SF vs NY (San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley: apartment, rent, how much)

[jeevcy]

Hey, what are the pluses of living in SF over NY .... hmm let's see

1. Salary ... heck no. NY City would rank #1 for fat pay check easily
2. Cost of Living ... naa. It 's even Stevens.
3. Nightlife? No way
4. Sunny beaches ... SF? you must be joking
5. Weather .... yea, right (hint of sarcasm) cold and chilly
6. Surely something .... wait Golden Gate Bridge ... gotta give that one, but wait, NY has Brooklyn Bridge, George Washington Bridge, Tappan Zee, Verazzano Bridge ....
7. Alcatraz? Ever heard of Ellis Island, Liberty Island?
8. Skyline ... dont even go there
9. Wait wait wait NY has New Jersey right across the Hudson. Can't beat that one now. can ya? ............ yeah? ..And Oakland, Richmond any better ?

To cut a long story short, all those who couldn't find work in NY are in SF ...


<this post not to be taken very seriously>

[Tony from Europe]

Sf Is The Best
And Has Nicer Beaches Than Ny !!!!!

[NH2008]

We moved to SF from NYC and my brother still lives there. I love NYC, I like it was better than SF, but there is NO comparison in COL. I remember being shocked the first time we went back and I bought a slice and a coke and paid $10 - and that was years ago! For what my brother pays in rent to live in Brooklyn, he could live well in Pac Heights or any other neighborhood in SF.

I think housing in SF's suburbs (with good school districts) may be more expensive though, at least for what you get.

[18Montclair]

I used to live in New York. NY is bigger and much more exciting but after a while it gets old which is why I moved from the Upper West Side to Rockland County only to discover that the NY burbs are really overrated as a place to live. Manhattan is much better than its surroundings-to put it mildly.

The Bay Area is far and away a better place to live and the people overall are a bit more sophisticated. New Yorkers are not as polished as San Franciscans and once you leave the City, the surrounding Bay Area seems to be even more diverse than the City itself.

As far as salary, I dont know but the median incomes in the Bay Area are higher than New York and that's more telling of the overall wealth of the region.

And as far as housing costs, Manhattan is more expensive than San Francisco, but the rest of the Bay Area is a bit pricier than the rest of New York. Brooklyn and the other boroughs are cheap by Bay Area standards and so is Long Island, Northern New Jersey, Fairfiled Co and Westchester Co.

To put it into perspective, the median house in the Bay Area is currently around $700,000 while the entire NY Metro is around $400,000-in other words the Bay Area's median home costs 75% more than a comparably priced home in the Tri-state area. And rightfully so.

Now that I think about it, aside from Manhattan, the rest of that vast megalopolis is quite unappealling. Sorry.

[NorthernCalifornia]

sf/ny is not a cost issue.

as for things sf beats new york on start with weather.

[NorthernCalifornia]

I agree on housing costs. I can buy an apartment in Queens for less than 300k. This is impossible in the Bay Area.

[pflau]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

And as far as housing costs, Manhattan is more expensive than San Francisco, but the rest of the Bay Area is a bit pricier than the rest of New York. Brooklyn and the other boroughs are cheap by Bay Area standards and so is Long Island, Northern New Jersey, Fairfiled Co and Westchester Co.

That's not entirely true. There are good neighborhoods and not so good neighborhoods. The good neighborhoods in Brooklyn always cost just as much if not more so than the Bay Area except the city of San Fran. Even in some good areas of the Bronx a decent house costs 400-500K easy.

And Westchester.. have you heard of Scarsdale?? One of the priciest areas in the country.

To put it into perspective, the median house in the Bay Area is currently around $700,000 while the entire NY Metro is around $400,000-in other words the Bay Area's median home costs 75% more than a comparably priced home in the Tri-state area. And rightfully so.

Not if you cross the bridge into Easy Bay. Manhattan houses cost way more than the city of San Fran. The Easy Bay area house prices are compatible in cost with Brooklyn and Queens depending on the neighborhood.

[pflau]

Originally Posted by NorthernCalifornia

I agree on housing costs. I can buy an apartment in Queens for less than 300k. This is impossible in the Bay Area.

