C'mon...is San Fran REALLY so expensive?? (San Francisco, Truckee: sales, apartments)

[PeterFromSeattle]

I am a Seattle native and I am in my transitional phase between college and finding a career. I have decided that I am going to head down to San Francisco within 6-7 months to start my career and the next phase of my life. I have had people question my thinking...telling me it's a risky move because of how expensive San Fran is. No matter...I've made up my mind and nobody is scaring me out of my decision.

But I am intruiged by the notion that SF is this rediculously high-priced metropolis. I don't really get it, to be honest. Maybe I'm unenlightened, but how is San Fran really THAT much more expensive? Here are the factors I have considered...

Renting: I have registered on roomates.com and found all kinds of living quarters available in SF for $800/month or less, which is exactly the same amount I would be paying in an area I would want to live in here in Seattle.

Day to day expenses: when I visited San Fran, nothing seemed any more expensive than in Seattle.

Transportation: In San Fran you don't need a car, whereas in Seattle I would have to have one...that seems to be a great equalizer right there, especially with the price of gas these days.

I know that CA has a state income tax that WA doesn't...but I think the trasportation factor discussed above should equal that out.

Am I missing something? Are there hidden costs I don't know about? Because after doing my research, I'm starting to scoff at the idea that SF is the unbearably expensive city that people are making it out to be. I mean, there are retail and service workers who survive in the city on modest means, right? It seems to me that I should be able to live in SF just as comfortably as I would be able to here in Seattle.

Any thoughts?

[RandalR]

If you are young and single and don't mind living in tiny, cramped apartments or with roommates, San Francisco is as affordable as anywhere else. It becomes unaffordable when you want more out of life and your salary hasn't grown fast enough to allow you to move up to the next level. That's why so many middle class people leave - the next step up from the tiny $800 studio in the Mission is the $4,500 two bedroom apartment in South Beach. There isn't really a middle range any more - middle class housing got bid up to upper class price levels during the boom, and it hasn't corrected much yet.

[sonarrat]

You must have your lines crossed somewhere. That $800 living quarters is a tiny 10x20 room in SF. In Seattle, it'll get you a studio or even a 1-bedroom all to yourself. You'll have to pay almost double to get the same living quarters in San Francisco.

San Francisco's sales tax is a bit lower. 8.5% compared with 9.0% in Seattle. But we indeed have a state income tax tiered up to 9.3%.

[Bluesmama]

I, too, never noticed prices for most things to be much higher than Seattle or even Portland, for that matter. (In fact, you guys in Seattle and SF pay more for your gas and you have to pump your own ~ still outlawed in Oregon, thank God.) It's HOUSING that's the killer. You are correct about transportation, but some areas of The City are better serviced by mass transit than others. You are bound and determined to make the move, so one of the things you should do first is acquire a good map of its city transit and take it from there. That will make life a little easier for you.

[Prinny]

San Fran is VERY expensive compared to Seattle. I don't know where 800. for a place comes from but if you want to live in the city, 800.00 for partial rent with roomies maybe.

Maybe you ought to look around and visit the place and see when you interview for jobs. Visit the place. Very cool place, I love to vacation there, I just like living in a roomy home so I wouldn't like living there but some love it!

[sunnysunnyside]

I lived there for ten years and yes it was very expensive. And I live in Lake Tahoe *(Truckee) now, and it's expensive here too, but for your money at least you get a whole house. Now if there was just a little more work here in Tahoe!

[PeterFromSeattle]

Seems to be a simple matter of priorities. I can understand why people would find the prices horrendous if they wanted spacious living conditions...I, on the other hand, do not care about that. I use my home for sleeping, showering, and preparing/eating food. Beyond that, I'm always out and about and interacting with the world. I don't even watch television.

It sounds to me that the differences in cost just don't apply to my lifestyle, which is comforting to know.

Thanks for the input!

[sunnysunnyside]

I think it just depends on what you are comparing it to. Comparing San Francisco to Chattanooga Tennessee, versus comparing San Francisco to Seattle is just a completely different comparison. It's all relative. I loved SF and it was an awesome place to live in my twenties, and I'll be going back for a bit probably to refine some skills and get some more experience in my field. But ultimately hopefully I'll be able to learn enough to mostly do freelance and telecommute work here in Lake Tahoe where I am in a beautiful setting full of fun things to do, awesome weather, and just a few hours from San Francisco where I can go to shows etc.

I can understand the draw of all sorts of places depending on the person and their lifestyle. San Francisco is an amazing city, but it is expensive no matter which way you slice it.

[user376]

Originally Posted by PeterFromSeattle

Seems to be a simple matter of priorities. I can understand why people would find the prices horrendous if they wanted spacious living conditions...I, on the other hand, do not care about that. I use my home for sleeping, showering, and preparing/eating food. Beyond that, I'm always out and about and interacting with the world. I don't even watch television.

It sounds to me that the differences in cost just don't apply to my lifestyle, which is comforting to know.

Thanks for the input!

I'm trying to bite my tongue, but you sound quite smug in that first paragraph. Lucky for you, smugness means you will fit right in in San Francisco.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by PeterFromSeattle

Seems to be a simple matter of priorities. I can understand why people would find the prices horrendous if they wanted spacious living conditions...I, on the other hand, do not care about that. I use my home for sleeping, showering, and preparing/eating food. Beyond that, I'm always out and about and interacting with the world. I don't even watch television.

It sounds to me that the differences in cost just don't apply to my lifestyle, which is comforting to know.

Thanks for the input!

Are you a professional panhandler by chance? :P