San Franciscoculture & etiquette

Not thirty, not ninety — ten days from establishing residency. It is the tightest deadline of any large US state, and California has no licence-exchange arrangement with any country, so you must pass the written test and a behind-the-wheel drive test regardless of your driving history. Book the DMV appointment before you fly; walk-in waits are long and appointment slots are frequently weeks out.

The state income tax is the highest in the country at the top end. Separately, State Disability Insurance is withheld at 1.3% for 2026 — and since 1 January 2024 it applies to all wages with no ceiling, where previously it stopped at a wage cap. For a high earner that change alone is thousands of dollars a year, and almost every older salary comparison misses it.

San Francisco's Rent Ordinance limits annual increases and requires just cause for eviction in most multi-unit buildings built before June 1979 — a large share of the city's housing stock. Single-family homes, condos and newer construction are generally exempt. Ask about the year of construction before signing; a rent-controlled tenancy is worth more over five years than almost any negotiation on the starting rent.

SSA verifies your status against DHS records that take a week or two to sync after entry, so going on day two usually means a wasted trip. Only work-authorised people are eligible; if you aren't, file IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN instead. The card is free — nobody should be charging you for it.

Google, Meta, Apple, LinkedIn and Nvidia are all on the Peninsula or in the South Bay, thirty to sixty minutes south. Plenty of people live in the city and commute down on a company shuttle or Caltrain; plenty of others move to Mountain View and regret the social trade. Work out where you will actually be five days a week before choosing a neighbourhood.

San Francisco's warmest months are September and October. July and August are foggy and windy, and the temperature difference between the Mission and the Outer Sunset on the same afternoon can be ten degrees. This is not a quirk — it should influence which neighbourhood you pick.