San Fran vs. NYC cost of living

NurseguyFL · Sep 29, 2006

I've never lived or worked in California but have been a New York resident in the past. Depending on what income tax bracket you fall into, the net amount paid for state income tax and sales taxes may be higher in California; however, the overall cost of living is higher in New York City than in San Francisco.

For instance, rent is the item that will take the biggest bite out of your paycheck. A tiny studio in a nice part of San Francisco will sink you about $1600-$1800 at the low end. In Manhattan's upper east side, an even smaller apartment is easily over $2000 and in many cases much, much higher. Of course, many people who work in NYC commute from cheaper areas outside the city so there are ways to get around paying very high rents if you decide to go to NYC.

My calculations are based on two different COL calculators. Anyone else with a different point of view?

HARRN2b · Sep 29, 2006

This is going to sound crazy, but I know of people that are doing it. What about living in an RV. Some of them are really nice. Many retirees are doing it so they do not have to pay rent or homeowner taxes. You would need a place to park it with hook ups, but here is what I would do. Have it self contained so that you can live there while working your shifts. Then park at the beach or state park, or someplace that you would really enjoy on your time off. Yep, thats what I would do.

blondie27 · Oct 1, 2006

I'm a student in SF, but I'm originally from Oregon. Yep, SF is expensive, especially for housing. What I pay for a small apartment with a roommate is the same as my mortgage payment for my brand new condo in Portland. But living here is completely worth it. The salaries for nurses is the highest in the nation and there are many great hospitals. Transportation is easy, I no longer have a car. Not having a car does make me feel trapped occasionally though. The biggest downside of this city is the weather. It is always cooler here than in the surrounding areas, and the fog gets depressing after a while.

It does seem like I can't leave the house without spending $20, which is annoying. I've found many great restaurants that aren't expensive, and going to Trader Joe's for groceries definitely saves money. There are plenty of festivals and things to do in the city that don't require spending money. I think you can live somewhat frugally here if you try hard enough. I love this city!

puresass · Oct 2, 2006

i've never lived in either place, but i've vacationed both places (so take this with a grain of salt)...

i don't know much about rent in either place (craigslist has A LOT of listings in SF, so that's probably a good place to start for that) but as far as the cost of things, new york was WAYYY more expensive than SF.

grocery store food was more expensive, restaurants were more expensive, going out was more expensive, shopping was more expensive, the only thing that was easier & cheaper was public transportation. SF has the trolley cars & the BART & MUNI busses, but as good as they were they were nothing in comparision with new york.