the mild weather here means it might be lower.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

If the gf is going to go to school in Berkeley, then live in Berkeley close to the university. Life is just so much better when you don't have to deal with commuting in the Bay Area.

I would suggest keeping your car if you can afford it. There is just so much to do in and around the area, where having a car would be so much more convenient - and safer, too - depending on where you were going and what time of day, etc.