Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to San Francisco

You consider moving to San Francisco but want to get additional information before making your final choice in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in San Francisco in the following chapters.

Living in San Francisco – Overview

Advantages of Living in San Francisco

1. San Francisco is a pretty tolerant city
2. People are friendly and outgoing
3. People often help you out
4. It is easy to make new friends in San Francisco
5. San Francisco is located at the coast
6. San Francisco is surrounded by national parks
7. Many recreational spaces to relax in San Francisco
8. You don’t necessarily need a car to get around
9. People in San Francisco live a pretty healthy lifestyle
10. San Francisco has a great art scene
11. You can meet people from many different backgrounds
12. You can grow in character by moving to San Francisco
13. San Francisco is not as hectic as other big cities in the US
14. San Francisco offers many good jobs
15. Silicon Valley boom attracts highly-qualified people from all over the world
16. Great city if you are a tech guy
17. San Francisco is a pretty sunny city
18. Mild winters are attractive to many people
19. You can go swimming and surfing before or after work
20. Mountains are still not too far away
21. Air quality in San Francisco is pretty decent
22. San Francisco attracts many tourists
23. You never get bored in San Francisco
24. Great city for young and old people at the same time
25. San Francisco provides decent public infrastructure
26. San Francisco is a pet-friendly city
27. You can spend lots of time outdoors
28. Good doctors and hospitals
29. Good colleges and schools in San Francisco
30. San Francisco is a family-friendly city
31. You will find most things for daily life at almost every corner
32. San Francisco is a major city in California
33. Good future outlook for San Francisco
34. San Francisco is a multicultural city
35. Many different neighborhoods to choose from
36. San Francisco has an excellent food scene
37. You can make good money if you are highly-qualified
38. Relatively low unemployment rate in San Francisco
39. Traffic is not as big of a problem as in many other major cities
40. Relatively easy to find a parking lot
41. San Francisco is a bike-friendly city
42. Numerous places to socialize in San Francisco
43. Nice bars and clubs
44. San Francisco provides a nice mix of career opportunities and family life
45. San Francisco is not too far from other major cities on the West Coast
46. San Francisco has an international airport
47. San Francisco has decent public transport
48. You can make your friends envious
49. You will live where many other people spend their vacation
50. You can meet many celebrities in San Francisco
51. San Francisco is popular among people from all over the world
52. You will find everything you need to live a happy life in San Francisco

San Francisco is a pretty tolerant city

One advantage of living in San Francisco is that it is a pretty tolerant city.

In fact, people are welcome from all over the world and the city is famous for its many different cultures.

In turn, you can make friends with people from all over the globe and can really enjoy your time in this beautiful city without having to fear any complaints about your ethnicity or other things in this regard.

People are friendly and outgoing

People in San Francisco are also pretty friendly and outgoing and always open for discussions.

For instance, if you are just waiting for the bus and don’t have anything to do, you will soon find someone to have a chat and it is therefore pretty easy to socialize in San Francisco and to make new connections during your daily routine.

People often help you out

Another reason to move to San Francisco is that people are really helpful and eager to help you out during various situations.

For instance, if you got lost and don’t find your way back, people will give you directions so that you can get out of your misery.

In fact, people in San Francisco love to help others and this is really encouraging since you can count on the support of the general public in case you urgently need it.

It is easy to make new friends in San Francisco

Since people in San Francisco are friendly and outgoing and also open to new things, it is pretty easy to make new friends in San Francisco.

In fact, once you move to San Francisco, you can make many new friends within weeks or even days since people will be pretty curious about your story and if you are outgoing as well, you can get in touch with many interesting people soon.

San Francisco is located at the coast

Another benefit of living in San Francisco is that it is directly located at the coast.

This is not only great since you can relax on the beach, but you can also do many water sports and really enjoy your leisure in this beautiful place while people living in Austin and many other places don’t have this luxury.

San Francisco is surrounded by national parks

Not only does San Francisco have beautiful beaches, but it is also surrounded by astonishing national parks and you can therefore make nice day trips to those parks and spend your time in beautiful nature to recharge your batteries and to relax from your stressful daily life.

Many recreational spaces to relax in San Francisco

Apart from the proximity to national parks, San Francisco also has many recreational spaces to offer within the city where you can hang out during lunch break or after work to relax and to reload your batteries for the stressful things yet to come.

You don’t necessarily need a car to get around

Another upside to living in San Francisco is that you don’t urgently need a car. Since the city is relatively small compared to other major cities, you can get around by bike or even walk short distances while you can take the bus for longer distances to get around in an efficient manner.

