5 ms·

The pairing of working in an office with a hellish commute is a bit odd. Maybe SF really is a parallel universe. Here in the UK, basically anyone earning a tec

The pairing of working in an office with a hellish commute is a bit odd. Maybe SF really is a parallel universe. Here in the UK, basically anyone earning a tech salary can afford to live within 10-20 mins cycle of work, even if they want children. You won't have a home with a garden and all the rest of the knick knacks, sure, but that's a different discussion.

TulliusCicero 6y ago
Most techies in SF could afford to live relatively close to work, or without roommates, or both. The reason why they don't is still due to the high rent though. When living with a roommate or two, or living a bit further away means you get an extra $1000+ a month to spend on other things, that can be very enticing.
- shuckles 6y ago
  This suggests that it's not only just that rents are high, but also that the current housing stock is not configured for the type of demand (small homes for few people, instead of large homes for lots of people).
  - SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
    Yeah, I tend to agree. A lot of young people happily live in group houses; I suspect a lot more would if it didn't mean compromising on floor space or bathroom availability.
- phendrenad2 6y ago
  This isn't true, at least of all the tech workers I've worked with. None of them could afford to live within a 30min commute of a downtown SF startup.
  - TulliusCicero 6y ago
    That sounds rather implausible, given the average dev salary in SF and the existence of BART. For example, living in Daly City would give you a ~30min commute, and the average rent there is $2,500, so $30,000 of post-tax income annually. High, obviously, but certainly doable on most SF dev salaries; Hired says the average there is 145k gross, so perhaps 100k or so after tax: https://hired.com/page/state-of-salaries https://hired.com/page/state-of-salaries
  - djannzjkzxn 6y ago
    I can see how this would be true for a ramen-stage startup but it’s not true in the normal startup job market where engineers get paid six figures. Lots of good places available downtown for <2k per bedroom. If you don’t want a roommate you can get a decent small apartment for 3k or a lower-end place for 2k in other neighborhoods. You don’t need to leave the city, and you don’t save all that much by doing so anyway. Good neighborhoods outside the city are also expensive. One good reason to leave the city would be if you prioritize renting a house with a 6000 sqft suburban lot, which you can’t find in the city. Another would be if you have kids and want a good school district.

TulliusCicero 6y ago

Most techies in SF could afford to live relatively close to work, or without roommates, or both. The reason why they don't is still due to the high rent though. When living with a roommate or two, or living a bit further away means you get an extra $1000+ a month to spend on other things, that can be very enticing.

shuckles 6y ago
This suggests that it's not only just that rents are high, but also that the current housing stock is not configured for the type of demand (small homes for few people, instead of large homes for lots of people).
- SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
  Yeah, I tend to agree. A lot of young people happily live in group houses; I suspect a lot more would if it didn't mean compromising on floor space or bathroom availability.
phendrenad2 6y ago
This isn't true, at least of all the tech workers I've worked with. None of them could afford to live within a 30min commute of a downtown SF startup.
- TulliusCicero 6y ago
  That sounds rather implausible, given the average dev salary in SF and the existence of BART. For example, living in Daly City would give you a ~30min commute, and the average rent there is $2,500, so $30,000 of post-tax income annually. High, obviously, but certainly doable on most SF dev salaries; Hired says the average there is 145k gross, so perhaps 100k or so after tax: https://hired.com/page/state-of-salaries https://hired.com/page/state-of-salaries
- djannzjkzxn 6y ago
  I can see how this would be true for a ramen-stage startup but it’s not true in the normal startup job market where engineers get paid six figures. Lots of good places available downtown for <2k per bedroom. If you don’t want a roommate you can get a decent small apartment for 3k or a lower-end place for 2k in other neighborhoods. You don’t need to leave the city, and you don’t save all that much by doing so anyway. Good neighborhoods outside the city are also expensive. One good reason to leave the city would be if you prioritize renting a house with a 6000 sqft suburban lot, which you can’t find in the city. Another would be if you have kids and want a good school district.