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The thing is, Mountain View is hardly cheaper than San Francisco. That's what makes the Bay so weird. There's no way to escape the high prices. I've lived all

The thing is, Mountain View is hardly cheaper than San Francisco. That's what makes the Bay so weird. There's no way to escape the high prices. I've lived all over the Northeast and the Northeast is definitely expensive but there are absolutely cheap places out there. You can live in a suburb of Providence, Rhode Island, and commute one hair on a direct train to downtown Boston. You can live in much cheaper Lowell or Lawrence and commute, again, one hour to downtown Boston. You can live in Worcester, again, one hour to downtown Boston. And the city has little pockets of affordability, albeit in less nice/higher crime parts, but they do exist. SF really doesn't have this. The public transit is lacking so it's basically cheaper => closer to the jobs, with few exceptions.

ghaff 6y ago
And historically (and even today) most of the tech jobs aren't downtown in Boston anyway. Yes, if you want to pay a premium for urban living in Boston/Cambridge, you can do so. But you can escape it pretty easily if you don't want to pay a stiff premium for a personal preference to live in the city.
reducesuffering 6y ago
Hayward and San Leandro have home prices 2/5 of SF and Mountain View. It's within a 45 min. drive to many jobs and a 30 min. BART (public transit) into SF.
- thehappypm 6y ago
  Interesting! How long does it take during a real rush hour? I can imagine that bridge is a nasty choke point. This is a problem with Seattle too -- there is plenty of cheap housing across the Sound in places like Bremerton, but they're a ferry ride away.
  - reducesuffering 6y ago
    The Bay Bridge on the east is definitely a choke point. San Leandro is closer and could take almost an hour driving. Hayward could take an hour but you also have the option of crossing the San Mateo bridge further south and driving up 101, especially if your workplace is closer to the 101 exits on the south side. Ultimately public transport on BART is likely going to be the faster option, since it’s 25-30 mins once you’re on the train.

ghaff 6y ago

And historically (and even today) most of the tech jobs aren't downtown in Boston anyway. Yes, if you want to pay a premium for urban living in Boston/Cambridge, you can do so. But you can escape it pretty easily if you don't want to pay a stiff premium for a personal preference to live in the city.

reducesuffering 6y ago

Hayward and San Leandro have home prices 2/5 of SF and Mountain View. It's within a 45 min. drive to many jobs and a 30 min. BART (public transit) into SF.

thehappypm 6y ago
Interesting! How long does it take during a real rush hour? I can imagine that bridge is a nasty choke point. This is a problem with Seattle too -- there is plenty of cheap housing across the Sound in places like Bremerton, but they're a ferry ride away.
- reducesuffering 6y ago
  The Bay Bridge on the east is definitely a choke point. San Leandro is closer and could take almost an hour driving. Hayward could take an hour but you also have the option of crossing the San Mateo bridge further south and driving up 101, especially if your workplace is closer to the 101 exits on the south side. Ultimately public transport on BART is likely going to be the faster option, since it’s 25-30 mins once you’re on the train.