People in San Francisco live a pretty healthy lifestyle

While people in San Francisco are pretty relaxed, they are also pretty aware of their lifestyle, what they are eating and how they want to spend their lives in general.

Consequently, many inhabitants of San Francisco live a healthy lifestyle and if you are surrounded by those people, chances are that you will adapt to this behavior and will change your lifestyle as well.

In turn, you may get fitter and become less vulnerable to serious health problems in the long run.

San Francisco has a great art scene

San Francisco is also famous for its art scene.

In fact, it is a melting pot for artists from all over the world and if you are an artist as well or just interested in various sorts of art as a hobby, chances are that you will find many like-minded people to hang out with and to share your ideas.

You can meet people from many different backgrounds

San Francisco is also a pretty diverse city and this means that you can meet people with many different backgrounds.

In turn, you will soon realize that what you are supposed to do in our Western culture is just one of many attitudes towards life and you will likely become a much more tolerant person after having conversations with all those different people.

You can grow in character by moving to San Francisco

Since you will experience many new things and will also have to deal with many unknown situations, moving to San Francisco also lets you grow in character since you will often have to get out of your comfort zone and this will make you more confident and relaxed in the long run.

San Francisco is not as hectic as other big cities in the US

While San Francisco is a big city, it is still not as hectic and busy as many other major cities like L.A. or New York and people are also more relaxed and not in that kind of a rush.

In turn, life in San Francisco feels much more relaxed and fun overall and it can really help you become a more laid-back person.

San Francisco offers many good jobs

Another advantage of moving to San Francisco is that you will find many good jobs to choose from.

Due to the Silicon Valley boom, similar to San José, many big corporations are present in this region and if you are highly-qualified, you will have more than enough good employers to choose from in San Francisco and the surrounding area.

Silicon Valley boom attracts highly-qualified people from all over the world

San Francisco and Silicon Valley are popular all over the world.

Consequently, this region attracts many people from all over the world and you can therefore have pretty interesting conversations with many people from different countries.

In turn, you can really expand your knowledge regarding different cultures and lifestyles and San Francisco is therefore a really interesting place to live in general.

Great city if you are a tech guy

While San Francisco offers many jobs in the financial industry, it has become famous for its tech jobs in the recent past due to the Silicon Valley boom.

In fact, if you are a tech guy or gal, chances are that living in San Francisco will feel like heaven to you since most of the big tech companies are located in this area and you can find like-minded people all over the place.

San Francisco is a pretty sunny city

Another upside to moving to San Francisco is that it is a pretty sunny city where you can enjoy nice summers at the beach and don’t have to deal with lots of rain and the cold in general.

In turn, San Francisco is great for sun lovers and people who don’t want to deal with cold temperatures in general.

Mild winters are attractive to many people

Not only does San Francisco have nice and hot summers, but it is also known for its relatively mild winters and snow is pretty rare in this region.

Instead, it will often be warm enough to spend time outdoors without having to wear a jacket or coat.

You can go swimming and surfing before or after work

Another great thing about living in San Francisco is that you can go swimming and surfing whenever you want.

Since the city is directly located at the coast, it will only take you a few minutes from your home to get to the beach and this means that you can go swimming or surfing after work or even before you even start your workday so that you can start your day in a relaxed manner.

Mountains are still not too far away

While San Francisco is famous for its beaches, you should still not forget that mountains are not that far away and that you can go skiing and do other winter sports by just driving for a few hours.

Thus, you are able to have many different hobbies in San Francisco at the same time while most other regions don’t provide you with the opportunity to go skiing and surfing on the same day.

Air quality in San Francisco is pretty decent

While San Francisco is a big city, it is still not as crowded as many other major cities in the US and since you don’t necessarily need a car to get around, air quality in San Francisco is pretty decent and this may be important in the long run since the better air quality is, the less likely you will be to suffer from serious health problems.

San Francisco attracts many tourists

San Francisco is also popular among people from all over the world.

Many tourists visit the city every year and this means that you can have many interesting conversations with those people and can also make new friends with people from many different countries.

Moreover, if you have a big home and want to make some money on the side, you may also want to rent out a room to tourists.

You never get bored in San Francisco

Since San Francisco is a pretty diverse place and populated by many different people from different cultures, there are more than enough events to choose from and there will always be something to do for you in San Francisco.

In turn, you will likely never get bored in this beautiful city and can really enjoy your time.

Great city for young and old people at the same time

Since San Francisco attracts many young tech guys from all over the world, it is a great place to live if you are still in your 20s or 30s since you will just meet many like-minded people.

