Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by fennecfoxen 4582 days ago
I'm making comparable salary in NYC, and rent is pretty much in line with San Francisco area standards: $2300/mo studios in desirable areas... the difference in the housing market are these. First, there are more medium-awesome areas to choose from close to town (head to Astoria or East Williamsburg and you might shave $500-1000 off that studio, but you can still catch the N train to get to work and the neighborhood's reasonably cool). And second, if you want the apartment, there's a good chance you can get the apartment (whereas last time I went apartment-shopping in San Francisco, there would be 20+ people in line for the open house, including many couples who were new-hires at technology companies. it was insane.)
2 comments
w1ntermute 4582 days ago
> there are more medium-awesome areas to choose from close to town (head to Astoria or East Williamsburg and you might shave $500-1000 off that studio, but you can still catch the N train to get to work and the neighborhood's reasonably cool).

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

link
eshvk 4582 days ago
> First, there are more medium-awesome areas to choose from close to town (head to Astoria or East Williamsburg and you might shave $500-1000 off that studio, but you can still catch the N train to get to work and the neighborhood's reasonably cool).

Would this be like living across the bay in Oakland or something? The flipside of such a situation would be that you get back home from SF at midnight before the last BART or you would have to be stuck when BART decides to strike.

link
fennecfoxen 4582 days ago
This would be like living across the bay in Oakland, but much better. Compared to NYC's subway as a general-purpose transport system, BART's more like a commuter rail line that happens to be underground in downtown San Francisco.

Heck, when the MTA decides to strike (which is occasionally, but less frequently than BART) you can walk to Manhattan from Astoria. Try that from Oakland-to-SOMA.

link
TheCoelacanth 4582 days ago
They're both just across the river from Manhattan, so it would be a relatively short trip. I believe the trains run all night.
link