The problem with the bay area is that the majority of the buildings are old and lack proper insulation. The temp outside is often not too bad, but when your apartment turns into an oven or a drafty freezer for most of the year, the weather effectively sucks. Contrast with somewhere like Austin, which has horrible weather at times but with affordable, modern construction and cheaper CoL overall, you can live comfortably indoors year round.
I just paid my second $200+ electric bill this year, and that's for a 800 sq ft apartment with a single AC. That AC had to run for the last 3 months, nearly non-stop, just to keep the place in the low 70s. Sure, the place was renovated, and even has vinyl windows, but anything not relating to appearances was skipped in the remodel. No insulation. No leak sealing. Every time my neighbors light up a joint in the garage downstairs I get to smell it throughout my house.
