Where to live in SF?

North Beach or Russian Hill are super popular among analysts and great spots to be (great bars, not too far from FiDi). Highly recommend either. 
 

I also think Marina and Pac Heights are sick places to live, although more expensive. Marina is where you’ll be going out 75% of the time so it’s good to be close and there’s tons of young people. Filmore, Union, and Chestnut streets in the Marina are sick, full of bars and hot chicks.

Pac Heights is the next neighborhood up the hill from Marina, super super nice but little more expensive and a slightly older crowd (think late 20s as opposed to early 20s, nice restaurants and cocktail bars as opposed to clubs and dives). Pac Heights is super easy to commute to FiDi (just take a bart down California - 10 mins to work) and there are really nice parks (Lafayette, Alta plaza) and no homeless. Super easy walk to Marina when going out as well. 
 

I really wouldn’t live anywhere other than these 4. 
 

if you wanna live somewhere cheaper and younger, go North Beach or Russian Hill. If you wanna live somewhere nicer, live in Marina or Pac Heights. 
 

rent:

a solid apartment in Russian Hill with a roommate can be as cheap as 1700 each. Marina or Pac Heights probably more like 2-2.5k each. Note that my idea of rent is during covid so prices may have risen. 
 

when to look:

places will literally not let you sign a lease if you’re not moving in within 4 weeks. As long as you have an idea of where you want to live you don’t need to look until 4-8 weeks before your move in. 

I wouldn’t worry about being walking distance. Your bank will give you an Uber home after 7pm-ish (basically every night) and in neighborhoods that are farther from FiDi (marina, pac heights) the buses are super easy and cheap, legit takes 10-20 mins door to door in the morning. 

North Beach is good, I live on like the NW corner of North Beach and it takes me less than 20 minutes to get to my office door to door via the streetcar. North Beach is definitely not quite as interesting as the Marina, and you will have to look relatively farther afield when looking to do something fun on a weekend. Friends in Marina say it takes them about 25 minutes or so to commute into work in the morning.

As far as when to start looking, my roommates and I didn't really look until about a month before our lease started, and didn't sign until a couple weeks before. Probably easier to do this during covid times, so I would plan to start looking a couple months in advance. 

With regards to price, I live with two housemates and we have a three bedroom for 5500 a month. I think we got a pretty decent deal, you can go a step nicer for like 7k a month, but there do exist places in the 4500 range as well if you're okay sacrificing a little bit in order to save some money. I would think your monthly payments for a two bedroom would be just a shade higher for each of these ranges