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Indeed. Look at the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area - it’s not the urban centers, it’s the suburbs.

Americans like space. They like big houses. They like not hearing their neighbors. They like to live on a street that is quiet.

Even the ones that don’t like driving are willing to do it as a trade off for all those things.

Most of the young people I knew in SF who lived there in their 20’s - about 90% moved to the suburbs when they got older. Being close to bars or restaurants doesn’t matter much for most older people. What matters is low crime, space and good schools. They can drive to the city if they need to.



    > Look at the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area - it’s not the urban centers, it’s the suburbs.
Price per sq.m. in San Francisco for the top neighbourhoods is way higher than the suburbs, e.g., Nob Hill or Russian Hill or Pacific Heights. Getting a townhouse in those neighbourhoods is crazy expensive.


A small plot of land in a desirable location is $4M in Palo Alto.

Sure the mansions in Pacific Heights are more, but they are mansions.

Compare like for like.


    > A small plot of land in a desirable location is $4M in Palo Alto.
What do you think this would cost in Pac Heights?

Also, my comparison spoke of price per sq.m. Is there a better way to compare housing costs in different locations?


Are you talking about like-for-like? Or Pac Heights with a view of the Bay? Or a view of the city?

Are you talking about land only? Or land and house?

If you look at the most expensive sales in SF or the Peninsula, they aren't all that different - just shy of $50M.

Regardless, my comment was more directed to middle to upper-middle class housing, not the $20M mansions in SF or 1,000 acres estates in the Peninsula.

Compare a large single family home in SF to a large, single family home in Peninsula.




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