What I Learned after living in San Francisco for a Year

1. It’s not Easy

Life in San Francisco is not easy, it’s actually pretty hard. You need to work constantly to make up for all the expensive things in SF. You pretty much have to have a hustle personality because of how much money and time is required to make ends meet. Living in SF is not for the faint hearted.

2. Life in SF is different from other places

Having lived in many different places, I can say this without any hesitation; SF is different from other places. People are somehow liberal and harsh at the same time. Residents are liberal, similar to the mentality of ‘you do you’ lifestyle, but they can also be extremely harsh in a lonely way. You are on your own in the big city.

3. Understand your priorities

As mentioned before, living in SF is not easy, so understand your priorities. If you’re here to live in a big city, get ready to have a lot of fun, but also be ready for the cost of everything. You can’t really have a lot of fun and also save money in the big city. There are quite a few things you can do with sf.funcheap.com in SF, but it’s limited to a few categories. So understand your priorities when you move here, what’s the purpose?

4. Be ready for sticker shock

Dear God, is it expensive here! Everything is so expensive, and it’s crazy how expensive it can get over time. For example, My family spent about $45,000 on rent last year for a 1-bedroom apartment in SoMa (South of the Market, San Francisco). This is actually not bad for the area.

5. Be ready for a minimalist lifestyle

Unless you are a millionaire, you will probably have a 1-bedroom apartment which is very limited in space. We converted our living room with a bed/couch (thanks to my very creative wife), which made it so we could keep our desks in the bedroom. Even with a creative solution, we still struggled quite a bit with the limited amount of space. It made it so we couldn’t sometimes buy the things we wanted because there was no place to put them.

6. Everything Closes Early

I had thought that because it’s a big city, most places would stay open late. Nope! Almost everything closes by 8pm. Most people work till about 5pm, and it takes about an hour to get home. You’re left with about 2 hours to get everything you need/want on the weekday. Some things don’t even stay past 6pm.

7. You can get mostly any type of food

One of the greatest things about San Francisco is the food scene here. You can get just about any type of food in SF. I’ve tried so many new foods while I’ve been in the city. It’s opened my mind to any many new cuisine. It’s a food-loving city.

8. The traffic, having a car is tough!

I’m sure you’ve heard of it but the traffic in San Francisco is a nightmare. I’ve spent an hour, easily, just trying to get from one block to the next. Driving when there is a game is Hell! If you’re thinking about living in SF, consider getting rid of your car and using the transit if you’re not a patient person. It will try every patience in your body, and the honking will give you a headache every time.

9. Your lifestyle will depend on where you live.

If you’re considering moving in San Francisco, be very careful about where you live. Living in different types of districts will determine your lifestyle and happiness due to factors like the grocery store, traffic, and restaurant scene. Choosing the best place to live for you will determine your overall experience of your stay.

10. Health is a priority. Vegan paradise

Another great thing about San Francisco is that it takes your health very seriously. If you have a strict diet for various reasons, you will find every kind of food here. There’s almost always multiple healthy options at every restaurant. Not to mention, there are many many vegan restaurants. It’s very easy to go out and still stick to your diet. Kudos to SF for that.

11. Customer Service SUCKS!

I don’t know what it is about San Francisco customer service but they don’t give a fu*k. Like…not one bit! We’ve been to quite a few restaurants, stores, and varies places and it’s very hard to find anyone with good customer service here. They always make you feel like you’re bothering them even when all you are doing is trying to order a drink of coffee. There’s perhaps one person seated so they’re not busy but they’ll act like you’ve asked for their kidney.

Conclusion:

I’m really glad that we moved to San Francisco for various reasons, but I would not do it again. It has various pros and cons, but for me (and my wife) it was not worth the effort to be in the city. I felt like I didn’t really know why I was paying such a high amount to live in a city that didn’t really have a lot to offer. I would like to point out that we lived here in 2023-2024, so perhaps it will change in the future. One can hope…

Thank you for reading

Navi