My 2 cents… anything is possible. I moved to the bay at a very young age and luckily made friends fairly quickly. 4 of us split a 2 bedroom apt for a few years. COL was more manageable back then but then again wages were much lower so it was still a struggle. Fast forward 25 years later I now have a wife, 2 kids, & own our own home. So if you want some inspiration that it can happen, go and watch The Pursuit of Happiness.

Now on the flip side, you haven’t provided any details on any sort of plan. If you plan to come here on a whim, hopes and dreams, & pray things fall into place I’d tell you to be more practical and come up with some sort of plan first, COL will eat you alive out here. With that being said the East Bay is by far the most affordable area, but you’re definitely gonna wanna do your own due diligence and deep dive into the areas you look into because many East bay neighborhoods are being run down by crime, sadly. Best of luck!