5 ms·

My first 18 months in the Bay Area were in a $1600 spare room with no cooking allowed. My mental and physical health both tanked. Things are better now, but whe

My first 18 months in the Bay Area were in a $1600 spare room with no cooking allowed. My mental and physical health both tanked. Things are better now, but when the time comes to leave my current job, I want out. The cons severely outweigh the pros if (like me) you are starting from next-to-nothing, have no family to keep you here, and you don't find your personal identity through your job. I would recommend working literally anywhere else.

ganoushoreilly 8y ago
It definitely takes it's toll, I had a one bedroom near "Oracle Park" and while I can't complain about it's quality or location, you knowingly paid for it. 8 Years ago It was around $3500 and I was frustrated and decided to get out, I looked up the price now, around $6k. It's just crazy. Then there was the process of getting the place, Print out credit score in advance, show up on the spot (hoping to get in on the early rental showing, prior to the publicized showing) and be prepared to put down 1st and last months rent and 1 month deposit then and there. It's simply not feasible for most americans to do that. Even the tech-oriented jobs aren't all paying the crazy rates you read about. The fact that the Department of Housing and Urban Development now states that $82k a year puts a single person in "Low Income" is just preposterous. As ahead of the curve as the city likes to project itself on social issues, it has a lot of do as I say not as I do attitudes among the NIMBY crowd. I think it's turned it into a situation of in your early 20's, go to SF/Bay and experience it, then in your thirties start looking elsewhere for quality of life.