I am considering a move to SF and want to go on an exploratory mission to find the right neighborhoods to review. I am here for a week and ready to put boot on the ground. I am a single woman in my 50s and have two small dogs. I want options for eating, nightlife and shopping views of the GG bridge, easy access to other areas -maybe the ability to walk to the water front. Do I have to rely on parks for green spaces? I toured Nob Hill and walked to Chestnut. Everywhere along the route taken was all concrete. There were lots of dogs but little places for them to relief themselves. (Surprisingly clean streets all things considered.) Thank you!

Budget is up to $5K, no roommates. commuting isn't a consideration. Open to all types of housing options (apartment, condo, house.)

The city’a neighborhoods are so diverse and each offer something unique. From your personal experience, wheres your favorite place to live and why?

I’m looking to move to San Francisco and would love some recommendations on which neighborhoods to look in. I tend to get overstimulated by cities and would love to be in a more quiet neighborhood but my roommate wants to have super easy access to the more vibrant, happening areas like the Mission etc.

Some things we would love in a neighborhood:

• great access to public transport

• short commute to more central areas

• quieter streets

• green spaces and/or tree lined streets

• easier parking

• walkable neighborhood coffee shops/breweries/restaurants

Hi all,

I'm a single 28 year old female moving to SF this Spring and I’d love your advice on neighborhoods to consider and tips for making the most of the city.

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Couple things I’m looking for (in order of importance):

-Safety, I do not want to live in even a moderately sketchy area after dark e.g. being able to walk outside alone

-Walkability, esp. to coffee shops and bakeries

-Proximity to parks, esp. for running and being active

-Community feeling and quiet neighborhood e.g. not a party location but rather tree lined streets

-'Easy' transport to Pac Heights / FiDi on a bike, and the Bay area e.g. San Mateo with a car

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Currently shortlisted:

-Noe Valley (north, e.g. Elizabeth street)

-Pac Heights

-Presidio Heights / Presidio

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Would love advice on:

-All the 'Heights' e.g. Clarendon, Ashbury, Diamond, .. and neighboring areas

-Mission Bay

-Sea Cliff

-Any other great suggestions?

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Looking for:

-1 or 2 bed, up to $8,000 /month

-ideally newer building, but no particular housing preference

-no specific personal preferences (e.g. living alone, no pets, ..)

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Any neighborhood recommendations, tips for finding housing (is Zillow the best bet?), or general advice for settling into SF would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!!

Hi! I’m a single 34 year old female planning to move to SF Spring 2025 and I’d love your advice on neighborhoods to consider and tips for making the most of the city. A bit about what I’m looking for:

-Being new to the city, I think I’d prefer to be in a more lively neighborhood

-Walkability to great coffee shops, restaurants, local spots, grocery stores, a good gym/workout classes

-Looking for a good community to meet new people around my age, make new friends and do fun activities

-I’m active and love running, biking and hiking, so proximity to parks or outdoor spaces is an added bonus but not a must

-I work remote and will not be owning a car, so being near transport is important

-Looking for a studio or 1BR under 3.2k/month

Any neighborhood recommendations, tips for finding housing, or general advice for settling into SF would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

So I recently got a job in San Francisco (yay!), but I don't know much about the city having only visited once when I was 8. I know the cost of living is pretty astronomical and from what I've seen on craigslist, I can find a place and make ends meet well enough, but I don't know much about the neighborhoods. I've been told avoid Tenderloin and Hunters Point unless I want some drugs and a complimentary stabbing. The East Bay looks much more affordable but don't know what to expect apart from that. Ideally I'd like to get that urban living experience of not needing a car and being able to walk to food, groceries, stores etc. and just rely on public transportation. Thanks for any help!

I maybe moving to SF in the next coming months and I’d like to know: what neighborhoods are best there? I guess for context I’m a 20s professional. I’d like an older place around bars/night life and good food. Also is transit good or should I buy a car haha. Thanks in advance!

