Moving to SF. Savings???

Ideally, how much should you have in savings if you haven't secured a job before moving??

Tonalc1 is right about the factors... but not about the minimum cost. If you're living in a place with roommates and paying $600-700 for a room, don't have a car, and don't have any credit cards to pay off, you can make it on as little as $1000 a month. Basically, factor in your monthly cost of rent in SF (if you have a place secured... if not, factor in the cost of an extended stay hotel), and other costs will be about equivalent to where you are now (food, car if you have one - maybe a bit more for parking and gas, etc...). Also, factor in moving costs themselves (a couple hundred if you're just flying over with a couple suitcases, $1000 - $3000 or so if you have a lot of stuff to move)

Depending on the kind of employment you're looking for, the demand for that work, your qualifications, etc... determines how long it'll take you to find work and how much you'll need to save. To be safe, I'd give yourself at least 2 months (as I'm assuming you aren't going for a "professional"/corporate job, as you'd probably secure that before coming out), and pad it another 2 months extra (if you don't need that extra, then you have money saved).

So... I'd say at least $4,000 to live on (and that's if you're VERY frugal and don't have a car or credit card bills), in addition to whatever it will cost to actually move... but again, it depends on many factors, and that's just the absolute *least* amount you should have.

There's a lot of factors that would affect this. For example, do you have job skills that would allow you to get employment immediately? What kind of salary would you be earning? Where would you live? Would you live alone or with roommates? Do you have a car? Do you pay any recurring amounts (insurance, lease, credit card, etc.)?

It probably costs a minimum of $2,000/month to live in SF on a very frugal budget. If you have a car, it would be more. Given the job market (good for executive and web analyst-type jobs, not so good for mid-range jobs), you could be looking for months.

It depends on your situation. Will you be renting an apartment? If you are do you plan on having roommates to share the costs? Will you need to buy a lot of new things when you arrive or will you be moving with everything you really need?

Are you flexible about living near San Francisco or are you firm that you want to live in San Francisco itself.

Plan on paying at least $1,600 per month for a so-so apartment $2,000 for something in a better area. It depends on your comfort of how quickly you think you can find a job in your field. If you have unemployment or other income you can get away with less savings but if it were me I would want at least enough for 4 months rent and income to pay for food, transportation and misc expenses.

Here is a link to a popular website that will have apartment listing and job listing s too. It is a wonderful place to live but crazy expensive. Best of luck to you.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/?SAB...