However, San Francisco is also a great city once you get older since you will find everything you need to live a happy life and you can therefore stay in this region for decades or even for the rest of your life without having the incentive to move again.

San Francisco provides decent public infrastructure

San Francisco also offers everything you need for daily life and it is therefore not necessary to commute to other cities as would be the case if you lived in rather small towns or villages.

San Francisco is a pet-friendly city

San Francisco is also a great place for pet lovers. In fact, many households have at least one dog and you can therefore also socialize with your dogs when you walk down the streets since you will meet many people who have similar interests and are also willing to have a chat with you on a regular basis.

You can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to the nice climate and the many sunny days, San Francisco is a great place to live since you can spend most of your time outdoors and this will really lead to a pretty good mood since the more fresh air we get, the happier we are as humans on average.

Good doctors and hospitals

Another benefit of moving to San Francisco is that the city offers many great hospitals and doctor’s offices and you will find many specialists for all sorts of health problems.

In turn, you don’t have to leave the city in case you get sick and get quick medical support whenever you need it.

Good colleges and schools in San Francisco

San Francisco is also known for its good colleges and schools.

While colleges in San Francisco don’t have the same high reputation as universities in L.A., they are still decent and you can therefore get pretty good education for you and your kids.

San Francisco is a family-friendly city

San Francisco is also a great city for families since kids will find everything to live a happy life in this place.

Not only will you have good schools, but San Francisco is also not as crowded as other big cities and offers lots of space to play without having to worry about traffic.

You will find most things for daily life at almost every corner

Public infrastructure in San Francisco is pretty decent and you will find most things for daily life at almost every corner and will have many grocery stores and other things within walking distance so that you can get what you want within a rather short period of time.

San Francisco is a major city in California

San Francisco is also among the biggest cities in the US.

It is not only pretty popular among tourists, but it also has a pretty strong economy and is an important city for the state in general.

Consequently, the state of California will do everything it can to make San Francisco an attractive place to work and live for many years to come.

Good future outlook for San Francisco

Since San Francisco is one of the most important cities in California and has also experienced an increase in population over the past decade, chances are that it will remain an important city for many decades to come and you don’t have to worry about future prospects of the city at all.

San Francisco is a multicultural city

Since San Francisco is a pretty tolerant city, it attracts people from all over the world and you can therefore experience many different cultural influences which can be really interesting and also makes you a more tolerant person in the long run.

Many different neighborhoods to choose from

Since San Francisco is a pretty big and culturally diverse city, you can choose among many different neighborhoods and almost everyone will find a district where he or she will feel comfortable and surrounded by like-minded people in San Francisco.

San Francisco has an excellent food scene

San Francisco is also known for its great food scene.

Since it is a melting pot for so many different cultures, there are numerous different foods to try and you will often be surprised by how well those rather unknown foods may taste if you are brave enough to try them.

You can make good money if you are highly-qualified

San Francisco is a great place to live for highly-qualified people since it offers many jobs that pay well for people who can really provide lots of value in the tech industry.

Thus, if you have excellent knowledge in this field, chances are that you will be able to make really good money from your job while you can still enjoy your leisure quite a lot in this beautiful place.

Relatively low unemployment rate in San Francisco

Due to the presence of many big corporations in Silicon Valley, unemployment rates are relatively low in San Francisco compared to national average and this trend will likely continue as long as the region stays attractive for big corporations from all over the world.

Traffic is not as big of a problem as in many other major cities

While traffic has increased in San Francisco over the past decade, it is still not as of a big problem as in many other major cities in the US and you will still find many people who don’t use a car but rather go by bike or just walk short distances.

Relatively easy to find a parking lot

Since traffic is not that of a big deal yet, finding a parking lot is also not a big challenge in most parts of the city and you therefore don’t have to spend lots of time in this regard.

San Francisco is a bike-friendly city

San Francisco is also known for its bike-friendly attitude and if you don’t want to get around by car, you can just go by bike or by electric scooter and get around pretty easily since the city has many bike lanes and other rules that favor alternatives to driving cars.

Numerous places to socialize in San Francisco

Since San Francisco is a pretty diverse city and people are friendly and outgoing, you will have more than enough places and opportunities to socialize and to make new connections and friends in a pretty easy manner.

Nice bars and clubs

San Francisco also offers many nice bars and clubs.

While you will not have the same selection of bars as in Los Angeles, most people are still happy with the nightlife in San Francisco since it just has its own charm and also has a lot to offer.

