Having a steady job and a decent salary used to mean you had a reasonable shot at finding somewhere to live. But in San Francisco, even people with established careers are struggling to afford rent.
According to a recent SFGATE report, rising rents are pricing nurses, teachers, scientists, and families out of the city.
Rental prices have jumped 25% over the past year, and the median cost of a two-bedroom apartment has surpassed $6,000 a month, according to rental marketplace Zumper.
Even Professionals Are Struggling to Find Housing
Sonja Mihailovic, a scientist working in the Bay Area, spent six months searching for an apartment with her friend, a nurse. Despite stable jobs and decent incomes, the two struggled to find an affordable place.
After contacting at least 36 properties, Mihailovic took her frustration to Reddit, where her post received more than 1.5 million views in just three days.
In one instance, the pair applied for a rental in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset neighborhood, only to learn the landlord was increasing the advertised rent by $250 because so many people were interested.
The same property had rented for $1,500 less just two years earlier.
Related: 10 Landlord Responsibilities Renters Don’t Know They’re Owed
Some Renters Are Facing $1,000 Monthly Increases
Finding a new apartment isn’t the only challenge. Some existing renters are facing substantial rent increases.
Scientist Dunja Mrdjen was already stretching her budget to afford a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood when she received notice that her rent would increase by $1,000 a month.
She spent the next two months searching for another place, checking listings constantly and touring approximately five properties a week. Eventually, she moved to Pacifica, outside San Francisco, because she could no longer justify staying in the city.
Teachers and Families Are Being Pushed Out, Too
The problem extends beyond scientists and nurses. Sean Taylor, who grew up in San Francisco, returned to the Bay Area with his girlfriend, a fourth-grade teacher, hoping to settle near family.
Despite touring apartments and submitting applications, they struggled to compete with higher-paid applicants. Taylor told SFGATE that at one showing, a real estate agent reportedly discouraged his girlfriend from applying after learning they were teachers.
The couple eventually found a rental in Mill Valley, but not in the city Taylor had hoped to live in.
Related: 10 Apartment Upgrades You Can Do Without Angering Your Landlord
What’s Driving San Francisco’s Rent Increases?
San Francisco’s growing artificial intelligence industry has brought more high-income workers into an already competitive housing market.
Combined with a limited supply of available homes, that demand has made it increasingly difficult for residents earning salaries outside the tech industry to compete.
Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a rental emergency in September and proposed measures intended to help keep essential workers and longtime residents in the city.
However, housing experts interviewed by SFGATE warned those efforts may not be enough to lower rental prices.
For people who have spent years building careers and communities in San Francisco, the choices are becoming increasingly difficult. They can stretch their budgets, move farther from work, or leave the city altogether.
And when even teachers, nurses, and scientists struggle to find housing, it raises a bigger question: who will be able to afford to live there in the years ahead?