Try some parts of Oakland.

[NorthernCalifornia]

pflau - while technically true the real issue is that the development of housing is so different in bay area that the product is really not comparable. this is not a pissing match, the bay area is simply overpriced.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by pflau

That's not entirely true. There are good neighborhoods and not so good neighborhoods. The good neighborhoods in Brooklyn always cost just as much if not more so than the Bay Area except the city of San Fran. Even in some good areas of the Bronx a decent house costs 400-500K easy.

Im sorry but $500K is nothing. I dont think outta towners realize how much more expensive this region is than anywhere else.

And Westchester.. have you heard of Scarsdale?? One of the priciest areas in the country.

Obviously there are pockets of extreme wealth everywhere, which is why I prefer to compare counties and regions because that's more indicative of the norm. And as far as Scarsdale,

The median list price there is $1.5 Million and that would rank similarly to Orinda and Piedmont, in the East Bay.

San Rafael, CA(Pop 55,000) $900,000
El Granada, CA(Pop 5,000) $911,000
Kensington, CA(Pop 5,000) $925,000
Redwood City, CA(Pop 90,000) $931,000
Berkeley, CA(Pop 102,000) $957,000
Belmont, CA(Pop 25,000) $965,000
Santa Cruz, CA(Pop 54,000) $982,000
San Ramon, CA(Pop 44,000) $991,000
Lafayette, CA(Pop 18,000) $1.051 Million
San Carlos, CA(Pop 27,000) $1.067 Million
Napa, CA(Pop 72,000) $1.106 Million
Millbrae(Pop 22,000) $1.117 Million
Greenbrae, CA(Pop 1,000) $1.125 Million
San Francisco, CA(Pop 800,000) $1.206 Million
Half Moon Bay, CA(Pop 12,000) $1.228 Million
Pleasanton, CA(Pop 70,000) $1.253 Million
Burlingame, CA(Pop 30,000) $1.292 Million
Sausalito, CA(Pop 7,000) $1.361 Million
Cupertino, CA(Pop 50,000) $1.402 Million
Danville, CA(Pop 52,000) $1.454 Million
Montara, CA(Pop 5,000) $1.559 Million
Orinda, CA(Pop 18,000) $1.574 Million
Menlo Park, CA(Pop 30,000) $1.603 Million
Larkspur, CA(Pop 12,000) $1.630 Million
Piedmont, CA(Pop 11,000) $1.678 Million
Mill Valley(Pop 11,000) $1.774 Million
Nicasio, CA(Pop 1,000) $1.968 Million
Los Gatos, CA(Pop 28,000) $2,011 Million
Alamo, CA(Pop 20,000) $2.158 Million
Saratoga, CA(Pop 30,000) $2.362 Million
Calistoga, CA(Pop 5,000) $2.427 Million
Stinson Beach, CA(Pop 1,000) $2.449 Million
Palo Alto, CA(Pop 60,000) $2.539 Million
Los Altos, CA(Pop 27,000) $3.126 Million
Diablo, CA(Pop 2,000) $3.253 Million
Portola Valley(Pop 6,000) $3.558 Million
Kentfield, CA(Pop 6,000) $3.670 Million
Woodside, CA(Pop 5,000) $3.929 Million
St. Helena, CA(Pop 6,000) $4.345 Million
Monte Sereno, CA(Pop 4,000) $4.362 Million
Tiburon, CA(Pop 7,000) $4.742 Million
Los Altos Hills, CA(Pop 6,000) $4.798 Million
Belvedere, CA(Pop 3,000) $5.081 Million
Hillsborough, CA(Pop 10,000) $5.528 Million
Ross, CA(Pop 3,000) $5.747 Million
Atherton, CA(Pop 7,000) $7.303 Million

Not if you cross the bridge into East Bay. Manhattan houses cost way more than the city of San Fran. The East Bay area house prices are compatible in cost with Brooklyn and Queens depending on the neighborhood.

No ones arguing that there are expensive areas there, but overall, The Bay Area's median home price is considerably higher.

I dont know why that's so hard to accept.