Surviving in SF on less than $1k/month. Totally possible! Here’s How.
So you’re thinking about moving to San Francisco but you’ve only got a few bands in your bank account and a dream brewing in your brain. Well I am here to tell you to ignore all the negativity, take the leap of faith and move here! SF is a beautiful place full of opportunities for those who want to work in tech, finance, or grow their own business. It’s the best place in the world to link up with talented and ambitious people. Yes it’s really expensive and yes the city is not perfect, but from my own experience it’s been absolutely worth the move. The amount of talented people here is unparalleled. People from all over the world come here to develop their careers. On a random evening I was having drinks with an Oxford molecular biology PhD, an Oxford MBA who was pursuing a VC career, a serial entrepreneur enrolled in a prominent SF accelerator, and a med school dropout turned biotech entrepreneur. I met these people just a few hours ago at a meetup in the city and despite their impressive credentials, they were all chill AF. If you want to be surrounded by smart ambitious people who aren’t dickheads you will like SF. Moving to any new city can be scary and expensive as hell, but hopefully this short guide will make the move easier, less expensive, and maybe even a little less painful.
Renting an Apartment
In a 2018 study conducted by Walletwyse, out of 540 cities San Francisco was ranked as having the most expensive rent in the world averaging $3,500 per month for a one bedroom apartment.
Now the key word in that last sentence is AVERAGE. There are apartments that are a lot more expensive than that but there are also apartments that are a lot cheaper. To give you an idea of what’s possible where I currently live I pay less than $500 per month for rent (including utilities and access to a gym). It’s definitely possible to get a great price! Here’s how to do it
- Find roommates. This means less privacy and less space but you also will be able to save $$$. There are a lot of websites that can help with this, but the most commonly used in SF is still craigslist. It can be pretty competitive but if you send out a dozen emails you should get a response from at least one or two people.
- You want to live in a non-trendy part of SF. A lot of outsiders might not know that SF is actually pretty small. In fact it’s only 49 square miles. Here’s a map that shows the relative trend in prices across the city. The more southwest you go the rent prices will be cheaper. If you want the average prices for each neighborhood check out Priceonomics.com
Where I live — close to SF state — it’s not uncommon to find rooms (yes even private rooms) for less than $1k. Most of these choices will have you staying in a house with anywhere between 3–6 people. When I first moved here I was staying on Fuente Street (right next to SF state) for around $750 per month. I was paying that while also having a roommate. I found the room on craigslist while driving to San Francisco. Now I live right down the street on Font Boulevard. I pay about $500 per month (including utilities) which is dirt cheap for SF. I found the room using Sulekha.com which is a site that allows Indian men and women to find roommates. Now — technically I am an American and was raised in the South, but both of my parents are from India so I figured I could use my cultural heritage to my advantage. If you are of Indian descent or are coming to SF from India I would recommend you use this site because it’s less competitive than craigslist. Although you’ll be paying cheaper rent by staying in an uncool spot — you will have more space, feel safer, and encounter less of the homeless epidemic. The downside of course is that to get to where the action is (SOMA, Mission, Financial District) you’re gonna have to take the MUNI or Uber. But since SF is not that big, its pretty easy to get there.
Transportation
When I moved to SF I was pleasantly surprised at how good the public transportation system is. In fact it ranks just below NYC in terms of ease/convenience. Just like how most NY residents don’t need to drive and can just use the subway, most SF residents can get around really well just by walking and using public transport. According to Business Insider 99% of SF residents live less than .5 miles from public transit stops. A one-way muni ticket in the city only costs $2.50 if you use the MUNI app (or $2.75 if you use the paper ticket). It typically takes me about less than 30 minutes to get downtown using the M train so it’s also fast. If you need to get there faster you can also use Uber. If you use Uber Pool or Uber Pool Express it only costs between $5–10 a trip from where I live to downtown. If you do decide to drive then be warned that finding parking is a nightmare and traffic can get really bad during peak time. It’s just easier to use public transport and Uber in the city rather than having your own car.
Now let’s say you’re dirt broke — I am talking down to your last few dollars, but you need to make a trip across the city. Well you can actually finesse a trip on the MUNI without having to pay really really easily. In fact paying for the MUNI relies on the honor system. Every now and then there will be police officers that come by to check that you have payed, however this happens extremely rarely and you are more likely to get caught if you are on a train near the Civic Center. If you’re caught hopping on the train without paying you may get a fine for more than $100. There are some people in the city who literally never pay and haven’t gotten caught in months. So if you really really need to get somewhere you can probably get there for free. Also if you have a bike SF is great because there are plenty of bike lanes. Be warned, however, that some neighborhoods downtown will have really steep hills making it difficult to ride.
Everyone’s Gotta Eat Sometime
If you want to save money and are too lazy to cook — hit up the dollar menu on McDonalds or Taco Bell. Otherwise if you are planning on eating out regularly in SF you are going to find out that it’s really really expensive. A basic meal in the business district will cost you upwards of $16 according to Expatisan.com. Now McDonalds and Taco Bell are freaking terrible for you so if you want to avoid feeling like shit without breaking the bank the best way to thrive is to buy groceries and cook at home. In terms of grocery stores there’s a lot of different options in SF, butTrader Joe’s is fairly cheap and has really good quality. I’ve been able to eat very healthily off of $20-$25 a week. I can make another post on what groceries I buy but you can also check out the Brothers Green Youtube videos to get a sense of how far $20 will take you.
Free Food and Alcohol
One of the great things about living in SF is that there are events literally everyday. Just check out meetup.com or eventbrite.com and you will see that on most days there are free events that provide free food and alcohol. It’s a great way to network and meet people in the city. In fact several entrepreneurs have told me that they have recruited early team members at meetups so if you’re looking for a job it also might not be a bad idea to check it out. So basically you get free food, free beer/wine, possibly a job, and a chance to meet some really cool people pretty much everyday. All you have to do is step out of your apartment.
TLDR/Summary
- Get some roommates using Craigslist
- Live in a non-trendy part of SF. AKA not the Mission, Financial District, or neat the civic center, bur rather in the Sunset/Park Merced area
- Use public transportation — it’s surprisingly good!
- Buy your groceries from Trader Joe’s
- Go to meetups as much as possible to get free food, drink, and meet new people.
Hope this helps you in your move! If you have any questions feel free to email me at s.velaga@uky.edu
