Chicago or Oakland (San Francisco, Berkeley, Alameda: apartment, rent, condo)

[UP 270]

Trying to decide where to move. Have choice of Chicago or San Fran. Would work in San Fran near Union Square but live somewhere else to save money.

45 yo single black guy with no kids. Maybe spend like $3400 month on rent. Like to be near city center; arts theaters, comedy clubs, food, girls/ladies/women.

No need to mention difference in weather. I know the bay area is nice. I spent about 10 years in NorCal previously. Now living in Duluth, MN.

[mattja]

You don't even have to live in SF. BART and the cable car will get you right to Union Square.

You have a lot of options. You could commute from Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Alameda. Those are probably 30-45 minute commutes.

[UP 270]

Thanks Mattja.

From my limited understanding, Oakland is the cheapest "happening" place in the Bay; that's why I'm considering the Oakland area of the bay area metro.

If I could, I'd probably move to LA. But my company doesn't have a regional office there. Oakland is the closest thing to LA in the bay.

[OyCrumbler]

Is this for the same salary? If so, generally it's going to go a lot further in Chicago. Also, Chicago is a substantially more urban city than Oakland or San Francisco so there's a question of how much do you like city living. It seems like since you want to live near the city center, then it'd be easier price wise to live close to the city center in Chicago and it'd be a larger center overall. That being said, Oakland and San Francisco are great in different ways.

[UP 270]

I'd be making more in SF. My salary would put me in like the 87th percentile in SF. I'd have enough to live comfortably.

[Tulemutt]

Having left an upbringing in Minnesota and Michigan, and having had two, now late, wives from the Iron Range / Duluth area … I’m chuckling at the choice you present. A “single black guy” in Duluth? Heh. Most any city in the country beats that.

But man, Chicago is still vicious in winter (not much fun in summer either). If you can afford the Bay Area, your challenge is mostly bad traffic. That said, traffic is horrible in Chi-town too. Traffic ease is perhaps the only upside to staying in Duluth in any case.

I lived in the Bay and SF for years. It was great. I’ve moved on finally, about 6 years ago, for even more sun and warmth … and rural quiet.

Enjoy the move!

[Ruth4Truth]

I'd love to hear how you like it, once you get settled in.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by UP 270

From my limited understanding, Oakland is the cheapest "happening" place in the Bay; that's why I'm considering the Oakland area of the bay area metro.

Oakland is less expensive than San Francisco but it is still insanely priced if you have any desire to buy a home.

Check out these example:

Almost 800K and not the best area.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...24783829_zpid/

Here is a small house in a good area for over a million.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...24810209_zpid/

Financially it makes way more sense to go to Chicago.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by capoeira

Oakland is less expensive than San Francisco but it is still insanely priced if you have any desire to buy a home.

Check out these example:

Almost 800K and not the best area.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...24783829_zpid/

Here is a small house in a good area for over a million.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...24810209_zpid/

Financially it makes way more sense to go to Chicago.

. "Cheaper" and "cheapest" are very relative terms in the Bay Area, btw, OP.

Rockridge isn't near the city center or any "happening" area, though it is a good neighborhood with shopping and everything you need nearby. It's more of a family nabe, though.

I'd somehow envisioned the OP in a condo. He has a good rent allowance; he should be able to find something nice in the area he wants.

[mattja]

Originally Posted by UP 270

Thanks Mattja.

From my limited understanding, Oakland is the cheapest "happening" place in the Bay; that's why I'm considering the Oakland area of the bay area metro.

If I could, I'd probably move to LA. But my company doesn't have a regional office there. Oakland is the closest thing to LA in the bay.

You're welcome. Don't rule out Berkeley. There are good neighborhoods along College Ave, Telegraph and Shattuck. Plenty of single people too.

Once you get settled, you'll have plenty of time to explore and decide where you really want to live.

You're going to want a car at some point and that means you probably want a car-friendly/car-safe apartment from day one. There's a lot to see is SF and surrounding areas. It would suck to not have a car.