Partner and I are looking for advice on the best area in SF to stay first week of Dec. We plan on doing tourist stuff all over SF, but we want to stay in an area that has a lot of amenities that we can easily walk to (restaurants, grocery, public transportation, etc). Where can we find the best of all worlds in one neighborhood?

I want to know everything about the city. In fact, I have researched it many times on the internet, but I want to hear it firsthand. Especially how the economic power of the people living here realize region by region, how much money they earn monthly and how much they spend on rent and expenses, income levels. What kind of activities they engage in their free time, what they can do outside..

By the way, I took the map especially big because if possible, it's about every region and between these regions, the distance between people going to school or not.. for example, is the distance from walnut creek to palo alto a reasonable distance that can be traveled to work? etc.

TLDR: Looking for area recs for my BF and I when we move to SF this summer - budget is $4500 for a 1 or 2 bedroom

My boyfriend and I are moving to SF in August from LA and are trying to decide what area we want to live in and what areas we should look at while we're deciding. We are both working in the city (im in Finance and he's in Tech) and both of us have cars. We are deciding between a 1 BR and a 2 BR because we both work hybrid but want to make sure we're living in a nice within the budget. We love going out, exploring new places, checking our restaurants and I love surfing so we want an area thats young and vibing. Both of us are in our 20's so would love to be in a place where there is always things going on! I've heard good things about the Marina District, thoughts on that area?

Would love some recs!

I lived in the mission for five years until I hit 31. I loved it so much and it still has a place in my heart.

I now live in the inner sunset. It is hard to convey just how at home I feel here. It is a sense of peace, seeing friends regularly when walking around, the fresh air…

I'm super excited to be moving to the Bay Area this summer for work. I'm from the Midwest so I have no idea what/where the best parts of SF are for young adults. I'll be rooming with at least one, maybe 2, friends from college. Budget is between $2000-2500/month each for a place. We are all into going out and meeting new people as often as possible. I would happily welcome any and all suggestions or descriptions of good areas for us to narrow our housing search! Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I'm a newly graduated doctor planning to move to San Francisco soon, and I could really use some advice on where to live. I have gone through several "Top Lists" around looking for options, but the definitions of these neighborhoods are so nebulous, so I do not know what is the real deal with these places.

I’ll be looking to rent a one-bedroom apartment and would love a neighborhood with great walkability.

A few things about me:

• I’m not really into the beach or ocean, so being near the water isn’t a priority.

• I love coffee shops and classical arts (think symphonies, museums, art galleries).

• I’ll probably need a balance of quiet but still having good access to things to do.

If you have any recommendations for neighborhoods that fit this vibe, I’d really appreciate it!

My husband and I are moving to San Francisco in September of 2025 and are looking at appropriate neighborhoods for us to live in. For context, my place of work is in the Design District, and my husband's is in Mission Bay. We're moving from the South Bay and are leaning towards quieter and more residential neighborhoods as opposed to the high-rise life of Mission Bay. I've been having 2 major questions:

A. Is it unrealistic to hope for a 2 Bed 1 Bath in the neighborhood of $4500 a month?

B. I love neighborhoods like Noe Valley. It's calm and primarily residential, and not too far from our places of work. Any similar neighborhood suggestions considering our budget?

C. This goes without saying, but no sketchy neighborhoods, especially when there's only the option of street parking.

D. I've been looking at apartments.com, craigslist, zillow. The listings on FB Marketplace seem to be by the room for the most part. Any other smart ways to look?

Please Help me! <3

Another "what neighborhood should I live in?" post... My BF and I might be moving to SF in a few months for job/change of scenery (we are 26). We'd be looking for a 2 bedroom apartment with a combined $5-6k budget. Moving from NYC where I live in Chelsea, I always wanted to live in Williamsburg but it didn't work out. I like the vibe in Hayes Valley, not sure where else we should be looking.

