How should a person decide in which neighbourhood of San Francisco to live?

[Tarmo_Sokolov]

Is it all about the rent prices? What was your process when you made the decision to stay wherever you are right now?

[Chateebox]

Hey Tarmo,

One way to look at it is through rent prices, but another, also pretty relevant is the crime rate in a certain neighbourhood (that was what we did when we moved over here). I’d check http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/san-francisco/crime/ (there are also other sites) and then compare it with prices and other data relevant for you:

<ul>
<li>where is your job/office, </li>
<li>how far do you have to commute (do you mind commuting or would you rather walk/bike/drive), </li>
<li>is a BART/Muni/tram line nearby, </li>
<li>what’s the monthly commute expense, </li>
<li>are there stores/gyms/schools/… around and if they are what’s the quality - here you can help yourself with Yelp reviews (also with apartment buildings),</li>
<li>what kind of a lifestyle do you have (quiet, party animal, family,…),</li>
<li>do you want to have a car (if that’s the case, I’d check East Bay apartments/neighbourhoods, SF is way to expensive for that),</li>
<li>etc.</li>
</ul>

Hope this helps! Happy apartment hunting!

[Nick_Bolton]

My strategy was to stay in an Airbnb in each neighborhood I liked the sound of, for a couple of days at each place. The strategy worked really well, you figure out if the place has places you like to eat, if you get on with the local transport links, if your local grocery stores are any good, what the culture is like (each neighborhood is quite different). Pro tip: book your Airbnb a few months in advance, maybe even 6 months ahead, since last minute Airbnb’s suck.

I eventually chose the the Inner Sunset. Rent prices were not a major factor for me, it was mainly about getting to work in the morning, and whether or not I liked the vibe.

Alternatively if you want to save some money you could stay with friends in each neighborhood, or use a couch surfing site (e.g. couchsurfing.com). Find an excuse to visit at least ten different neighborhoods at each corner of the city, doing day to day things like getting coffee, grocery shopping, etc.

Have fun!

[Brittney_Gadd]

http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/1958-moving-to-san-francisco & http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/03/the_curbed_guide_to_san_francisco_neighborhoods_as_told_bylocals.php give you really good insight into moving to SF and what neighborhoods have to offer, each has a unique vibe. There are multiple neighborhoods that may work for you but there are so many elements that influence where you should be, that being said the city is only 7 mi x 7 mi!

[Ibai_Urrutxua]

With the rent prices, the limited inventory and the huge competition with other renters; you need to have a set of neighbourhoods that you are comfortable with. If you only like 1, it’s going to take a long time to find the right place for the right price. In general you can group the areas in “clean and posh” (north of the city), “hipster” (Mission, Haight and the like) and “family friendly” (Sunset, Bernal, etc). And you take it from there.

[sten]

You’re in luck: https://bayarea.teleport.org :)