San Francisco is one of the iconic cities in the U.S. With amazing sports teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors, to vibrant LGBTQ+ neighborhoods and nightclubs, there is a culture in the Bay Area that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.
This also means that millions of people have flocked to the city in the past several decades, and the price of living has gone up tremendously. The city is one of the most expensive in the world at the moment. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on your dream of living there.
We’ll talk about some of the best ways to save money on auto insurance in San Francisco. There’s also a large job market that is ripe with opportunities to save and make money so you can enjoy all of the entertainment the city has to offer.
#1 – Transportation
San Francisco is one of the biggest cities in the U.S. This makes it hard to navigate the streets of San Fran by car. Rush hour traffic and pile-ups on the highway make you idle for far longer than is necessary. With the high prices of gasoline, driving around this city is going to be one of the most expensive things you can do.
Luckily, it’s easy to save money on driving expenses in San Francisco because of the availability of alternative transportation methods. The most famous of these travel options within the city is the famous cable cars that have been well known around the world for over 100 years.
It’s fairly inexpensive to take a trolley to work. You’ll save a ton of money on gas, and you might even save money on auto insurance. Getting a policy in San Francisco is more expensive than in many other cities in Southern California. One of the things insurance companies love is customers who don’t drive very often.
Letting your agent know you take the trolley to work and only drive for recreational purposes on occasion will save you a lot of money each month on insurance. If you have to drive often, you can save money depending on your vehicle’s tech. Getting a vehicle with a backup camera or a lane-assist is always a good idea to save money on insurance and stay safe.
Another thing that influences insurance rates is the neighborhood in which you live. Certain places in San Francisco have more crime than others. You will want to find the safest part of town so you can keep your family away from danger and get cheaper rates on auto insurance.
One final influence on insurance prices is the ability to work remotely. When you don’t have to go into an office for your job, you may not have to own a vehicle at all. This is especially easier to do in San Francisco because of the enormous job market in the technology industry.
#2 – Benefits of Silicon Valley
One of the main reasons for living in San Francisco is its proximity to Silicon Valley. The number of successful corporations within this region makes for hundreds of thousands of job opportunities. If you’re an up-and-coming entrepreneur, a graduate in computer science, or involved in technology in any way, there are a lot of financial benefits to working here.
Some companies located in or close to San Francisco include Netflix, Google, Meta, PayPal, and Twitter. Working for these companies not only includes large salaries, but also a large number of benefits that save you money.
Large retirement packages, discounts on restaurants and food, unlimited sick leave, paid medical care, and more are offered by working from some of these companies. These items are vital to have while living in an expensive area in California.
Look into what benefits each of these famous corporations includes for their workers and you could find yourself in a position to save a lot of money while living in San Francisco.
#3 – Travel Elsewhere for Vacation
While San Francisco is one of the top tourist destinations for outsiders, living within the city and trying to find affordable entertainment every weekend can feel impossible. One of the ways to save money on fun is to travel outside of the city to cheaper areas when you get the chance.
Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego can all be expensive, but they are cheaper to navigate than San Francisco. For example, going to a baseball game at the Oakland A’s stadium is a lot more affordable than going to see the NBA championship-winning Warriors at the Chase Center.
It will also feel invigorating to go somewhere outside of the city because you get to see new sites than what you’re used to, and you don’t feel guilty about spending so much on entertainment.
#4 – Other Location-Neutral Money-Saving Tips
No matter whether you live in San Francisco or a small farming town like Avalon, there are many ways you can save money on your daily expenses. Consider things that will bring down your monthly utilities.
Installing solar panels on your roof is a fantastic way to save the environment and save some money. You will have to overcome the expense of the initial installation, but you will chop a lot of money off your electricity bill every month by going solar.
Try to find small businesses to get your daily intake of coffee or candy. Starbucks might be a tradition, but it’s also very pricey. Buying from alternative coffee shops is a great way to infuse the local community with business and save you cash with their lower prices.
San Francisco is an intimidating city to live in. It’s well known for its current housing crisis, and the steep price of daily expenses has discouraged people from moving there. If you get creative and learn a little about some of the ways to save money in San Francisco, you will get to enjoy all of the bright spots of the region.
Use the same methods of saving money that you would in any other location, and apply some of the advantages of the area like public transportation and companies with great benefits to living successfully and enjoying San Francisco.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsurance.org. He wants to help people understand how they can save money in big cities.
