How to Live in San Francisco on a Budget
Pick the right neighborhood., Live with roommates., Exchange your car for a bike., Take advantage of free fun., Consider living outside of the city.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick the right neighborhood.
There is a very wide range of average rents across San Francisco neighborhoods.
You will want to avoid most of the neighborhoods in the north to northeast section of the city: the Financial District, Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, the Marina, North Beach, and so on.
Your best bet are neighborhoods like Outer Sunset and Outer/Inner Richmond, Lakeshore, and Outer Mission/Excelsior.
These are the only neighborhoods with average rents of less than $2000 for a 1-bedroom apartment.Of course, these neighborhoods require a commute to downtown. -
Step 2: Live with roommates.
Living by oneself in San Francisco is a very expensive proposition.
The average price of a 1-bedroom apartment is $2800.If you spend 33% of your income on rent, as most finance experts recommend, this would mean you need to be earning at least $100,000 per year to afford this rent.
Splitting an apartment with roommates, however, quickly reduces the amount you will have to pay. , More than 28% of San Francisco households do not own a car, the 14th highest percentage in the nation.You will save several hundred dollars per month by eliminating your car payment each month--money which can be devoted to your rent, if need be.
San Francisco has excellent public transportation, thanks to BART and Muni, and the city boasts the second-highest bike score in the country.Additionally, the city has a number of services like Zipcar and City CarShare that allow residents to have a car when they need one.
In recent years, on-demand transportation services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar have grown significantly in San Francisco, offering yet another viable option to car ownership. , San Francisco is loaded with fun activities that won't drain your bank account, from Fleet Week to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to Anchor Brewing Company tours to the Randall Museum simply hanging with friends in one of the cities many public parks.
It seems that every weekend offers some kind of free--or at least affordable--event, if not a wide range of them.
Pick up one of the local (free) weeklies to see what events are coming up soon. , Although the entire Bay Area is expensive compared to the rest of the country, you can save a lot of money by living outside of the city itself.
If you work in San Francisco, this could add significantly to your daily commute, but transit systems like BART, CalTrain, and ferries make it possible to live in the East, South, or North Bay without spending a lot of time in traffic.
Within a 50-mile radius of the city, rents drop by up to two-thirds. -
Step 3: Exchange your car for a bike.
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Step 4: Take advantage of free fun.
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Step 5: Consider living outside of the city.
Detailed Guide
There is a very wide range of average rents across San Francisco neighborhoods.
You will want to avoid most of the neighborhoods in the north to northeast section of the city: the Financial District, Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, the Marina, North Beach, and so on.
Your best bet are neighborhoods like Outer Sunset and Outer/Inner Richmond, Lakeshore, and Outer Mission/Excelsior.
These are the only neighborhoods with average rents of less than $2000 for a 1-bedroom apartment.Of course, these neighborhoods require a commute to downtown.
Living by oneself in San Francisco is a very expensive proposition.
The average price of a 1-bedroom apartment is $2800.If you spend 33% of your income on rent, as most finance experts recommend, this would mean you need to be earning at least $100,000 per year to afford this rent.
Splitting an apartment with roommates, however, quickly reduces the amount you will have to pay. , More than 28% of San Francisco households do not own a car, the 14th highest percentage in the nation.You will save several hundred dollars per month by eliminating your car payment each month--money which can be devoted to your rent, if need be.
San Francisco has excellent public transportation, thanks to BART and Muni, and the city boasts the second-highest bike score in the country.Additionally, the city has a number of services like Zipcar and City CarShare that allow residents to have a car when they need one.
In recent years, on-demand transportation services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar have grown significantly in San Francisco, offering yet another viable option to car ownership. , San Francisco is loaded with fun activities that won't drain your bank account, from Fleet Week to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass to Anchor Brewing Company tours to the Randall Museum simply hanging with friends in one of the cities many public parks.
It seems that every weekend offers some kind of free--or at least affordable--event, if not a wide range of them.
Pick up one of the local (free) weeklies to see what events are coming up soon. , Although the entire Bay Area is expensive compared to the rest of the country, you can save a lot of money by living outside of the city itself.
If you work in San Francisco, this could add significantly to your daily commute, but transit systems like BART, CalTrain, and ferries make it possible to live in the East, South, or North Bay without spending a lot of time in traffic.
Within a 50-mile radius of the city, rents drop by up to two-thirds.
About the Author
Rebecca Adams
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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