Hold onto your avocado toast, Bay Area millennials and tech workers: the San Francisco housing market just pulled a plot twist that nobody saw coming. In a shocking turn of events, our notoriously expensive city is actually becoming marginally more affordable.

Let’s break down this real estate fever dream. According to recent research, about 11% of renter households can now afford a median-priced home in San Francisco - up from a measly 9.1% before the pandemic. Before you start planning your housewarming party, let’s be real: “more affordable” in San Francisco is like saying a Gucci bag is “budget-friendly”.

The AI Money Machine

What’s driving this mini-miracle? A combo of relatively stable home prices and those AI companies throwing around cash like confetti. Tech giants are doling out hefty pay packages and stock sale programs that are making more San Franciscans potentially home-purchase ready.

The Not-So-Fine Print

Before you get too excited, here’s the reality check: a new mortgage in San Francisco averages a whopping $10,420 per month. To save for a 20% down payment, you’d need to save rent for 6.2 years. Compare that to Detroit, where mortgage payments are a mere $2,381 monthly - but who wants to live in Detroit when you can have sourdough and fog?

The bottom line? San Francisco is still San Francisco - expensive, complicated, and utterly irresistible. Just like that ex you can’t quite quit.