Do people really still think you can find a cheap, commute-friendly city close to SF? Have you not been hearing the news for the last several years about how broken the COL is?

Without telling you to move to a very far away area, or a very high crime area, the answer is no. Forget good and suburban, even the bad and exurban areas are not cheap.

Edit: I see you are considering owning a home. what is your concept of "affordable" for that? i.e. what's your price range?

Try 1996.

EDIT: Reposted with correct formatting this time, and made a few additions!

Hi! I live in SF. I posted the below comment recently in response to someone asking about things to do/eat, so figured it might be helpful to repost:

First: avoid Pier 39 / Fisherman's Wharf, unless you really, really for some reason feel obligated to. It's a total tourist trap. The only cool things there are the sea lions borking at you, and the Musee Mecanique (old-timey arcade full of tons of vintage arcade games you can play with quarters, and a scene in the Princess Diaries -- the arm-wrestling machine that Julie Andrews wrestled is still there!)

Avoid the Tenderloin; it's the sketchiest area of the city and generally unpleasant to be in.

If you have a car, DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VISIBLE IN IT when you leave it, or it WILL get broken into.

Outdoors stuff:

• The Filbert steps are a lovely hidden little gem leading down from Coit Tower (which has great murals and views of the city.) Pro-tip if you're lazy like me: uber/lyft up to the tower, and take the steps down back to the city.

• Bike the Golden Gate for sure, check out the houseboats in Sausalito.

• Lands' End / Sutro Baths. For some reason, not a lot of tourists go there, which makes it even better. It's a little further from downtown (~15min uber ride?), but it's got gorgeous views of the ocean, cliffsides, and a great short hiking path. Make sure you check out the labyrinth that's there a little ways into the hike. Before or after your hike, get some affordable dim sum in the Inner Richmond / Sunset around there -- Hong Kong Lounge II and Dragon Beaux are pretty good.

• Baker Beach / the Presidio. Gorgeous view of the Golden Gate at sunset along the beach, and in my opinion just a better/more picturesque beach than Ocean Beach, which is always super windy and freezing. I shot a marriage proposal there once. Sometimes there are some nudists by the far northern end of the beach, but they keep to that end generally and aren't very visible. Plus, it's right by the Presidio, which has nice wooden paths (Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line is neat). The Palace of Fine Arts is nearby as well, and it's pretty, but that's about it if you're not into museums.

• Dolores Park is like SF's equivalent of Central Park. If you go there on a weekend afternoon, it's FULL of young people lounging around, dogs, people playing music, playing spikeball, doing yoga, generally being young and drunk and stoned and happy. It's also in the Mission so you can combine this with a bunch of other stuff.

• Twin Peaks might be worth a quick stop for a nice high-up view of the city. Don't go in the evening though - some tourists/photographer have gotten mugged there at night.

Food stuff (focusing on more casual stuff instead of fancy restaurants, because fancy restaurants are easy to find recommendations for):

• Go to the Ferry Building on a Saturday morning/lunchtime for a huge farmers' market with tons of good food. Have a few oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co's stall, sample all the fresh fruit, some goat cheese, etc. I like "Out the Door" inside the building itself for its steamed chicken buns and bubble tea, but there are tons of other great options too -- Cowgirl Creamery is a cheeselover's heaven. Get a tasting if you have time. If they still have them, their raclettes are amazing (they broil the top layer of a massive cheese wheel in front of you, then scrape off that melty/broiled top layer onto some bread.) Sample all the different olive oils/vinegars from another store inside there. And try the dark chocolate sea salt almond brittle from the Alfieri & Sons store - they'll give you a sample if you ask. It's like crack.

• Burritos in the Mission. This is one of San Francisco's great prides. They're massive, loaded, guaranteed to cure a hangover. El Farolito and Pancho Villa are my faves. They're all holes-in-the-wall, but def something to experience.

• While you're in the Mission, stop by Dandelion Chocolate for some incredible artisanal chocolate / hot chocolate.

• The Mission is also home to Tartine Bakery, which is very good but possibly slightly overrated (I think USA Today once named them the "Best Bakery in America") - always a longish line on weekends, but might be worth a stop during a weekday. Lots of good ice cream places in the Mission too - people rave about Bi-Rite, but I prefer Humphrey Slocombe or Smitten. (There's also a Humphrey Slocombe store in the Ferry Building.)

• Also in the Mission -- The Temporarium, one of my fave coffee shops. It's tiny and a little ramshackle and run by a complete character of a man. Super hipster, super good coffee.

• Swan Oyster Depot if you like raw seafood. Anthony Bourdain apparently featured it on his show so now there are always long lines, but probably worth it for the crab back, oysters, and Sicilian carpaccio. Mm.

• Chinatown - counterintuitively, the best Chinese food in SF is in the Inner Richmond / Sunset, not in Chinatown. But might still be worth a wander. If you want some cheap eats, Good Mong Kok Bakery is a super cheap dim sum takeout counter, and consistently good (shrimp dumplings, shumai, pork buns, turnip cakes are where its at).

• Saigon Sandwich. They're in the Tenderloin in a super sketch area. It's a hole-in-the-wall run by a few old Vietnamese ladies. They sell dirt cheap banh mi's (like, $4?) that are some of the best banh mi's I've ever had. Might not be worth it unless you're already in the area though - like I said, it's in the Tenderloin. Avoid the Tenderloin.

• Japantown is neat. Lots of good places for udon/ramen/sushi, but my favorite food here is the fresh handmade mochi from Benkyodo Co., a Japanese sweets store that's been around for over a century.

• Off the Grid at Fort Mason is a food truck night market. Pretty cool. Good food.

Miscellaneous:

• Dueling Pianos at Johnny Foley's Irish Bar -- two improv pianists take song requests from the crowd for money. There's a drink/food minimum and a cover fee, but it's good fun and sort of a combo of stand-up/karaoke. Can get rowdy and a little lewd, so not for kids or thin-skinned.

• Urban Putt -- indoor mini-golf + bar, super fun. Pretty good restaurant upstairs too!