Good points. I'd only suggest living with co-founders if you know them well enough and can jive on a regular schedule. I mean, if you get sick of your co-founder, maybe he/she wasn't a match in the first place?
As for the time preparing the meal (from researching recipes to cleaning up), I'd say it can take less than 1.5 hrs per day total. Imagine buying in bulk, cooking a large, delicious stew that can last a couple days (just warm up the meals in a microwave), and voila. Time and money saved.
I think the allure of SF is its network of entrepreneurs and the natural tech ecosystem. Entrepreneurs can certainly work anywhere in the US, but you've got to admit that SF's place as a tech hub (and its proximity to SV--think investors, mentors, tech-strong univ like Stanford and Berkeley) is hard to beat.
True, prices are absurd. If you can make it here despite the ridiculous COL, props to you. There are also livable gems south of SF (San Bruno, Millbrae, etc.) that make living in the Bay Area more palatable.
