Lots of things have changed in our lives since The Hubster and I moved from the UK to San Francisco, several years ago. Little M coming into our lives is the biggest change of course! But there are lots of smaller, every day things that have changed about our lifestyle since we moved to the city by the bay.
I thought it would be fun to think about the ways our lifestyle has changed – and what you can expect if you are also planning a move to San Francisco…
1. High Rental Costs
In case you didn’t already know, rental prices in San Francisco are sky high – they were high when we moved here and have taken an even bigger spike recently. We knew rents would be expensive, but having lived in such a cheap area of the UK before, this was a bit of a shock to us. It also sadly means we can not afford to move now, unless we move out of the city (or come into lots of money!)
If you are planning a move to SF you’ll need to either have a really high salary, or be prepared to share an apartment with room mates (or just scrimp along and live very cheaply, like we do!) Alternatively, rents are (slightly!) cheaper in some of the surrounding areas.
Sadly, the high rent also pushes up the prices of all the other facilities too – anywhere that businesses have to pay those high rents. So gyms, day cares, hairdressers – are all generally more expensive than in other places (and much more than we were used to in a small town in the UK).
On the more cheery side, fuel prices are much lower than the UK – plus the mild climate means you rarely need heating or air conditioning anyway. The cost of every day items, like baby things, clothes and so on, are much cheaper than in the UK – so it does balance out the high rental costs a little bit…
2. Small Apartment Living
If you’ve lived in New York, London or another big city, you’ll get the idea! Since rents are so high, apartments are generally small. A 2 bedroom apartment seems like such a luxury to us! We quickly realised we’d have to downgrade our apartment search from a 2 bed to a 1 bed apartment – thankfully we found one with a small second room which became Little M’s bedroom, so he at least has a (small!) space of his own. If you are on your own, or in a couple then you might also consider apartment sharing – if you can’t afford a place of your own.
Like many San Francisco apartments, ours doesn’t have a washer or dryer, so we have to go to the Laundromat every week – luckily there are plenty in the city and one close by. If you are lucky (or money isn’t an issue) you may have laundry facilities in your building.
If you have a family like us, there are benefits to living in a small space with children – little ones are easy to keep track of for starters. If won’t work for us forever, but is fine for right now.
3. Outdoor Lifestyle
Perhaps it’s the flip side of living in small apartments – we don’t spend all our time in them, but get outdoors! San Francisco has an amazing park, called Golden Gate Park, which is right on our doorstep and where we spend most of our time. It’s full of playgrounds, museums, wildlife and opportunities to explore. There are heaps of other parks in San Francisco too – plus we are surrounded by ocean, bay and a wealth of natural beauty. Combined with a mild climate year round – that never gets too hot, or too cold – there are plenty of opportunities to get out into the outdoors and have fun!
4. Amazing (and cheap!) fruit and veg
Thanks to the warm, mild climate, California grows lots of amazing produce. It’s all fresh, amazing quality and many things grow year round. It’s easy to buy locally grown fruit and veg – and it’s cheap too. We have lots of fab produce stores near us – full of yummy, yet affordable, fruit and veg. It makes it so much easier to feel inspired to eat healthily! Little M often eats raspberries for breakfast (California grown) year round!
5. Walk, bike, bus, train… everywhere!
San Francisco is a very compact city and is not very conducive to driving and parking. But since the city is so compact and the public transport is good, it makes it much easier to get around without a car. We, in fact (gasp!) don’t own a car.
In the city itself everything is very accessible by bus, tram, train, bike, or good old fashioned walking. I love the fact that Little M and I can walk everywhere, or hop on a tram with no hassle. It’s also lovely having everything we need close by – shops, parks, museums, cafes… We also chose to live in the city itself so that we could both have a short walk to work – and not have to do the dreaded commute.
It is a bit more of a pain to get out of the city without a car, but luckily there are some cool car sharing schemes. We have a zipcar location just a block away – so we can still easily get out and explore the stunning scenery around us.
