Limited land and an influx of well-paid tech workers has helped to make San Francisco one of the most expensive cities to live in the nation.
While rents are steep -- only trailing New York's -- home prices are triple the national level. As a result, the Bay area is most definitely a renters market.
It takes nearly six years for homebuyers to realize any sort of financial advantage over renting in the San Francisco metro area, according to Zillow. And in more desirable neighborhoods, like Sausalito or Mill Valley, it takes almost 9.
Further outside of the city, in fancier communities like Atherton, Piedmont and Burlingame, it can take 20 years or more.
