In 2011, the average cost of renting an apartment in San Francisco was $2422. To many people, this might seem insane. For others, it is the price they have to pay to live in a comfortable spot.
What is really underlying these two opinions? What causes one to jerk away from such a price and another to bite his lip and pay it?
At it’s most simplistic, it’s probably the desire for quality vs quantity and vice versa. That is, for some people, high rent is worth paying if they can live in the area where they want to live, if they can walk to the store, if they enjoy have restaurants line their street. For other people, it’s more important to have a bigger place, perhaps a spacious back yard, and more money on hand to pay for a nice car, a bigger TV or other luxuries.
If you’re thinking about moving to a San Francisco, or any other big city for that matter, you will have to decide what’s more important to you.