How Much Money Do You Need To Make To Live Alone In The Sf Bay Area

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I sleep in the San Francisco Bay Area on just $50,000 a year — here's how I make out

san francisco skyline — Downtown San Francisco.

The San Francisco Bay Field is one of the most expensive city-born areas in the US. But information technology's still possible to live here on a modest income.
My wife and I got priced out of San Francisco and stirred to the East Bay to find an affordable place to live.
When I quit a good-paying office job to become a freelancer, I had to make additional adjustments to my lifestyle to fit into a smaller budget.
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When I first moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1987, I was a grad bookman with zero money.

In the 1980s, San Francisco was expensive, but it wasn't crazy expensive like it is today. I was competent to liveborn in San Francisco without much of money for many another days, thanks to rent-restricted apartments.

For my last 10 years in the city, my married woman and I lived in a 1,200-foursquare-groundwork, two-bedroom flat that too had a garage of more than 300 square feet where I ran my nontextual matter concern. Our rent was $900 a month.

In 2004, we matt-up ready to buy, even though we still had hardly some money. We couldn't afford San Francisco, but we were able to buy a condo in the East Bay, in the Ternary Charge locality where Oakland, Bishop Berkeley, and Emeryville meet. The condo is much smaller than our old apartment. We have attuned to keep in less than 800 square feet with just one bedroom. The secure expense of our mortgage and the fact that our home is puny has helped us give the Colored Area.

A few years ago, I quit my job to go a full-time mercenary author. That came with a steep pay cut, merely we still manage to make IT work.

Hither's how I live in the Bay Area connected $50,000 a yr.

I gave improving my car about 10 years agone. That saves me to a higher degree $500 a month.

When you let in car payments, gas, indemnity, repairs, and derogation, information technology costs or so $3,600 to own a car in the Bay Area, a local reporter found. Credit entry Karma reports that the average new car payment in 2022 is $554 per month and the average for a used car is $391. It would toll me between $690 and $850 per calendar month to possess a motor vehicle.

When I gave functioning my car, I assumed I would use a big chunk of the money I saved on gondola alternatives such as taxis, rentals, and car-sharing programs. I don't. Information technology's besides easy to swing by bike and overt transit, and I'm commonly besides cheap to dispense $10 bucks for a hack home. Going railcar-available is one of the things that made it possible to initiate my written material calling.

I mostly short-circuit by bike, which is so cheesy it's virtually free. Positive, it's great exercise.

Most of the places I need to go are easy to bother past bike, so that's my main mode of transportation. With the money I redeem on car payments, I can splashing out a miniature on my bikes and gear and still spare money. I birth two bikes, a Brompton folding cycle and a Burley hybrid.

My cycle expenses are limited to repairs and maintenance and replacement bike gear that wears stunned. This year, I've worn-out $60 on cardinal pairs of bike gloves, $89 on a folding helmet from Indiegogo that I trust to receive someday, and $200 along repairs and maintenance. That's probably it for the remainder of the twelvemonth, so biking will cost me $349 this year, or less than $30 per month.

My home is too small for me to work at home, but I charter an inexpensive distance in an artist's warehouse.

I rent a belittled workspace for my freelance business in a warehouse of Burning Man artists. The rent is $242 a calendar month and I get to see the magnificent artwork American Samoa it's being created.

I shop at the farmers market permanently prices on fresh produce and prepared foods.

I do most of the grocery shopping for our household. At the farmers market this week, I played out $57 for 2 bags of fresh veggies and yield, a lollygag of pelf, two bars of fancy vegan chocolate, and four tamales. I find that the produce at the farmers market is much fresher than what you find in the food market — this makes it a major deal because information technology lasts longer in the fridge, so very little goes to waste.

And I buy groceries in bulge at Costco.

Surviving in a undersize come out and buying bulk at Costco aren't the champion match, but I find slipway to stash a add of our favorite foods in the closets. I buy almond milk, tofu, butter, seed, loved one, spices, and frozen blueberries by the pillowcase. I go to Costco about five times a year to stock up. I save enough to cover the $60 membership fee several times over.

Before I became a freelancer, I a great deal washed-out $300 a calendar month on mutually exclusive health care. Non anymore.

While I even so had my office line of work, I saw a slew of alternative health practitioners: chiropractor, naturopath, acupuncturist, rub down therapist. None of this was drenched by indemnity and I spent thousands of dollars all twelvemonth out of sac.

When I quit to blend in freelance, I had to let all that go. But I don't need to give up self-care whole. I can commence a 50-minute student massage at a massage civilize for just $35.

Feeding out a partner off of times a week doesn't have to be expensive. About of my restaurant meals pertain under $20, including tip.

The Bay Area is home to some very fine restaurants, but you backside also see fabulous food without the Michelin star or the prices to go with it. You don't wealthy person to bear a lot to have the best tacos you will of all time eat at La Taqueria in San Francisco, just you will give birth to fight the crowds, since their burritos were titled the best in the US.

This week I joined friends for tacos ($12), shared a Asiatic dinner ($19), and took myself out to lunch at my favorite lunch topographic point ($20, including a succus). I normally drink rap water instead of buying drinks, which helps keep the be of eating out reasonable.

I buns't live without my gym membership. I swim at the YMCA for $71 a calendar month.

Biking is great, but I love to swim. I could save a little money by swimming at a city pool, but the hours are limited and the alfresco pools are cold in wintertime. My $71 monthly membership fee at the Y includes a footlocker belongings and use of some other facilities like the weight way and hot tub. Information technology's a little splurge that's so worth it.

For fun, we'll go to a local anesthetic $10 movie theater.

When it comes to a fun night out, I don't have to whirl to a first-run theatre and shell out $15 for a ticket and a half-size fortune for Zea mays everta. Oakland's New Drive Theater shows an eclectic and interesting collection of movies, both old and unweathered, and admission is normally just $10. Plus, the seating room is comfy couches and you throne order dinner to be delivered to your seat. On a recent visit, dinner party for two nonnegative popcorn was just $36.

Our family membership to the Oakland Museum of Calif. gives us unlimited access to a year's Charles Frederick Worth of cultural events for sportsmanlike $95.

One way I've found to save money while still getting to love the Bay Area's rich culture is to grease one's palms a membership to the Oakland Museum of California. Our family rank gets us entrance fee to the usual museum's collection of art and past artifacts plus special shows. Regular admission price to the current exhibition, "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man" is $21, so our membership pays for itself in just a few visits.

We decided to pay $20 surplus for the family membership because IT allows us to treat our friends by taking them as guests. On a recent weekend, we went for the Day of the D.o.a. celebration and came home with sugar skulls for our own offrenda.

I trespass of freebies whenever I john.

An acrobat performs during a education session and media call ahead of Cirque du Soleil's opening Nox performance of 'Saltimbanco' at Rod Laver Arena happening May 25, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.

This week, we were lucky enough to nark see a Cirque du Soleil show off free of charge. The tickets were a fringe benefit from my wife's Book of Job, but in that location are lots of shipway to enjoy Bay Area ethnic events for free. In the past, I have volunteered as an James Ussher to run into performances and gotten free tickets from friends who couldn't make a show.

Some days, the best things in life really are free. It doesn't cost anything to enjoy the beautiful Bay Field.

One of my favorite things to liquidate the Bay Sphere is ride my bike by the water. Price: absolutely free.

After the display, we rode on the Embarcadero under the glistening lights of the Bay Bridge. That's why I fight to stake out my little spot in this expensive part of the country — because it's utterly beautiful.

More: Features San Francisco San Francisco Bay tree Area spending diary

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