
Ask HN: What costs go down in the Bay Area? - SmellTheGlove
I&#x27;ve participated in some of the recent threads on the price shock and anxiety of moving to the Bay Area, and for sure I&#x27;m nervous about my housing cost going through the roof, as well as having a very poor grasp of how to navigate SFUSD registration.  For those, I think the strategy is to rent in the attendance area of the schools we want (spending more, of course!), as it seems the only factor we <i>can</i> control is the weight given to where you live.<p>Anyhow, I&#x27;ve also gotten to thinking through where I&#x27;ll spend <i>less</i> in SF versus where I live in Maine, and I&#x27;m wondering what else I might be missing that I can look forward to?<p>Costs going down for us in SF -<p>Utilities -  CA might be expensive, but it&#x27;s not 16c&#x2F;kwh + 1000 gal of heating oil expensive.<p>Car Registration - Somehow it&#x27;s actually looking to cost less, even before going from 3 cars to 1.<p>Commute&#x2F;Transit Expense - We basically drive two cars 50 miles each round trip right now, with work&#x2F;school&#x2F;kid activities.  Muni and a neighborhood school will eliminate a lot of that.<p>Travel - The Bay Area has 3 airports with competition to more or less everywhere, even with UA having a fortress hub in SFO.<p>Weather - OK, weather itself isn&#x27;t a cost, but clearing the driveway 20 times a winter isn&#x27;t free, even if you DIY.  SF doesn&#x27;t have that problem.  Not only does it not snow, but there won&#x27;t even be a driveway!<p>Anyway, yeah, I&#x27;ve already figured out rent will be out of control, Muni will suck, etc.  But there&#x27;s a lot to look forward to - what else should we be adding to this list?
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sidlls
Opportunity costs go down if you're interested in (and properly skilled for,
which doesn't mean just coding ability) the tech industry.

Depending on where in Maine you're from the costs for basic recreation (parks,
enriching and culturally, scientifically and otherwise diverse attractions for
families) may decrease substantially. Where we moved from the nearest park was
a 5-10 minute drive, and now we have about a dozen within a 5 minutes walk for
example.

You can keep your housing cost increase under control by considering areas
with good schools that aren't in the city.

