Your alternative is mass-transit. If your work is in reasonable proximity to BART, Caltrain, or a Ferry, then check out where that mass transit leads to and see

Your alternative is mass-transit. If your work is in reasonable proximity to BART, Caltrain, or a Ferry, then check out where that mass transit leads to and see if you can afford to live there near a station and if you can stand the commute. For BART, Albany, North Berkeley, Rockridge, and El Cerrito are pretty nice places to live. For Ferries, check out Alameda. Pick your job based on whether the work will be interesting. Perks are just monetary compensation where you get no say in how it is spent. Consider what it would cost to match the perks in terms of out-of-pocket spending, and whether or not you would actually spend the money if it was coming from your pocket. When evaluating non-SF offers, do consider the value of a short commute, a traffic-free commute, and proximity (or lack thereof) to things you like to do.