4 ms·

The short answer is: absolutely not. San Francisco could hardly be any further away from being representive of the average major US city. Any use of San Francis

The short answer is: absolutely not. San Francisco could hardly be any further away from being representive of the average major US city. Any use of San Francisco as a comparison point, as though it represents the US well, is going to end up comical far more often than not.

jrockway 7y ago
SF feels a lot like every other major city to me. Do you think New York, Chicago, and LA have low costs of living? They're expensive too. What surprises me about the Bay Area, though, is how expensive the suburbs are. I remember seeing apartments in downtown Mountain View that were $3000/month for one bedroom. Now that's insane and I don't think that happens anywhere else in the world.
- inferiorhuman 7y ago
  SF feels a lot like every other major city to me. Do you think New York, Chicago, and LA have low costs of living? They're expensive too. The cost of living in San Francisco is dramatically higher than New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. What surprises me about the Bay Area, though, is how expensive the suburbs are. I remember seeing apartments in downtown Mountain View that were $3000/month for one bedroom. Now that's insane and I don't think that happens anywhere else in the world. Right, and you can find one bedrooms in the "outer" boroughs for well under that. Perhaps not for much longer, but still.
  - OldHand2018 7y ago
    I don't think you'll find places like this in San Francisco (or New York, for that matter) https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1430-S-Michigan-Ave-60605/unit-301/home/12733808 https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1430-S-Michigan-Ave-60605/... ~$250k for a 1BR 3 blocks away from Trader Joes and the subway station and many bars and restaurants and parks. The walk/train/bike scores are all >90, so a car isn't needed even though a parking space is included (you could rent it out!). San Francisco is expensive.
    - pchristensen 7y ago
      To be fair, Chicago is inexpensive by coastal standards, not just SF. Prices comparable to Philly, not DC, Boston, NY, etc.
    - inferiorhuman 7y ago
      You're not going to find something for $250k within 2–3 hours of San Francisco.
- rconti 7y ago
  You're not wrong about the suburbs in the valley being expensive; that said, downtown mountain view is a very walkable 'city', and is just a couple of miles from one of the region's largest employers (Google). In general, it's expensive all up and down the peninsula specifically, because there's not all that much land, not much multi-unit housing, etc.
hanniabu 7y ago
I'm from the east coast and I think it's representative. You can pay $8-$12 for a sandwich that's very unappealing and mostly bread.
- bobthepanda 7y ago
  As a counterpoint, New York deli/bodega/sandwich cart culture is still extremely strong, and unless you‘re eating a premium sandwich like a lox and cream cheese bagel, can definitely be had for $5 or under

jrockway 7y ago

SF feels a lot like every other major city to me. Do you think New York, Chicago, and LA have low costs of living? They're expensive too. What surprises me about the Bay Area, though, is how expensive the suburbs are. I remember seeing apartments in downtown Mountain View that were $3000/month for one bedroom. Now that's insane and I don't think that happens anywhere else in the world.

inferiorhuman 7y ago
SF feels a lot like every other major city to me. Do you think New York, Chicago, and LA have low costs of living? They're expensive too. The cost of living in San Francisco is dramatically higher than New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. What surprises me about the Bay Area, though, is how expensive the suburbs are. I remember seeing apartments in downtown Mountain View that were $3000/month for one bedroom. Now that's insane and I don't think that happens anywhere else in the world. Right, and you can find one bedrooms in the "outer" boroughs for well under that. Perhaps not for much longer, but still.
- OldHand2018 7y ago
  I don't think you'll find places like this in San Francisco (or New York, for that matter) https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1430-S-Michigan-Ave-60605/unit-301/home/12733808 https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/1430-S-Michigan-Ave-60605/... ~$250k for a 1BR 3 blocks away from Trader Joes and the subway station and many bars and restaurants and parks. The walk/train/bike scores are all >90, so a car isn't needed even though a parking space is included (you could rent it out!). San Francisco is expensive.
  - pchristensen 7y ago
    To be fair, Chicago is inexpensive by coastal standards, not just SF. Prices comparable to Philly, not DC, Boston, NY, etc.
  - inferiorhuman 7y ago
    You're not going to find something for $250k within 2–3 hours of San Francisco.
rconti 7y ago
You're not wrong about the suburbs in the valley being expensive; that said, downtown mountain view is a very walkable 'city', and is just a couple of miles from one of the region's largest employers (Google). In general, it's expensive all up and down the peninsula specifically, because there's not all that much land, not much multi-unit housing, etc.

hanniabu 7y ago

I'm from the east coast and I think it's representative. You can pay $8-$12 for a sandwich that's very unappealing and mostly bread.

bobthepanda 7y ago
As a counterpoint, New York deli/bodega/sandwich cart culture is still extremely strong, and unless you‘re eating a premium sandwich like a lox and cream cheese bagel, can definitely be had for $5 or under