Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by jimmywanger 3604 days ago
I don't think it's that they _can't_ afford San Francisco anymore, it's that they don't _want_ to afford San Francisco anymore.

I'm in the same boat. The rent prices are insane, so much so that it's actually cheaper to live in Las Vegas, fly in once a month, and get a hotel, than to pay rent prices in the Bay Area.

I can elaborate if wanted, but I didn't go to college so that I could graduate, plow my entire paycheck into rent, and live like a college student again.
2 comments
stevenwiles 3604 days ago
> so much so that it's actually cheaper to live in Las Vegas, fly in once a month, and get a hotel, than to pay rent prices in the Bay Area.

That doesn't really make sense at all. Are you saying you only need to work or be in the office "once a month"? Or does flying in "once a month" mean flying in on the 1st and leaving on the 30th?

link
jimmywanger 3604 days ago
http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/rent-in-vegas-commute-to-...

If you can swing a four day workweek, is the key. Otherwise, if you can work onsite only one week a month, Vegas (and other places) is the clear value winner. You know, if you don't mind the airport.

link
zgwhoa 3604 days ago
That's a pretty good point, care to elaborate?
link
jimmywanger 3604 days ago
I assume you're talking about the not wanting to afford the area. You can run the numbers on rent vs rent + hotel + airfare, or I can type that out later if interested.

The median rent for a one bedroom place in SF in January of this year was 3400. (http://sf.curbed.com/2016/1/5/10849608/whoa-sfs-median-rent-...)

Now, when you graduate from college, getting 100K+ a year sounds exciting, except when you're plowing 40K (after taxes) a year into rent.

I can't speak to the value of making connections, but I'm already pretty advanced in my career and have plenty of connections (not a humble brag, just stating a fact). Maybe when you're just starting out, it helps a lot to be surrounded by a zeitgeist of tech, where everybody knows a least a little something about software and startups, just for an initial career boost.

I'd rather take a smaller check and save money for retirement. Or, you know, blow it on ponies and whiskey - just not live hand to mouth, worrying about every little expense you're incurring. What's good about living in San Francisco when you're worried about affording everything?

link