Frequently Asked Questions for People Looking to Relocate to San Francisco
The following is a list of questions that all people looking to relocate whether it be to San Francisco or anywhere else.
1) Can I find a job? There are lots of jobs available in San Francisco, but there may not be a job in your specific field. Additionally it can sometimes take a while to find a job especially if you have a unique skill set. So just be aware of this. 2) What is commuting like? San Francisco offers many options of public transportation. There are cable cars, busses and street cars. San Francisco has one of the best public transportation systems. If you are going to be driving you should be aware that parking can be difficult depending in what part of the city you live, and it can get expensive. Parking can cost about $200-$400 or so a month if you don’t have a garage. If you are going to drive it is good to look for a place to live that has easy freeway access especially if you are going to be commuting to Silicon Valley. 3) What is the cost of living like in San Francisco? The cost of living in San Francisco is high compared to many parts of the country. Rents are averaging between $3,000 to $3,500 in the early part of 2011. In addition people’s entertainment and food costs typically are higher. You may want to visit this site to see how your salary and cost of living will be impacted by moving to San Francisco. 4) Should I rent or own? It is always tough deciding whether to rent or own. The cost of houses and condos here are significantly higher than most of the country other than cities like New York. If you are looking to rent expect to pay typically about $1600 to $4000/mon depending on which area of the city you are looking. If you are looking to buy a condo in a decent neighborhood be prepared to pay $600,000 to $1.2 million. If you are looking at houses expect to pay over $1 million to about $4 million depending on what you are looking. To get more information about renting and owning you may want to see this on Trulia’s website. 5) Should I live in a condo, loft, flat, apartment or house? There are many options available to one looking to move to San Francisco, but one thing you should definitely consider is noise. San Francisco is a large city and in general there are city noises in most places. If you are looking though to live in a condo, loft, flat or apartment downtown expect to hear trash noises on some mornings, neighbors at night, busses during the day, etc. There are quieter locations such as the Presidio or Sea Cliff etc, but usually there are only houses available in the quieter areas. 6) What is the pace of life like? If you are coming from a small town you will probably find San Francisco to be fast paced, but if you are coming from New York you will find it slower. There are a lot of great restaurants, cultural events, theatre performances, concerts, outdoor activities, etc in the San Francisco Bay Area. See our activities portion. 7) What will the impact of moving to San Francisco have on my family? San Francisco is a city and you need to think if your family would like to live in a large city. You need to think about the public and private schools that are available, whether or not your spouse will be able to find a job here, how your kids will adapt to city living. There are many parks, outdoor spaces, in parts of the city, but again it is a city. |