Cost of Living in San Francisco, CA

I've been living in SF since 2014 and I have to say Cost of Living is misrepresented. It's a lot more expensive now (2020) than posted. 1-bdr in center is $3,500-$4,000 + $200-$300 for parking + $100-$200 for utilities. Almost impossible to find month-to-month rent, so this is for 1-year lease. Coffee for two + a pastry is easily $20. Dinner for two never less than $50, unless it's fast food (+20% tips are expected) and if you want actually something good it's at least $100 for two. Airbnb is $150+ for a room, god know how much for a whole place. We've been living rather frugally, and our total bill a month is $6,000-$8,000 (we almost never go out and have our own car). I would not recommend living here unless your income is AT LEAST $150,000/year (for basic). We started feel comfortable with our expenses only when our total income hit $300,000. In terms of safety, it's really really bad. We live on a quiet street, but we have cars broken-in right under our window literally every week. I (female) don't go out alone after dark. And that's given that our place is one of the safest (South Beach) and quietest in the central part of the city.

Considering California cities, it’s a nice option to be a Nomad but very very pricey and full of big city issues.
I would highly recommend take a look around the cities in Silicon Valley: Palo Alto, San Jose, etc. because the offer of coworking places is very good. Although they could be as expensive as SF. Palo Alto was my favorite place.

Lived there for 5 month on a contract project in one IT company, With my monthly income of $3,400 it was disgustingly hard to have a normal lifestyle. The city is also very dirty, specifically the Mission. Would not recommend moving there as an expat.

A mixture of piss, weed, unwashed nerdy men, overpriced reality estate, passive-aggressiveness, homeless people and freaks

When I arrived in San Francisco in 2002, I could afford to split a 2 bedroom apartment on Haight Street right across from beautiful Buena Vista Park while making $15/hr as an architecture intern in North Beach. The city has changed completely since then. All my artist and musician friends have long since moved to Oakland and then to Los Angeles and other locations where the living is good but cost is much lower. Now SF is swarming with tech nerds in plaid shirts who add nothing to what was once a vibrant artistic community. Also, the homeless and druggie problem has gone off the charts. Don't even get me started on traffic and tourists. SF used to be a gem of a city. Now, at best, it is a place from which to base your work while you live far far away. I'm embarking on a chapter of digital nomadism myself, in just a couple of days!

The other two reviews are spot-on. I've been living here for 6 years and it's terrible. Nothing but nerds with no social skills, and trust me even the people working at top tech companies are struggling financially. You have legit homeless towns in some parts of the city, where you see 50-100 tents with homeless people. Some of them even have desks and BBQ grills. This is not a good place anymore and hasn't been for some time. Don't believe the hype.

Beautiful location but it's just way too expensive. You need to work full time at a tech company here to really afford it. It's also quite small. The divide between rich and poor is obscene, including a lot of homeless and many people asking for money all over. The tech workers who dominate the transplant crowd that you'll be around are mostly workaholic spoiled privileged people full of themselves, not the type I enjoy hanging out with. All the artsy, alternative, and activist types the city used to be known for either live in Oakland or left. The gender ratio is way too heavy on single males, so good luck getting a date, let alone a long term relationship, if you're a straight guy. Obviously, Internet speeds are great, plenty of spots to work from. Nightlife is pretty lackluster as you can imagine.

One of the worst places I have ever lived. Cost of living is horrible and living there makes no sense unless you want to work 100% of your time. Save your time and money and live somewhere where there is actual sense of community. I was able to afford it there, but it still didn't made any sense.