BudgetSF/ My Picks

Working on Caltrain with a laptop

✨ Personally tested & recommended

Budget Picks

Everything I actually use to save money in SF. These links support BudgetSF — and often get you a deal too.

📱

Phone Plans

How I get fast hotspot everywhere for $25/mo

Visible by Verizon

What I use daily — unlimited hotspot is a game changer

Unlimited data on Verizon's network
Unlimited mobile hotspot
No annual contracts
Taxes & fees included

I hotspot off Visible everywhere — Ubers, Caltrain, cafes. Unlimited hotspot on Verizon's network for $25/mo is hard to beat.

Mint Mobile

Solid budget option if you don't need hotspot

$15/mostarting price

5G coverage nationwide
Unlimited talk & text
Plans from 5GB to Unlimited
No contract, cancel anytime

Get Mint Mobile→

🛒

Groceries

How I get same-day grocery delivery on a budget

Walmart+

What I use for same-day grocery delivery

$12.95/moor $98/year

I stopped using Amazon Fresh — Walmart+ has same-day delivery at actual store prices.

Free delivery from store

No per-order delivery fee on $35+ orders

Walmart prices, not markups

Same in-store prices online — unlike Amazon Fresh

Free shipping, no minimum

Free next-day & two-day shipping on items

Up to 10¢ off per gallon at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart & Murphy stations

Pro tip: I switched from Amazon Fresh to Walmart+ — same-day delivery, actual store prices, and way cheaper.

Shop My Walmart Grocery List→

🏘️

SF Neighborhoods Ranked by Cost

Where I'd look depending on budget — ranked cheapest to priciest

01

Tenderloin

$

Cheapest central neighborhood. Gritty but walkable to FiDi/SoMa. Safety concerns are real but improving in spots.

Studio: $1,200-1,8001BR: $1,500-2,200

Budget central

02

Bayview-Hunters Point

$

Rapidly developing. T-line access. Some of the lowest rents in SF proper.

Studio: $1,300-1,8001BR: $1,600-2,200

Up-and-coming

03

Visitacion Valley

$

One of the most affordable neighborhoods. Quieter, more suburban feel.

Studio: $1,300-1,8001BR: $1,600-2,200

Quiet, affordable

04

Excelsior

$

Working-class neighborhood, affordable, diverse food options. BART accessible via Balboa Park.

Studio: $1,400-1,9001BR: $1,700-2,300

Diverse, family

05

Outer Sunset

$

Quiet, foggy, residential. Near Ocean Beach. Long commute downtown but N-Judah helps. Best ethnic food in SF.

Studio: $1,400-1,9001BR: $1,700-2,300

Chill, foggy

06

Outer Richmond

$

Similar to Outer Sunset. Near Golden Gate Park and Land's End. Amazing Asian food scene.

Studio: $1,400-1,9001BR: $1,700-2,400

Park-adjacent

07

Inner Sunset

$$

Near UCSF. Good restaurants and cafes. Better transit than Outer Sunset.

Studio: $1,600-2,1001BR: $1,900-2,600

Student-friendly

08

Mission District

$$

Creative, gritty, diverse. Where tech culture mixes with SF's artistic roots. Tons of founders live here. Startup meetups at taquerias.

Studio: $1,700-2,3001BR: $2,000-2,800

Founder + artsy

09

SoMa

$$

Varies wildly block by block. High density of startup offices and VC activity. Close to everything but can feel sketchy.

Studio: $1,500-2,2001BR: $1,900-2,700

Tech corridor

10

Dogpatch / Potrero Hill

$$

Maker/startup energy. Biotech spillover from Mission Bay. Community-driven, hidden gem for founders who want space.

Studio: $1,700-2,2001BR: $2,000-2,700

Maker vibes

11

NoPa

$$

Chill, creative, local vibe. Walkable to Hayes Valley and Lower Haight. The Mill coffee shop is here.

Studio: $1,800-2,3001BR: $2,100-2,800

Creative, chill

12

Hayes Valley

$$$

Dubbed 'Cerebral Valley' — high concentration of AI folks. La Boulangerie, Patricia's Green. The startup neighborhood.

Studio: $2,000-2,6001BR: $2,400-3,200

Cerebral Valley

13

Marina

$$$

Popular with the just-graduated, tech-adjacent crowd. Lively, safe, social. Bro-y reputation but great location.

Studio: $2,000-2,7001BR: $2,500-3,400

Social, lively

14

East Cut / Rincon Hill

$$$

Luxury high-rises, walkable to FiDi and SoMa. Feels sterile but convenient. The 'freshman dorms of SF' — tons of transplants.

Studio: $2,200-2,8001BR: $2,600-3,500

Modern, corporate

15

Pacific Heights

$$$

The neighborhood everyone wants to end up in. Upscale, safe, chic. Lower Pac Heights / Fillmore has a great social scene.

Studio: $2,400-3,0001BR: $2,800-3,800

Aspirational

💻

Tech

What's in my backpack — I work from cafes and Caltrain daily

MacBook Air 15"

What I carry everywhere — lightweight, all-day battery, big screen

I went with the 15" — big enough to get real work done, light enough to carry everywhere.

15-inch Liquid Retina display

Big enough to split-screen code and browser

All-day battery life

I go all day without a charger — 18 hours

Apple Silicon chip

Silent, no fan, runs everything I need

Lightweight & portable

Fits in any backpack, barely notice it

Check Price on Amazon→

💸

Cash Back & Savings

How I get money back without thinking about it

Rakuten

I get cash back on stuff I'm already buying — it just runs in the background

Cash back at 3,500+ stores

I get up to 19% back on Temu, Amazon, Walmart, etc.

Browser extension

It just pops up and applies coupons automatically

Quarterly payouts

They send you a check or PayPal deposit

Stack with credit card rewards

I double dip — Rakuten + Venture X on every purchase

Start Earning Cash Back→

💳

Credit Cards

The one card I use for everything — pays for itself

Capital One Venture X

My daily card — the credits make it basically free

Net $0 Annual Fee

after credits

The $300 travel credit + 10K anniversary points cover it — I basically pay $0/year.

$300 travel credit

Hits automatically — I don't even think about it

10,000 anniversary points

Another ~$100 back every year just for having it

2X miles on everything

I just swipe it everywhere, no categories to track

Priority Pass lounge access

Free airport lounges — huge when traveling

Global Entry / TSA Pre credit

Paid for my TSA Pre — skip the line every time

🏦

Banking

Where I bank and invest — both gave me sign-up bonuses

SoFi Bank

Where I keep my money — high yield, no fees, and I got a $425 bonus

with direct deposit

High-yield savings

My savings actually earn something here

Checking with interest

Even the checking account pays you

No account fees

No minimums, no overdraft fees, nothing

I get paid up to 2 days early

Open SoFi Account→

Robinhood

Where I invest — we both get a free stock when you sign up

you pick your gift stock

Commission-free trading

Stocks, ETFs, options, crypto — no fees

Free stock on sign-up

We both get to pick a gift stock

Fractional shares

I started with just a few bucks

No account minimums

Just sign up and start

Get Free Stock→

Some links above are referral/affiliate links. Using them supports BudgetSF at no extra cost to you — and often gets you a bonus too. I only recommend services I personally use and trust.