San Francisco provides a nice mix of career opportunities and family life

San Francisco has also become pretty popular by people from all over the world since it provides great career opportunities while it still provides everything you need to live a happy life together with your family since public infrastructure is excellent and you will not miss anything in this regard.

San Francisco is not too far from other major cities on the West Coast

While San Francisco offers everything you need to live a happy life, it is still not too far from other major cities like San José or Los Angeles and if you want, you can just make nice day trips to those cities to experience something new from time to time.

San Francisco has an international airport

Another reason to live in San Francisco is that the city also has an international airport and this makes it pretty easy for you to get around and to visit beautiful places all over the world without having to drive to other cities to use their airports.

San Francisco has decent public transport

San Francisco is also rated among the top cities when it comes to public transport and it is really easy to get around even though you might not have a car.

Moreover, you can also do our planet a favor by just using public transport to reduce carbon emissions and slow down global warming.

You can make your friends envious

San Francisco is also a pretty popular city and many people from all over the country want to live in this beautiful place.

Thus, by telling your friends about your plans of moving to San Francisco, they will likely get really envious and secretly want to change places with you, which will give you a pretty high standing within your social group.

You will live where many other people spend their vacation

Moving to San Francisco also makes quite a lot of sense since you will live in a beautiful place where many other people spend their vacation and you can really enjoy every moment of your life in this city.

You can meet many celebrities in San Francisco

Since the city is so beautiful, many famous people have bought properties in San Francisco and if you go out to the right bars and clubs, you might see many of your idols and if you are really lucky, you might even be able to get an autograph or even get in touch with those celebrities.

San Francisco is popular among people from all over the world

One thing that makes San Francisco pretty unique is that people from all over the world are welcome and everyone can get happy as long as he or she is friendly and respectful and is also willing to help out others.

You will find everything you need to live a happy life in San Francisco

Overall quality of life is just excellent in San Francisco since you will find everything you need to live a happy life and it will be on you to make your dreams come true.

As you can see, moving to San Francisco can make quite a lot of sense.

However, there are also some downsides to living in San Francisco that I want to address in the following so that you get a better picture of reality and can make a profound decision whether you still want to move to San Francisco or rather want to live in a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Living in San Francisco

1. Housing shortage is a big problem in San Francisco
2. It may take you a long time until you find a suitable place to live
3. Rents are pretty high
4. Property prices have skyrocketed over the past decade
5. Average person struggles to pay for rent in San Francisco
6. Huge demand for housing may even exacerbate housing shortage in the future
7. Public infrastructure may collapse sooner or later
8. Increasing level of inequality in San Francisco
9. Social tensions increase in San Francisco
10. Homelessness has become a serious problem
11. You have to make really good money to afford living in San Francisco
12. San Francisco has become increasingly crowded
13. Air quality has become worse
14. Traffic jams have become more common
15. Popularity of San Francisco may be dependent on the Silicon Valley boom
16. Beaches become increasingly polluted
17. Lack of seasons may be annoying
18. Many locals have to leave the San Francisco area
19. Relatively high crime rates in San Francisco
20. San Francisco is vulnerable to wildfires
21. Earthquakes may wipe out the city
22. Water scarcity may become a serious problem in the future in San Francisco
23. San Francisco is not a big metropolitan city as L.A.

Housing shortage is a big problem in San Francisco

One downside to living in San Francisco is that the housing market has gone crazy and housing shortage is a big problem.

Due to the Silicon Valley boom, so many people from all over the world want to move to San Francisco and this really makes it hard for everyone to find proper accommodation while people living in Cleveland and many other cities have a much easier time in this regard.

It may take you a long time until you find a suitable place to live

Since demand for housing is pretty high, you should expect to spend lots of time searching for a suitable home and you will also have to compete with many other prospective tenants and buyers.

Consequently, you should plan way ahead in this regard so that you have already found a housing opportunity before you finally start moving to San Francisco.

Rents are pretty high

Another problem with living in San Francisco is that rents have increased significantly over the past decade and this trend will likely continue in the future.

Consequently, many people have to spend a high fraction of their disposable income on housing and really get increasingly frustrated.

Property prices have skyrocketed over the past decade

Not only rents have increased significantly, but also property prices have increased substantially over the past years since the demand for housing is enormous and if this trend continues, only people who make really good money from their jobs will be able to afford to live in San Francisco while many other people will really struggle to pay for housing.

Average person struggles to pay for rent in San Francisco

We are already at the point where people who don’t work for one of the big tech firms really struggle to make a living from their jobs and to pay rent.

