3 ms·

Serious question as someone who doesn't live in the US: where do (lower salary) non-tech workers live in SF? I'm talking about the fast food workers, retail sh

by oars 3y ago

Serious question as someone who doesn't live in the US: where do (lower salary) non-tech workers live in SF? I'm talking about the fast food workers, retail shop assistants, cleaners in the Google offices, etc. How are these people able to afford the average monthly SF rent on their hourly wages?

calderwoodra 3y ago
My wife works in mountain view and her co-workers drive from Oakland or out past Gilroy. If they live nearby, 2 incomes and multigenerational living helps. It's pretty easy to find rent sub-1500/mo, which is definitely affordable for most folks, but you obviously need to taper your expectations. Minimum wage around here is +$20/hr.
- kioleanu 3y ago
  would people have any tax advantage for commuting this long? For example, in Germany, you would be able to claim about 30 cents per kilometer (one way) for your commute on your tax return. Otherwise, is the salary gap so big that people would not be better off working closer to home?
  - calderwoodra 3y ago
    I don't think such a thing exists in the US. If anything, California taxes you for every mile you drive via the highest gas taxes in the county (which in classic California fashion, hurts the poorest among us).
  - rconti 3y ago
    No. Businesses can deduct mileage by personal vehicle usage (now $0.655 per mile)[1] , and so if I'm on a "work trip' and use my personal car, typically I will get reimbursed by my employer at that same rate. And if I was self-employed, of course, I would get that tax deduction. However, personal vehicle use is not tax-deductible for individuals. 1. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-03.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-03.pdf
martin8412 3y ago
They can't afford rent in SF. So they live hours away.
Simon_O_Rourke 3y ago
Oakland and Hunters Point I guess mostly.
jzl 3y ago
This topic has pretty much been the headlining crisis in SF news for the last 20 years. (Well, along with a bunch of other equally dire problems.) There’s even an award-winning independent film about the topic (a fictional drama) from 2019 called “The Last Black Man In San Francisco”.
rib3ye 3y ago
East Bay: Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Pleasanton, etc.
cvhashim04 3y ago
You either live in a lower income area (i.e. the hood) or you live far from the city center — 1, 2 hour drive.

by oars 3y ago

calderwoodra 3y ago

My wife works in mountain view and her co-workers drive from Oakland or out past Gilroy. If they live nearby, 2 incomes and multigenerational living helps. It's pretty easy to find rent sub-1500/mo, which is definitely affordable for most folks, but you obviously need to taper your expectations. Minimum wage around here is +$20/hr.

kioleanu 3y ago
would people have any tax advantage for commuting this long? For example, in Germany, you would be able to claim about 30 cents per kilometer (one way) for your commute on your tax return. Otherwise, is the salary gap so big that people would not be better off working closer to home?
- calderwoodra 3y ago
  I don't think such a thing exists in the US. If anything, California taxes you for every mile you drive via the highest gas taxes in the county (which in classic California fashion, hurts the poorest among us).
- rconti 3y ago
  No. Businesses can deduct mileage by personal vehicle usage (now $0.655 per mile)[1] , and so if I'm on a "work trip' and use my personal car, typically I will get reimbursed by my employer at that same rate. And if I was self-employed, of course, I would get that tax deduction. However, personal vehicle use is not tax-deductible for individuals. 1. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-03.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-03.pdf

martin8412 3y ago

They can't afford rent in SF. So they live hours away.

Simon_O_Rourke 3y ago

Oakland and Hunters Point I guess mostly.

jzl 3y ago

This topic has pretty much been the headlining crisis in SF news for the last 20 years. (Well, along with a bunch of other equally dire problems.) There’s even an award-winning independent film about the topic (a fictional drama) from 2019 called “The Last Black Man In San Francisco”.

rib3ye 3y ago

East Bay: Fremont, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Pleasanton, etc.

cvhashim04 3y ago

You either live in a lower income area (i.e. the hood) or you live far from the city center — 1, 2 hour drive.