What are some towns near san francisco with a low cost of living?

I think you don't understand the cost differential between NY and CA.

In NY, if you are near NYC/Westchester/Long Island the cost of living is expensive. Outside that area it's not.

San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, The Silicon Valley, and the Bay Area (the major populated areas of the state) have price tags similar to the NY metro area. This is most of the state.

The rest of the state is cheaper than these parts but it's not considered affordable by most area standards.

Unless you are in the middle of no where (desert or near the OR border) there is nothing close to the prices in Upstate NY.

Most public safety officers in California, now require 4 year college degrees.

What do I think? If you don't want the high cost of living, California is not the place for you.

The cost of living comparable to upstate NY would be 1 - 2 hours from San Francisco. How far are you willing to commute? What exactly is your budget? I recommend northern counties similar to upstate NY and rural so cost of living is lower. Look at the map for northern counties. The bigger cities are Redding, Santa Rosa, Eureka. There are some towns outside Sacramento that are cheaper like Lincoln, Folsom, Woodland. Sacramento is 1 1/2 hrs. from San Francisco.

If you want to be closer to S.F. I suggest Daly City to the south, San Leandro to the east across the bay. If you go north it would be an hour commute to a cheaper place.

Get a job, then move.

I would have never lived in Oakland.

I've heard that Oakland is reasonable and 'coming back'.

This is because SF housing is unreasonable; everyone wants to live there.

Those who can't afford SF, move out. These are now the middle class.

Most of the peninsula is high priced. Things get cheaper as you go south.

North of SF, along the bay and the ocean is high cost.

As you look west, things get cheaper; your commute costs, rise.

I rented a basement in SF for one year.

I moved to Daly City for the same rent in a slightly smaller, nicer place.

Nothing within a 90 minute drive of SF or Silicon Valley is affordable, so you'll just have to make due with "less expensive." I think Oakland is great and full of character, but the neighborhoods you could afford may exceed your tolerance for crime.

If you want to be close to SF in a more suburban environment, check out Pacifica. I haven't seen that mentioned yet.

I hear Sacramento has been going through a housing crisis and there's lot of foreclosed housing there (which also means businesses have left the area when the owners left). That's the state capital. It's still close enough to drive into SF too. Have no idea what the business prospective is for pet resorts there--people do have pets but surrounding Sacto are farms/ranches too so you get the city and the rural.

You are not going to find that anywhere near San Francisco or within a 2 hour commute of San Francisco in either direction. You would have to move further inland like around Fresno, Modesto or even outside Sacramento to find a cheaper place to live. Or go up to Ukiah or further north into Humbolt county

Low cost in Cal? Good luck! Lower, well? work in Cal is rough last I saw. Try Petaluma, Santa Rosa or South Lake Tahoe,CA. ADDED: Reno,NV is Cheap! and a few miles from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and California.