There’s probably plenty more I haven’t mentioned, but this at least gives you an idea of how our lifestyle has changed since moving to San Francisco – and what to expect if you are planning a move here. There’s some ups and downs, but overall we feel our lifestyle has changed for the better. (Except for those pesky rental prices of course…)
Read more about my Reflections on Moving Abroad.
Lead photo by Rob Bye courtesy of Unsplash.
Wow I would love to live abroad and San Fransisco sounds amazing, what an opportunity! The rental prices sound like a nightmare but like you say slightly balance out with other lower costs. I would love to visit California one day. Lovely post x
Thank you! Yes it is an amazing place and well worth a visit if you ever get the opportunity. Thanks for commenting! x
Wow sounds pretty cool! We went to San Fran for a couple of days on our honeymoon – would love to take our kids back there one day. We loved the chilled out vibe and the outdoorsy lifestyle.
#TheList
Yes, very chilled out Sian. And so many opportunities to explore the outdoors. It doesn’t really feel like a typical ‘city’ to me, as we are so near so much natural beauty. x
I loved reading this, a really great insight into San Francisco life! I have been there for a vacation when we lived in San Diego I loved it, there is really everything there!!! I’d love to go back.
I hadn’t realised rent was so expensive there though, that’s interesting!
I love that you have spun small apartment living into a positive by making sure you get out a lot that’s so great!!
Thanks so much for sharing this with #myexpatfamily
It is definitely an amazing place to visit if you ever get the chance! It was a visit here that initially inspired us to move here. Rent and space is an issue, but you do get used to it and most people are in the same boat. Getting out and about is the key. Although I’m a SAHM during the week, I can’t remember the last time we stayed at home for a whole day. We just get out to the park! x
What an amazing experience! I’d love to live in San Fran. I’ve heard it described as the most European style city in America. I guess city living in the States is more similar to UK living – no washing machine as standard and very small apts. I still lament the fact we don’t have room for a tumble dryer!! Wonderful photos. #myexpatfamily
Yes, you should visit if you can! Yes, it is the most European style city, I would agree. I think the public transit makes it different to some other cities – it is possible to easily get around without a car, which is not typical in many other American cities, like LA for example. There are also a lot of European expats (and expats from all over the world in fact!) which gives it a very international feel. It also has very distinct neighbourhoods and is very compact. In the city itself there is very little new development – this has downsides too, but I think it gives it a different feel to many other cities.
This is really interesting, I can relate to a lot of the points. When we moved to the East Coast, we chose to live in one of the suburban towns outside Boston rather than in the city, as with three kids we needed a house and space and local schools. But, one of our criteria was that it was close, with a public transport connection, so that we could easily get in and out of the city. We have a train station right next to us, and the train takes 15 minutes to get into central Boston. Funnily enough, I buy a lot of Californian grown fruit here! San Francisco is on my must-visit list while we’re living over here 🙂 #myexpatfamily
That’s great that you are only a 15 min train ride away! I think it makes a real difference to not have to travel too far for work etc. That being said you do obviously get benefits from living further out of a city, especially with a family. It sounds like you have a perfect balance.
Unfortunately in SF many families are having to move much further away from the city, as even the surrounding areas are becoming so expensive now. It’s very difficult for anyone new to the city as the prices are constantly increasing. It’s a real issue here. But it’s a wonderful place to visit if you get the chance! x
Gorgeous shots! Love San Francisco! I am a California girl now living in France 😉
Thank you so much! France sounds wonderful! Thanks for commenting. x
What an interesting read. I can relate to the small-space living – rents in Milan are high too and as a result we still share a bedroom with our now 2.5-year-old. It’s not something I thought we ever would (or could) do but it’s actually worked out very well. That said, I do hope we can give him his own bedroom when we move to Sweden in two months, and also that we get a bit more of you point 3 – an outdoor lifestyle!
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes I think space is probably an issue in most major cities. All the best with your move to Sweden! x