4 ms·

If the goal is saving money in your 20s, having a 1BR is kind of absurd. You can live in a multi-bedroom apartment/house in SF for much less than that.

loeg 9y ago
Having a 1BR as a young, single professional with a six figure salary isn't totally absurd, even if you're trying to save some money. And costs in Austin scale down with lifestyle, too.
- megaman22 9y ago
  I'd say it's absurd to be living in shared space like a college student in your mid to late twenties, especially if you're pulling down six figures. Move somewhere else, where half that income will buy you a house with 2000 sqft and an acre or two of land...
  - sidlls 9y ago
    And little or no job security or career mobility.
    - lwhalen 9y ago
      Remote work is totally a thing, and IME most places pay +/- 10% of 'coastal' wages.
    - nilkn 9y ago
      I'd say Austin is actually a pretty good place to be a software developer. Texas has several other big cities, including Houston, which have reasonable opportunities as well.
    - loeg 9y ago
      SF simply isn't the only city with tech job security or mobility.
  - liberte82 9y ago
    Really depends on your lifestyle, don't you think? Plenty of people are happy with a 1 bedroom if it lets them live in the heart of a city they love. Different people have different priorities.
- komaromy 9y ago
  I don't think it's an unreasonable decision to make. It's just one of the least productive things you can do if trying to save money. I'm paying $1400/month for a 17.5'x10' room in a popular part of the city. That's almost $2k/month saved by having roommates.
  - nilkn 9y ago
    Living conditions have a large impact on productivity and general mental wellbeing. For introverts, I think there's an argument to be made that splurging a bit on more space for yourself could lead to better performance in many areas of life. It's hard to put a dollar figure on that. For extroverts, this may be less true. I feel like I should point out that in most of the country, including large cities, it's hard to even spend $2k/month on any apartment, let alone save that much by opting to have roommates.
    - liberte82 9y ago
      I'd agree that having roommates can be made news for a strong introvert, but I don't think the amount of physical space you have is necessarily all that important. It's more whether you can have time to yourself.
  - loeg 9y ago
    > It's just one of the least productive things you can do if trying to save money. ... in SF. In most other cities with many tech employers, NYC excepted, living with roommates instead of in a 1BR isn't going to save you $2k/mo. Median 1BR in Austin or Seattle is less than $2k/mo. Yes, housing is still your biggest cost, but it's so much cheaper than SF, and the taxes are lower than California. The marginal savings you can get by reducing your standard of living aren't as huge as in SF.
  - vorotato 9y ago
    For the same price you could live in a nicer whole apartment, in most of america. I pay $1200/month for 1664 sqft in a nice townhome, with a garage, next to a park, as a software developer with plenty of opportunities and no I'm not going to tell you where I live or else you'll all move here lol.
deleted 9y ago
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tdb7893 9y ago
It depends on where you live. In places with lower rents it seems more common for young professionals to live alone (most people I know live alone or only with a significant other)

loeg 9y ago

Having a 1BR as a young, single professional with a six figure salary isn't totally absurd, even if you're trying to save some money. And costs in Austin scale down with lifestyle, too.

megaman22 9y ago
I'd say it's absurd to be living in shared space like a college student in your mid to late twenties, especially if you're pulling down six figures. Move somewhere else, where half that income will buy you a house with 2000 sqft and an acre or two of land...
- sidlls 9y ago
  And little or no job security or career mobility.
  - lwhalen 9y ago
    Remote work is totally a thing, and IME most places pay +/- 10% of 'coastal' wages.
  - nilkn 9y ago
    I'd say Austin is actually a pretty good place to be a software developer. Texas has several other big cities, including Houston, which have reasonable opportunities as well.
  - loeg 9y ago
    SF simply isn't the only city with tech job security or mobility.
- liberte82 9y ago
  Really depends on your lifestyle, don't you think? Plenty of people are happy with a 1 bedroom if it lets them live in the heart of a city they love. Different people have different priorities.
komaromy 9y ago
I don't think it's an unreasonable decision to make. It's just one of the least productive things you can do if trying to save money. I'm paying $1400/month for a 17.5'x10' room in a popular part of the city. That's almost $2k/month saved by having roommates.
- nilkn 9y ago
  Living conditions have a large impact on productivity and general mental wellbeing. For introverts, I think there's an argument to be made that splurging a bit on more space for yourself could lead to better performance in many areas of life. It's hard to put a dollar figure on that. For extroverts, this may be less true. I feel like I should point out that in most of the country, including large cities, it's hard to even spend $2k/month on any apartment, let alone save that much by opting to have roommates.
  - liberte82 9y ago
    I'd agree that having roommates can be made news for a strong introvert, but I don't think the amount of physical space you have is necessarily all that important. It's more whether you can have time to yourself.
- loeg 9y ago
  > It's just one of the least productive things you can do if trying to save money. ... in SF. In most other cities with many tech employers, NYC excepted, living with roommates instead of in a 1BR isn't going to save you $2k/mo. Median 1BR in Austin or Seattle is less than $2k/mo. Yes, housing is still your biggest cost, but it's so much cheaper than SF, and the taxes are lower than California. The marginal savings you can get by reducing your standard of living aren't as huge as in SF.
- vorotato 9y ago
  For the same price you could live in a nicer whole apartment, in most of america. I pay $1200/month for 1664 sqft in a nice townhome, with a garage, next to a park, as a software developer with plenty of opportunities and no I'm not going to tell you where I live or else you'll all move here lol.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

tdb7893 9y ago

It depends on where you live. In places with lower rents it seems more common for young professionals to live alone (most people I know live alone or only with a significant other)