Moving to Oakland or San Francisco

[bornincali]

I think the older folk have this idea that everyone has to have their own place.

By no means is that necessary. It sounds like the op is ok with that.

I think their are more opps for your bf in east bay, but the prices their are actually comparable to a few of the neighborhoods next door to the mission.

[bundiddly]

Originally Posted by bornincali

I think the older folk have this idea that everyone has to have their own place.

By no means is that necessary. It sounds like the op is ok with that.

I think their are more opps for your bf in east bay, but the prices their are actually comparable to a few of the neighborhoods next door to the mission.

Thanks for the input. If our housing budget is $1500-2000/month, what areas would you recommend?

[bornincali]

If you are ok w sharing a room in an apt w multiple folks you should be able to find a room for a good bit less in the panhandle/sunset neighborhoods...maybe even the richmond though that is further drom the mission.Heck ive seen rooms in Sausalito you could afford haha. Yeah, you aren't getting much for your money but im willing to bet your plan is not to loaf at home all day.

My advice would be to familiarize yourselves with the public transit and find something along that route that reduces that commute~again since living space size is not a concern id put location at premium. Also, esp. In SF proper a car is at best an option and more likely to be a huge pain. In sunset/richmond districts street parking is possible but not ideal...I use my bicycle way more...the cool weather makes this very doable. A bicycle drastically increases your range and since the buses have racks a hybrid commute is also possible...just check inclines when planning routes! Maybe forgo a car(though your bf may need one?)and factor those savings in?

[jade408]

Originally Posted by bornincali

I think the older folk have this idea that everyone has to have their own place.

By no means is that necessary. It sounds like the op is ok with that.

I think their are more opps for your bf in east bay, but the prices their are actually comparable to a few of the neighborhoods next door to the mission.

The OP implied they wanted their own apartment. Several people chimed in with having your own apartment is out of reach with that budget in the neighborhoods requested and mentioned shared housing is the best bet.

OP later clarified they were open to smaller places and alternate living arrangements.

It is good to set proper expectations up front - I.e there are no luxurious apartments available for under $2k these days.

[bundiddly]

Originally Posted by jade408

The OP implied they wanted their own apartment. Several people chimed in with having your own apartment is out of reach with that budget in the neighborhoods requested and mentioned shared housing is the best bet.

OP later clarified they were open to smaller places and alternate living arrangements.

It is good to set proper expectations up front - I.e there are no luxurious apartments available for under $2k these days.

Oh of course. Trust me, we're not looking for/expecting luxury. Just because we're in NC now doesn't mean we are living the life. Looking at what we live off of now with the cost of living compared to what I/we will be making with the cost of living there, we are prepared to live the same "poor college student" lifestyle.

[04kL4nD]

Again, look into West Oakland houses. It's as close to SF as you will get and you'll be able to afford shared rooms. It's about 8 minutes from West Oakland BART to downtown SF. Some of those houses are really nice with huge kitchens and decent sized bedrooms, along with a real back yard. You'll probably pay 40-50% more if you live in the avenues in SF and you'll be at least 30-45 minutes to downtown SF on Muni. Aside from that, the weather in that part of SF is crap, whereas it'll be nice and sunny in Oakland. If you insist on keeping your car, Oakland is a much, much better option than SF too.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by Chuck5000

Old grumps, hahaha. Yeah, it's so cool to have choice A and choice B, and to be sure that choice A is better, when it is not in objective reality. Go have fun, tough it out, be poor, then you'll come and complain endlessly about housing, and be depressed, meanwhile, your friends will be renting awesome houses and apartments elsewhere in the US, and have more job mobility. But you'll be in the Bay Area!!!

Saw this 4 years ago when I had a team of young 20-somethings working in my company. All had stars in their eyes, none were in tech and all wound up leaving because of housing. It took a few years. Maybe some felt it was worth it.

But yeah, old grumps, we have no knowledge. We were never young. Blah, blah blah.

Don’t move here because you’ll probably leave in a few years? I don’t really get that logic. Not everyone wants every move to be permanent. The OP even said themselves that the move to SFBA is only going to be temporary.