I would want to be within a ~25 min commute to salesforce park and be in a safe and neighborhood-y area (ideally sunny!). I like going to coffee shops, going out to eat (esp. asian food), cocktail bars, workout classes. We're up for the occasional weekend bender, but shifting more towards the "having friends over for a mini dinner party" lifestyle. I did my time in a ...charming... pre-war apartment in NY and think I would be much happier in a modern apartment with in unit washer dryer and central air.. is what I'm looking for realistic?

Hi everyone, I’ve got a job lined up in SF and am looking for places to live. I’ve heard a lot of good and bad things about various cities in the Bay but wanted to see this subreddit’s opinion on areas to live.

I am 23M and would be living with my gf 23F. I don’t mind commuting a little into the city if it comes down to it. We’re mainly looking for a safe area to live. We also both own cars so don’t want to worry about them being broken into or having to pay an absurd monthly parking fee. Being close to nightlife isn’t a big necessity for us as we wouldn’t mind driving/Ubering to more popular places.

Price wise we’re thinking 3k and max 3.2k. Lower is better, but we would like in-unit laundry and secure parking.

EDIT: Thank you everyone for the info so far, all of this is awesome! Some more information about us I forgot to include that may have a factor in where we live: I only have to go in office twice a week which is why I mentioned I don’t mind the commute. We’re currently moving from Irvine so very used to the suburb lifestyle.

I’m being relocated from Florida to SF for work. I’ve done some research and see the typical “best areas to live in SF,” but when I look into these places, a lot are dense tourist areas— which is fine! But some tourist areas are better or worse than others. So I’m looking for insight on which places are in fact suitable areas to live.

I don’t enjoy driving much, and like walking around and living among the town. So not looking for suburbs. In FL, I live in a small beach town in a big city with a strong community culture with dining, bars, and local stores where I can reach everything I could possibly need within a 5-20min bike/ Onewheel ride. Community events/markets and live music every weekend. Surf, bike trails, walking trails, fishing spots, and parks are how I spend my time outdoors, while indoors I do ceramics, various other crafts and cook.

From a local’s perspective, is there an area of the city that would be suitable to move to where I will feel safe and be able to explore?

Edit: No particular budget

Which neighborhoods in SF are the most vibrant and lively right now during the day? Most vibrant and active during the night? Most vibrant with younger people in their 20s? (I'm asking these separately but maybe one neighborhood fits all of these?!) I hear North Beach and Marina District are top contenders. What are some big differences between them in this regard?

By "vibrant", I ultimately just mean people walking, living their lives, eating, shopping, talking, etc., so doesn't have to just be clubs and bars.

Hello people of SF!

I am planning to move to SF in about two months. Looking for a neighborhood recommendation. I have visited SF in the past and have some high level familiarity of neighborhoods but would love your thoughts.

I would like someplace that is walkable neighborhood with restaurants, cafe, bars, grocery stores, farmers markets, and things to do around.

In prior visits to SF - I did like vibe of Mission District. I also liked Marina District and its proximity to the water (but not sure how living there would be like). I have heard of Soma and Rincon Hill areas too but remember those having a very commercial/corporate vibe.

One of my friends suggested looking at places near Alamo Square and said that is fairly central to a lot of things/neighborhoods.

Any thoughts/suggestions/experiences/pros/cons are welcome.

Thank you!

Hi, I'm a 25M from the East bay area. I'm looking to move to SF in the coming months and have trouble deciding on a neighborhood to live in. I don't really visit SF often, so I'm not too familiar with the area. Some details about my preferences:

- My work is fully remote so I don't need to be in proximity of an office. However, it'd be nice to be around some coworking spaces or cafes.

- Ideally a safe neighborhood (relatively) where I don't need to be worried about getting home at night.

- Demographic of young professionals (20s and 30s). I don't know too many people here so hoping to meet new friends my age.

- A more "exciting" area with lots to do (restaurants, bars, clubs, etc.) I'm coming from the suburbs, so a change of pace would be great.

- I love basketball so being near some courts would be awesome.

I know I don't have a strong need to be in a specific area because I'm not tied to work.. maybe that's why this is so hard. Is there a neighborhood that checks all / most of these boxes?