In fact, the average person often needs to work a second job just to afford a basic apartment.

Huge demand for housing may even exacerbate housing shortage in the future

Since Silicon Valley has become increasingly popular by people from all over the world, demand for housing may even increase in the near future and this may further drive property prices and rents.

Public infrastructure may collapse sooner or later

Due to the vast increase in population over the past decades, public infrastructure in San Francisco may also collapse sooner or later and quality of life may also decrease substantially due to that.

Increasing level of inequality in San Francisco

Another disadvantage of living in San Francisco is that the city has experienced an increasing level of inequality over the past years and due to increasing rents, this trend may continue in the future.

While property owners benefit from this development, tenants often become increasingly desperate and don’t know how to make a living anymore.

Social tensions increase in San Francisco

Due to the increasing level of inequality, social tensions have increased as well and people in San Francisco are no longer as friendly as they used to be in the past since people really have to worry about how to make enough money to pay their bills and many of them are pretty stressed due to that.

Homelessness has become a serious problem

Another downside to moving to San Francisco is that the city also has to deal with increasing numbers of homeless people since the average person is often no longer able to pay rent and will therefore get evicted and end up homeless in the streets.

While homelessness is just not a nice picture, it also causes various problems to society and you may also no longer feel safe walking down the streets.

You have to make really good money to afford living in San Francisco

If you want to live a fancy lifestyle in San Francisco in the long run, you also have to make pretty good money from your job.

In fact, if you don’t make a six-figure income, you should not move to San Francisco since living costs are just too high and you will be barely able to afford any nice things.

San Francisco has become increasingly crowded

Another problem with moving to San Francisco is that it has become increasingly crowded over the past years.

While it is still less crowded compared to L.A. or other major cities, population has increased substantially over the past decades and the city may become increasingly hectic in the long run.

Air quality has become worse

Due to an increase in population, air quality has also become worse over the past years and this trend will likely also continue in the future since due to the increasing need for the production of material goods, an increasing amount of emissions will be produced.

Traffic jams have become more common

While traffic is still not as bad as in many other major cities, it has become worse over the past years and traffic jams have become more common, which also means that you will have to spend lots of time commuting to work and back.

Popularity of San Francisco may be dependent on the Silicon Valley boom

Another disadvantage of moving to San Francisco is that the city may be greatly dependent on the Silicon Valley boom and once big tech companies move away from this region, many jobs will be lost and many people may leave the region, overall infrastructure may become vulnerable and overall quality of life may drop.

Beaches become increasingly polluted

Due to an increase in population and the high number of tourists visiting San Francisco, its beaches have become increasingly polluted and if this trend continues, many of the beautiful beaches may no longer be beautiful just a few years from now and may rather look like garbage dumps.

In turn, quality of life in San Francisco may drop significantly in the long run.

Lack of seasons may be annoying

While many people like the hot and sunny weather, others really complain about the lack of seasons and if you are one of those people who really like the winter and snow, you might be better off moving to a city where you can experience real seasons instead of just warm weather as in San Francisco.

Many locals have to leave the San Francisco area

Since rents and many other things are pretty costly in San Francisco, many locals who have grown up in this area have to leave the city and part of its charm may go away with them.

Relatively high crime rates in San Francisco

San Francisco also has relatively high crime rates and you may therefore have to watch out and don’t walk down the streets alone during nighttime to minimize the risk of incidents in this regard.

San Francisco is vulnerable to wildfires

Since it is pretty hot in San Francisco during summers, wildfires have become a serious problem and you may even lose your home and your life in the worst case if one of those fires hits your home.

Earthquakes may wipe out the city

The San Francisco area is also waiting for a big earthquake that may wipe out the city in the long run and you should decide for yourself whether you want to take this risk or rather go for a safer place to live instead.

Water scarcity may become a serious problem in the future in San Francisco

Due to global warming, water scarcity may become a serious problem in San Francisco just a few years from now and a lack of drinking water may greatly lower overall quality of life in this region.

San Francisco is not a big metropolitan city as L.A.

While San Francisco is a big city, it is still much smaller compared to Los Angeles, San Diego or other big cities in the US and you will therefore not get the feeling of living in a big metropolitan city.

Top 10 Moving To San Francisco Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Move To San Francisco?

As you can see, San Francisco can be a great place to live.

However, there are also many downsides related to living in this area and you have to decide for yourself whether the pros outweigh the cons or if you rather want to live in a different region instead.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to San Francisco anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Los Angeles

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San Diego

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San José

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Sacramento

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Fresno

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sanfranciscocountycalifornia

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.