corsia logo

Moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco

“It’s an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco. It must be a delightful city and possess all the attractions of the next world”.

Oscar Wilde

Indeed, over the years San Francisco has been attracting attention by providing diversity, entertainment, beautiful sunsets, and memorable landmarks.

If you are an Angeleno, you will find all this familiar. Yet, there remain some helpful things you need to know before moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco to make the process as smooth as possible.

Living in San Francisco

Familiar warm climate

San Francisco has a warm Mediterranean climate, without many drastic changes in temperature, unlike in Los Angeles. The winters are warmer and the summers are cooler. Fortunately, you will not end up reminiscing about your sunny days in LA. You will get more than 200 days of sun in San Francisco too.

It can get humid and foggy in SF. However, you will not feel it as much, due to mild temperatures characterizing the North Pacific coastline. The moment humidity drops from 75% to 15% though, you will feel your hands getting dry. Thus, a good piece of advice, in this case, is to always keep a hand lotion with you. You never know when you might need it.

Diverse neighbourhoods

San Francisco is definitely an iconic place to move to. However, in comparison to Los Angeles, the city is considerably smaller. With a surface area of 46.89 square miles, SF is ten times smaller than LA. The city is home to around only 860’000 people, compared to almost 4 million of LA inhabitants.

It is important to keep in mind the size of the city and its population, so you can best match your future neighborhood with your finances. Doing thorough research before choosing your neighborhood can surely help.

Each neighborhood in San Francisco has its specifics, which will eventually impact your cost of living. During the gold-rush city period, SF only had the central business district, the financial district, North Beach, and Chinatown. The rest were residential areas, which have gradually expanded with new buildings over the years.

The most expensive neighborhoods remain Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, and Russian Hill. Whereas the most affordable ones are Ingleside Heights, Hunters Point, and Bayview. As the population density increases though, there is an upward trend for the home sale and rental prices.

Higher living expenses

Los Angeles is considered one of the most expensive cities in the United States. Yet, San Francisco beats it. It is generally 35.6% more expensive than LA, with health, housing, and food being among the major contributing categories.

Moreover, eating out can also be quite expensive, which is why many residents settle for home-cooked meals. Yet, their food budget is 16% higher than the national US average. Income tax is also among the highest in the country, reaching up to 12.3%, depending on your income.

The good news is that the median income in SF is 76% higher than in LA. This means, that with a good job, the higher living costs can be handled properly while enjoying the premium SF life.

Better chances of employment

San Francisco may seem small, yet it manages to employ almost all of its inhabitants. Its current unemployment rate is 2.3%, as compared to 4.2% in the state of California, or 5.1% in LA.
This means that your chances of finding a job in SF are better than in Los Angeles.

The major industries which employ most of the population in SF are service industries such as the financial sector, health, IT, and hospitality. Thus, if your area of expertise is within these sectors, moving to The City by the Bay may result in a positive life-changer for you.

Lighter traffic and better public transportation

As a tourist, the best way to get around San Francisco would be by foot, or by the bus and metro transportation system. In LA, this would not be such good advice, due to the larger area, as well as limited public transportation.

However, as an inhabitant, I would recommend that you bring your car with you, as you may need it to commute to work or take weekend road trips. In this regard, you will love the fact that traffic in SF is not as bad or unpredictable as in Los Angeles.

Bringing your car to San Francisco

shipping a car

When moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, you can use two main options to transport your car. One is to drive it yourself, and the other one is to hire a car shipping company. The advantages of the second option consist of saving your vehicle additional mileage and preventing any potential damage during the road, for example. Shipping your car from LA to SF will give you peace of mind and save you time so that you can start enjoying The City by the Bay sooner.

Corsia Logistics, a five star rated company, offers its experience and expertise in auto transport to best meet your needs. Our vehicle relocation agents are determined to assist you in delivering your car safely and efficiently.

Unless you’re looking to transport a luxury or highly valuable vehicle, we recommend open carrier transport, which is also less costly. If you would like to get a realistic market quote or advice on shipping your car, do not hesitate to call us at (818)850.5258, or drop us a line in our live chat.

Thank you!

Share our experience:
Are you ready to ship a car?
Recent posts
car shipping quote

Truckers Can Fight Sex Trafficking

If You See Something, Say Something! This is the slogan of the nonprofit group Truckers Against Trafficking, the organization’s main goal is to have more

Shipping a Rivian

Shipping a Rivian

Shipping an electric vehicle like Rivian requires several considerations. Here we will share some key aspects to keep in mind when you need to ship

Read more

Corsia Logistics team works hard every day to ensure reliable expedited car shipping service. Our customer reviews prove that.

5-Star Rated Car Shipping Company

5/5
5/5
5/5

they trusted us

and here's what they say

Simon Moore
Great company
Read More
Looking for a logistics company, to ship my car, from California to Illinois,my first search, then Corsia showed up, skeptical. Call and a very friendly secretary: Elena. She guided me through, I scheduled and as she explained, all when smooth as scheduled Very happy I did the right choice. I'll recommend this great Company to anyone that is thinking to relocate a vehicle. Thanks Corsia logistics for your honesty and professionalism!
Elizabeth Woodward
High five's all around!
Read More
Corsia was highly recommended by a friend in the automobile industry. We needed to transport a cargo van from Seattle to Florida. We contacted Corsia who quickly arranged transport within just a few days. Communication was outstanding! Just a few email confirmations and we were all set. Mike was great and arrived right on time and delivered to Florida on schedule. Tip-avoid the hornets nest of auto brokers on line and just contact Corsia for a truly great experience!
Carrol Tiffany
Amazing
Read More
Corsia has been amazing. Their prices are really competitive but more importantly their customer service has been 5-Star. Elena followed up with me every step of the way, making sure there was no miscommunication between me & the driver. We are using them to ship a 2nd vehicle & would not hesitate to use them again!
Tony Boyd
Definitely recommend
Read More
I have recently used Corsia for long time family car with sentimental value that was moved I have recently used Corsia for shipment of my vehicle from Oregon to Arizona by recommendation from other family member who also used Corsia in the past. I am very pleased on the service and the communication throughout shipment. Ken was my direct contact and kept me informed along the move The car was picked up and delivered as communicated. I did use a enclosed mover and the driver was also clean cut professional and treated car as his own. I would definitely recommend Corsia again with the experience I have had. Thank you. T
JW
Top notch
Read More
Top notch Transport - Porsche 997 Top notch! As easy and efficient as one could possibly imagine. Great customer service.. thank you Luke. Great prices. Check. Timely communications. Check. Clean transport trailer. Check. Supremely careful driver. Check. Timely arrival. Check. Don't mess around elsewhere, just call Corsica and feel confident your transports needs are going to be exceeded. My Porsche 911 rode like a Queen in her enclosed chariot. I've never needed a transport company before, and I surely will use them every time. Do yourself a favor, seriously. Call now.
Geet Mp Haryana
Reliable, efficient
Read More
Corsia rep (Elena) was very proactive. Helped ship a car from CA to GA. She checked in with me via email quote and several phone calls to find me the best possible quote for the fastest available service. After several communications, Corsia was able to schedule a vehicle pickup the next day. The driver communicated well, and the vehicle arrived in final destination faster than we expected in perfect condition. I highly recommend using Corsia's reliable, efficient service.
Cay Liptak
Clean, efficient, wonderful
Read More
Thanks, Corsia! Pickup was so clean, efficient, and wonderful -- my only recommendation is to make sure you schedule it during the day so you can fully review the car in the daylight. Drop off was equally wonderful, and the whole trip went down without a hitch (pun intended!). Seriously, Corsia delivered my Jeep from CT to California with no issues or bumps in the road!
Csaba Kovesdy
Truly positive experience
Read More
Corsia Memphis to LA, mid-size SUV. I looked at 4 different companies amd Corsia was the most responsive of them. While being responsive, they were not unduly aggressive: when I indicated that I need to wait a month before making a decision they stopped contacting me and only came back with a reminder when I really needed it. Once I decided to engage Corsia they found me a transport within two days and the car was delivered (from Memphis to LA) in another two days. I had a truly positive experience.
Kelly Torres
Highly recommend
Read More
Working with Corsia Logistics was a great experience. Working with Corsia Logistics was wonderful. They were able to find a driver right away to transport our car. They were in constant communication as to when the car was getting picked up and dropped off. The driver also communicated with me as to when he would arrive. I would highly recommend Corsia Logistics.
Amy Nelson
Excellent Organization
Read More
Corsia was an excellent company to work with while I transferred my car across the US. A friend of mine suggested I use them as they had been very organized and trustworthy with her own car. I researched a few different place but decided to go with Corsia and I'm so glad I did! Any questions I had throughout the process they answered quickly and clearly. I would definitely use them again in the future and recommend them for others to use.
Previous
Next