San Francisco Nightlife

(Image courtesy of Shannon)

The weekend is just around the corner, so how are you going to spend your time off? If you're thinking of heading out this weekend, (and why wouldn't you? San Francisco has amazing night life!) do you know what you'll be spending your money on? This article from SF Gate breaks down the typical spending habits of San Franciscans on their nights out - does this match up with your social scene?

Ticket fees, $9 beers, Uber fares — it's no secret that going out at night can add up. But where does your money go?

S.F.-based Eventbrite recently analyzed data from more than 10,000 nightlife events — from concerts to film, theater to visual arts, fashion to charity — that took place from February to December 2014, then surveyed the more than 4,000 people who went to them to get an idea of spending habits and preferences.

So, what did they find? In San Francisco, we really like our live music and drinks. And suprisingly, we have some of the lowest ticket prices for concerts of the six metro areas polled (New York, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta and L.A. were also in the mix).

Here are the takeaways:

The cost breakdown. On average, San Franciscans spend $71 for a night out, with about the same amount of money going toward tickets as going to drinks. We tied Austin for the cheapest night out. Who would have thought?

How often: The majority of those surveyed go out two nights a week on average (40%), while 31% go out 3+ nights a week and 100% go out at least one night a week.

San Franciscans like to drink. Those polled said they usually have three drinks in a night, with 15% saying they down five or more. Only 6% say they don't drink at all when they go out. Chicagoans drink more than us though — 27% say they consume five or more drinks in a night.

How we get around. Luckily, all that boozing doesn't go hand in hand with getting behind the wheel. San Franciscans prefer using ride sharing apps more than other cities (64% vs. 45%). We're also more likely to walk or take the bus compared to other cities.

Live music is where it's at. Eighty-three percent of all the tickets sold are for music events, compared to the national average of 64%. We also really like to dance — "getting one's groove on" was the most commonly cited reason for getting out at night.

Breaking it down by genre: For music events, here's how it goes: EDM shows (54%), hip-hop/rap (34%), indie (29%), rock (27%) and alternative (25%).

Getting our snack on: No surprise here. We like our burritos — 39% of those polled said this was the late-night snack of choice. But a whopping 24% said they went for a bacon-wrapped hot dog (we have a feeling this is the alcohol talking). Other cities went for pizza (NYC, Chicago), Korean BBQ (L.A.), Waffle House (Atlanta, natch) and tacos (Austin)