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0 pointsng126y ago0 comments

$120,000 comes out to around $6k/mo. A mediocre studio in SF is pretty close to $3k.

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After taxes it's a bit under $6,900 so 40% of that is ~$2,700. Browsing Zillow/Apartments.com/Padmapper shows several thousand listings for studios under $2k and single bedrooms around $2.2-2.7k, depending on area. SF proper seems pretty tiny and the most expensive, is everyone just trying to cram in there? Do people try not to commute?

shuckles6y ago

You are right that most casual analyses overstate the real cost of living in SF. A Bart commute in the Daly City direction, or Oakland, or a drive in from Pacifica all get you much more reasonable cost / commute trade offs for jobs in the city. Certainly in absolute prices remain absurd.

TMWNN6y ago

I can confirm that as of December-January it was possible to find a decent 900-1000 sq ft house with two bedrooms in southern SF (Visitacion Valley or Crocker/Amazon, say) or Daly City, near BART, for $3000 a month. Still more expensive than than the comparable in New York, where a two-bedroom apartment in Jersey City with a comparable commute to lower Manhattan was $2300.

ng12OP6y ago

It's closer to $6,600, and that's without spending a dollar on retirement or benefits.

> Do people try not to commute?

Spoken like someone who's never tried to commute in SF. Public transportation options are extremely limited, owning a car is extremely expensive.

holy_city6y ago

I mean I'm being open here and saying I don't understand why CoL is so high in SF, since researching it from afar doesn't make it look that much pricier than what I've seen living in other cities.

And I commute in LA, it's not exactly enjoyable or cheap. But it's cheaper than living within walking distance of my office.

malandrew6y ago

The other thing to remember is that when rent is that high as a percent of median income it has a rippling effect on the cost of everything else.

Since I moved to Seattle I pay 1/2 as much for groceries, 1/4 as much for the gym, 2/3 as much to eat out. So in the end rent isn’t the only problem. All your costs add up. Add state income tax and the problem compounds further.

manfredo6y ago

The rent figures are an exaggeration. I lived in a mediocre studio for between $1.8k and $1.9k. $3k will get you a mediocre 1 bedroom or a pretty good studio.

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holy_city6y ago

shuckles6y ago

TMWNN6y ago

ng12OP6y ago

It's closer to $6,600, and that's without spending a dollar on retirement or benefits.

> Do people try not to commute?

Spoken like someone who's never tried to commute in SF. Public transportation options are extremely limited, owning a car is extremely expensive.

holy_city6y ago

I mean I'm being open here and saying I don't understand why CoL is so high in SF, since researching it from afar doesn't make it look that much pricier than what I've seen living in other cities.

And I commute in LA, it's not exactly enjoyable or cheap. But it's cheaper than living within walking distance of my office.

malandrew6y ago

The other thing to remember is that when rent is that high as a percent of median income it has a rippling effect on the cost of everything else.

manfredo6y ago

The rent figures are an exaggeration. I lived in a mediocre studio for between $1.8k and $1.9k. $3k will get you a mediocre 1 bedroom or a pretty good studio.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse