Least Affordable Places to Live

Tired of seeing the Bay Area on lists of "Least Affordable Places to Live" yet? Welp. That's too bad, because here's another one.

(Spoiler alert: SF, San Jose, and Oakland made it to the top 10.)

New data from Trulia finds that the average-earning SF resident has to pay 77% of their monthly salary toward the average mortgage as of August 2015 (assuming 30-year loan, 4% interest rate, property taxes, and insurance). That's an insane 20% increase from just a year ago. 

Trulia factored in the costs of utilities and of commuting, which SF (and San Jose) has among the lowest costs for, so some of what homebuyers lose in affordability are made up by cheaper commuting and utility costs. Still, added all together, average mortgage, utilities, and commuting add up to 85.5% of the median income earner's wages. That leaves only 14.5% left over for everything that isn't housing yourself, getting to and from the office, and keeping the heat and lights on.

In comparison to Oakland, where these expenses make up (only) 55.9% of a resident's income, it almost seems as if Oakland is an inexpensive place to live. But don't worry, Uber will be sure to change that soon.