misskatiemo

Hi!

I may be heading west in Q2 '08 and I'm wondering a bit about San Fran.

Never been there before and my discussions have been very high-level at this point (I'd be moving for work) so I don't have a lot of info to go on.

My primary concern is the difference in cost of living between NC and San Fran. I'd either be living with a roommate (pref just one, though I could do two) via craigslist or a roommate service, or alone if the price was right (and I wasn't in the ghetto).

I've been told that I don't need a car in SF, and as I just sold my S2000 in favor of a more roomy DD, I'd probably be selling the DD instead of keeping it for those trips out of town and paying the $35/yr for one of the car services.

If this starts looking more like a strong possibility, what are some things I should look out for - things like where are the "bad" parts of town I should stay away from, are there any really nice areas to live in that aren't super duper expensive - opinions on keeping my DD (Honda Fit) or selling it, are there local farmers markets I could take advantage of or is it mainly grocery stores?

Like I said this is REALLY early to start thinking about any of this, but I figured I'd ask so that I was better prepared if talks do start getting more serious.

Thanks for the advice and if I do end up making a trip or even moving, I look forward to meeting some of you

GReddySW20

s.f is kind of a weird place to live, just depends on what you consider nice because most of the town is very very old. if you can i suggest you live in sunset, outer sunset, richmond because those are area that are a bit nicer to live without the paying $$$$$, also easier to find parking. the MUNI (bus and light rail) is very easy to use usually theres a bus every 15mins. as far as keeping the car, you usually don't get a parking space or garage but if you live in certain streets they usually issues parking permits, and you ll probably get dings here and there. this is just my past experience living in s.f 5years ago now i live in san jose. btw i know some very nice ppls in sf holla if you need some help or have any more questions.

misskatiemo

thanks - I'll surely let you all know if I have any more questions.

I actually really like historic areas so old to me doesn't equal bad.. i more mean ghetto when I say bad.

Thanks for the input

Frshnsokln

I have some family out in Charlotte. First off it all depends what part of SF you are trying to live in. It get can really pricey here in the bay area, so living with roomies will probably be your best bet. I agree with GReddySW20 in the sunset or richmond district in terms or paying reasonable rent as well as a good location.

LEE72

I would keep the car. Public transport is terrible in SF, in my opinion. The only time time it works out beter not to have a car is if you live close to work and somewhere in the northeastern part of SF. Prices are considerably higher there though.

But then, SF is such a small city, you would eventually want to not limit yourself geographically to that corner of SF. I suppose you could get one of those hourly car rentals like citycarshare etc when you feel the need to get out.

If you don't mind taking an hour to get someplace that would take 10 minutes with a car, then by all means sell it. Otherwise I would definitely keep it. I guess it all comes down to how much is your time worth.

groundzero

the reliability of public transportation in SF depends on where you live. some bus lines really don't function well and others run like clockwork most of the time. there are plenty of bus lines that will take you from one side of town to the other in less than an hour.

cyber_x

I'd say to keep the car too. You may not need a car to get around SF but one is going to be real nice when you go anywhere else.

If you want to save a little cash and have more room for the car you could also check out some of the surrounding cities like San Bruno, South SF, etc. that are more suburban.

disxpnoi

I would get a place in the east bay because it is alot cheaper and bigger space and you can have a parking spot. East bay by the way is across the bridge from sf. You can always take public transportation to work if you will be working in downtown area. IMO sf is too crowded. I live in berkeley which is 10mins away from sf.

GReddySW20

eh i dont know about living in the east bay ... my opinion of the eastbay = the ghetto thats why rent is so much cheaper. not to knock on anyone who lives there but cops in the eastbay are complete ass*.

trainwreck

i currently live in sf and love it. if you like to go out and party, i suggest living in lower pac heights. you can cab it to north beach, the mission, downtown/polk gulch, for all under 10 bucks. if you live in richmond or sunset it is harder to get out and enjoy the nightlife assuming you drink a lot. also, if you work downtown it is very easy to get in and out from lower pac heights via muni. lower pac heights runs about 800-1200 a room. pac heights is about 1400-infinity.

if you are into the douchebag exfrat/sorority scene, then you may want to live in the marina.

places you dont want to live are bayview, hunters point, parts of the mission, potrero hill, western addition, castro (if you are straight), and tendorloin.

personally i would only live in northbeach or lower pacheights. but nobhill, pan handle, russian hill are nice too.

also, note that there are many projects/public housing spread throught the city- u dont wanna live near them. some neighborhoods are more ethnic then others. mission is mexican, richmond is asian.
usually the ethnic hoods have the cheapest produce. however, there are a couple farmers markets too. one is on filmore, i know that for sure.

as far as a car, it depends on where u work and where u live. i have my s2k, but i have a parking spot. also, my car is not lowered, and i dont think, i will while i am living in the city.