Anyone live in or near San Francisco?

I'm thinking about moving to the San Francisco area during the summer and I have been looking at places to live. It seems to be  a very expensive area to live in but it does seem like there are some places that I could afford. My price would be $1500 at the most for a condo or townhouse. Do you think that there are descent condo/townhouses for this price or are they all ran down? I know I probably wouldn't be able to afford to live directly in San Francisco unless I wanted a studio but I don't. Are there any areas that you can specifically name that I should look at around San Francisco or areas that I should stay away from? Any information would help as I need to start planning if I want to move or not. I have looked at Sacramento because it is cheaper but I would really really love to live in San Francisco. Any help, much appreciated!

hey i live in santa rosa, about an hour north of san francisco. if there's one thing i've learned living here for my whole life, is that it is EXPENSIVE. im only 16, but i know the area pretty well.

san francisco is, of course, the most expensive. you can try across the bay bridge in oakland or richmond, though not the safest of neighborhoods. there's also berkeley right there in the east bay.

there's a gorgeous place called sauselito where my great uncle owns a place. but the houses there are around 2 or 3 million! there are other places in marin county like san rafael that are relatively cheap but beautiful.

i live in sonoma county which is farther from san francisco than most people like, but it has its own beauty. it tends to be a heck of alot colder though!

bump

I recommend using craigslist.com to find prices and availability on places to live in the Bay Area.  I love San Francisco, but you're right, it's quite expensive.  I wish you luck!

thanks

Here's the LINK to the SF-area Craigslist page... there are different pages for different cities around the SF area.  Were you planning on getting a roomie? There's a section for that, too.

I lived in SF for three years when I was in law school, and was very glad to move back to central California when I was finished! (Much less expensive cost of living!)

Good luck!

=^..^= MOLLY

Booster: What are you doing when you come here?  Are you working? And where?  I can tell you that it is very expensive to live in San Francisco.  You have to be very careful where you decide to live.  There are some very bad areas.  I would not move to Oakland or Richmond, very, very bad for someone who does not know the area.  You mentioned Sacramento, there are some better places close to that area. 

You would need to go way out to find a place for $1500.00 in my opinion.  You could try South San Francisco, Daly City, Burlingame.  That would take you closer to San Francisco.  Pacifica is a nice place too, on the water and a little foggy, but better and close to SF.  

Hope this helps. 

I live in a guest house in an "ok" area. 2br/2ba/1car garage and at a VERY LOW rate $1800/mo. The 2nd bedroom is tiny mind you.

I would check out San Jose... it's roughly about $1300 for the same place we have here (1 hour drive north to the city, so not bad)

Sac is NOT worth it. It's muggy weather, not near any beaches, and well it's ghetto.

Try out Half Moon Bay/Pacifica... near the beach, kinda cold but well worth it (especially august-december when it's whale migration season and sunsets are amazing) and the rent is nice.