Hey Jbrewlet, 

I feel for you as I know it may be a difficult situation, especially if your wife is unemployed as well. First off 45k as an intern does not seem likely or is at least on the more difficult side to get. If you really desire to do so, may I suggest living relatively somewhere close to SF and not the city itself. I say this for 2 reasons:

1) Public transportation in NorCal is great

2) You may find cheaper places to live just slightly outside of the city

Again these are just brief suggestions but ultimately I do think it would be extremely difficult to support a family off of that salary in SF.

I have 3 years exp. with an interns pay level($20/hr) - am moving to Berkeley - use Bart, and no car - no insurance and no health insurance either - I just have to watch out for people running red lights on their bikes

it's doable, been doing it for 5 years now - 

roommates.  when I first started work in a similarly expensive city my partner and I lived with 5 other people in a 4 bedroom apartment.  we had a rotating cast of couch surfers who would pay us a nominal fee to crash there for a month or two.  We also did the communal meals thing which cut down on costs...  I know this isn't for everyone, but it allowed us to live very cheaply.

What might I ask is the worst part of trying to live in SF cost wise?  I've read its housing, anything else that's missed?

It's definitely doable, just don't expect to have the greatest living quarters on a 45K salary. Depending on where you live in proximity to where you may end up working will be the determining factor. If you can cut down transportation costs, then it'll make it much easier; gas prices in the Bay are ridiculous. 

Utilities, daily living, etc aren't all that much different from anywhere else, it's mostly just housing, transportation, parking.

Lastly, if you are definitely moving to the Bay hoping to get a job in SF, I'd take Zenaki's situation. Live somewhere cheaper than the City and has access to BART. As Narddog mentioned, NorCal's public transportation is among the best in the world in my opinion. 

Could definitely do with a little commute, I'm very excited about mass-transit / biking.  It's just not an option around  where we currently live.

What are some of the more affordable areas to live?

One more word - if you intend to take the bus, and work late, don't live in San Mateo County(south of San Francisco) Scamtrans(no transfers - you must pay for each connection) has very infrequent late service and weekend service ends around 6pm.

Money will be tight, but it is doable. It will probably be difficult to impossible though if you have student loan payments, unless you plan on doing the roommate situation. Also, food tends to be pricier in SF versus other parts of the Bay Area. If you have your heart set on living in the city, check out neighborhoods like the Mission, Potrero, Sunset, Richmond, and Tenderloin (not nearly as sketchy as people make it out to be--though this does vary a bit depending on where you are located in the TL).

If you don't mind the train ride/casual carpool/bus, the East Bay is a good alternative (bear in mind, you cannot bring your bike on the train during commute hours unless it folds up). Oakland is in somewhat of a cultural renaissance (or gentrification, depending on how you look at it) which makes it actually kind of an exciting place to be now, and Berkeley is a cool mix of college town, young professionals, and families--though farther to SF and costlier than Oakland. The weather is also nicer in the East Bay.

To give you an idea, I pay $875 for a basic, no frills studio (heat, garbage, water included) in a nice neighborhood in Oakland. The same studio in SF in one of the more "affordable" neighborhoods that isn't too sketchy would probably be about $1300/mo. It might be worth it if you want to be in SF (I used to live there and do miss the city vibe), but if you are trying to save a buck, check out the East Bay. Hidden costs to consider include commuting (BART is not that cheap), heating costs (SF never gets freezing, but it generally stays cool year round), parking (up to $200/mo if you want a designated spot).

Best of luck to you!

Here is a handy little guide to "49 square miles surrounded by reality"

http://brokeassstuart.com/sf/

also

http://www.aiasf.org/ - lots of activities 

padmapper.com is your friend.

Good to know its possible, I've used padmapper and love it.  The guide would be great also.  Thanks for all the comments.

Now who has a job for me? Haha

its totally do able. sf isnt that expensive. there are so many great happy hours and great  places to eat on the cheap. just stick to a budget. hit up trader joes and local markets in the mission for groceries and you're set. 

look for a sublet with roommates in the mission, inner sunset, haight and lower haight, pan handle or hayes valley. you can find a nice cool room in a great area for about $500-750. 

ps - i made slightly more as an intern, so that kind of money is possible. I know you have a wife too. Me and my gf pulled it off for about three years. People are open to couples for the most part.

good luck

Spackle, great to know.  I was just going to comment on that, we come from a 2BR 875 sq ft apartment for $700/m.  We weren't delusional about the higher cost of living in SF but then got a bit frightened by how high rents were in the city.  Most likely just have to look in the Bay area.

Thanks everyone

Jbrewlet,

I'd agree with others on living off of SF but commute via public transportation. 

I live in Alameda island where i have 4 different options to get to the city - BART, Ferry, Bus, and Casual Carpool (free). If you choose to live in bay area and commute to SF, you will likely to spend $9-10/day.

Berkeley's interesting place to live, if you don't own a car.  If you are looking for 2 BR in bay area, I think you'll have to pay around $1200-1400/month.