how can anyone afford tolive in san francisco?

Question

i'm from madison, wisconsin, extremely liberal, bisexual, and i want to move somewhere where they dont get snow, and where ideas can be freely explored by open minded people. i dont know if that describes san francisco or not, but probably more so than many cities. but i'm a senior in college, 22 year olds, graduating in may BA psychology and spanish, minor in french and i woudl need to get a job or continue with school. woudl it be hard for me to ge ta job in san francisco? how aobut public transporatin? i dont have a drivers license or car.

Answer 1

Lots of transit options and very expensive to live anywhere decent..you will probably have to room with two or three people and have a good skill to get a job.

Answer 2

This was about 10 yrs ago, but I lived in Castro Valley / Hayward and had a huge 2 bedroom for $800 a mos.

That's about 30 min away by car, but the transit system is very good and honestly I would think anywhere in that part of California is going to be fantastically open minded compared to other parts of the country.
Like anywhere if you're willing to live a ways out from the center of the city the rents should go down.

good luck! :)

Answer 3

I love SF, and enjoy visiting. I don't know how people manage to live in SF, the rent is sky high. I know the few people that I have known that lived there had decent jobs, and made decent money. They could barely afford a place in a not so great part of town. Some lived outside of SF and commuted into the city for work because they could not afford to live there.
Public transportation in the city is fabulous. Most people do not have a car because parking is so expensive.
I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

The rent in SF is very expensive, a decent studio $1400, one bedroom $1800, you have to share with 2 to 5 guys for about $600 to $800.

It is tough to get a job like your background unless some powerful guys( means in high position and good social relationship) help you.

SF is a few cities you needn't a car to go around because Muni runs every 10 to 20 min.

Answer 5

You can live outside the city limits of San Francisco. Public transportation is pretty good. Do your homework first as it is very expensive. And doing the roommate thing can be more of a pain than a benefit. If you go the roommate route be very clear as to the rules.

Answer 6

Oakland and Castro Valley are NOT cheap. Nothing in the Bay Area is cheap. I moved out of there 5 years ago and have no regrets. The quality of life sucks if you aren't rich. You have to commute and work 3 jobs just to pay the bills. Why bother? Just go to a cheaper location where you can buy a home and have a decent standard of living for the money.

Answer 7

San Francisco is very expensive. It does have public transportation and a lot of things to do. Ads are posted everywhere for roommates. Check out the Castro District (for gay, bi sexual and transgendered) and the Mission District which doesn't cost so much and is mostly latino. Your educational background sounds good.

Answer 8

When I was fresh out of college, young, broke, and living in San Francisco, I had to get a few roommates.
It's doable, but if you need to live alone, it might not work.

You also don't need a car. MUNI and BART are available and they're pretty decent as far as public transportation is concerned.

Answer 9

theres a lot of public transportation in sf. u defintley don't need a car. its actually good if u don't have one. there are so many car burgalries its insane. in sf they have living wage now. so i think all the bussiness have to pay u more than CA minium wage. which is good. apartments are pretty expensive tho. you might want to look for a possible roomate so u can split the rent

Answer 10

It is possible. Though you may have to cut back on things you may take for granted now. Will the sacrifice be worth it? Maybe. Many people who come love it and make it work. Many don't. Come check it out. I think that would be worth it in itself.
Good luck!