Any tips for living cheaply in SF?
sgharms: A) Extend your runway – heh you may just find a reason to never leave, happens often there.B)  I don't know what your transit costs are going to be, 
SF has wonderful transit.  You could make the investment in a Muni pass and be able to explore one of North America's most beautiful cities.Many SF apartments include some of the utilities in the rent, just be savvy.  SF, being an incredibly choosy market often forces 6-month or 12-month leases: this doesn't apply to you.  You probably need to plan on getting a room in a house with some like-minded hackersC)  As Mark Twain said:  The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.  Think LAYERS.D) Where's D go?E)  Absolutely not.  Take a risk, work hard, and meet dangerous fun people.  You can live a lot of fun in SF on the cheap because, well, not everyone can be rich as Lergei.