Best/easiest place to commute from in Bay Area to San Francisco city?

Question

I may be starting a new job in SFO, If i can't afford to live in the city what area is the best/easiest to commute from and how is the public transportation. Do I still need a car ?
Thanks

Answer 1

I would suggest finding a place near/close to the bart station. Not too close (because it can get noisy) but not too far if you don't intend on buying a car to get to the station (buses will take u straight to the BART station).

BART. Cheap and you don't have to find parking in SF! If you're working right at SFO Airport, it takes you straight there (inside the airport).

It's pretty reliable but it's public transportation (you never really know for sure.) Most local morning new stations report Bus and BART delays so you get a heads up before you leave for work.

Answer 2

San Francisco is much more managable without a car than LosAngeles.
The public transportation in the bay area is excellent.
The BART (bay area rapid transport) goes all over the bay area, to many very affordable areas. Check the link below for a map of the areas it covers.
If you go north of the city (over the golden gate bridge) into Marin county, it can get even more expensive.
In the East Bay, you can go north east or east. Northeast towards Pittsburg there are alot of nice places, but they are can sometimes get a little "suburban white-bread" and thus a little more pricey. There are some affordable areas though.
The area towards Dublin/Pleasonton is growing alot. As you go farther east, housing is much more affordable, but then it is a trade off because you are further from the city.
South of the City, "on the Penninsula" there are some affordable areas, but it is part of Silicone Valley, so there are people with money down there, and thus some places are more expensive.
In the bay area, they also have this thing called "Casual Carpool" where you line up at a designated place and a person who is by themselves, picks you and another person up. You get a free ride, and they get to drive in the carpool lane. It used to be that they could cross the bridge for free too. I don't know if that is still true.
There are really expensive places wherever you go in the bay area, because everybody wants to live there. I am in Westchester, NY now, wishing I could go back.

Answer 3

Yes, you still need a car. If not for work, then definitely for the weekends. The bay area has decent public transit but not anything like the east coast. We Californians love our cars and that's partly cause public transit isn't always convenient. BART does drop you off at very convenient spots within SF--esp in the financial district. Now, where to live--it depends if you are a single person who wants city life or someone with a family and prefer to live in the suburbs. It would be best NOT to drive into the city for work simply because parking will cost you a lot. BART runs in a "n" shape around the bay from Daly City to SF and back down the East Bay. There are great places in the East Bay to live, some of which are pretty reasonable. Ideal is Walnut Creek, Dublin, Fremont, Berkeley... Hope this helps.

Answer 4

BART is best option for sure, 101 works. Daly City and Colma are cheaper places to live, but if you want a better scene, check out Oakland. The coolest areas are almost as expensive as SF, though. Whatever you do, don't set it up that you drive over a bridge into SF every morning...the commuting traffic will make you mental!

Answer 5

I don't have a car and it is a hassle when dealing with the north bay, or even south bay, but between east bay and SF it's cake. El Cerrito/Albany/Berkeley have great PT and easy access to BART as well as plenty of affordable housing. I recommend www.craigslist.com to check out cheap housing situations. A Bike is good for getting around, but keep in mind that BART restricts when Bikes can be on board.

Answer 6

Berkeley is a great place!
You can usually find an affordable apartment somewhere near Cal. And there are three bart stations you can commute from (Ashby, Downtown Berkeley, and North Berkeley). BART usually cost around $6.40 roundtrip(depending on where you take bart from to get to SF and what part of SF you are going to!)

Answer 7

Your best bet is to use BART (the subway train). Maybe try the city of El Cerrito. Cost of living is okay (much better than San Francisco). El Cerrito has two BART stations, and they have apartments that are close to the BART.

Answer 8

101