San Franciscans help me out please?

Question

Ok I've mentioned about my "idea" to move to SF, but have found some "issues" affecting my decision. I've been on Craiglists looking for where to live and realized it's so expensive to my starting budget. So I decided to see outside SF maybe in Berkeley. I don't want be so far from SF because I'll be studying and working in there.

Ok my question is if you suggest Berkeley as a good option? I can't go more inside the East Bay because I will spend so much money in BART and I would not have a car. Or should I wait for a deal in san Francisco?

Help me out please because I want to have a final decision by November and then start everything between December and new year.

Answer 1

Sure, Berkeley might be a little bit cheaper than the city itself, but not THAT much. Have you also looked at Oakland? There are some really great parts (check out downtown in particular, and also Lake Merrit and Temescal), and you might find it even kinder to your wallet than Berkeley.

Rents seem to be up in San Francisco at the moment, but the good news is that once you're locked in, yours won't go up much. Personally, I think it's almost worth it to pay that bit extra to be in the city itself -- no BART! You can walk everywhere! -- so could you maybe compromise a little on location? There are probably still some good deals to be had in Lower Nob Hill (also called the Tendernob because of its proximity to the Tenderloin; I wouldn't go lower than Geary, because then you're in to TL Proper), Hayes Valley, and maybe even SoMa. You'd be surprised at how big a studio actually is -- some of them are the same size as your average one-bedroom.

Good luck! San Francisco is fabulous once you get here, though I'm sure you'd be just as happy in Oakland or Berkeley too.  

Answer 2

Yes. The city is quite expensive to be sure. But I suppose it is true, if you really want to be there, no time like the time you are going to do your BIG move.

Otherwise...

More deals are to be had in Oakland. The Lake Merritt area, especially the Adams Point neighborhood is wonderful. It is diverse, next to the lake (jogging, vistas, rowing, people watching) and is relatively close to the 19th street bart station- a 15 minute ride into SF, making it closer than Berkeley. There are wonderful grocery stores, farmers markets and Chinatown/downtown are a 15 minute walk too.

You can always look at craigslist.org under oakland/lake merritt/grand avenue for listings

Good luck!