Housing in the Bay Area can be tricky. Generally a room in a shared house or apartment is cheaper than a one-bedroom/studio. Prices for a room in a shared house are generally somewhere between $900-$1,300. A one bedroom/studio can be up to $2,500 (or your entire stipend). Compared to many other regions, rentals are often posted very close to the lease start date, often less than two months in advance. The best option is to give yourself a lot of time to look for housing and realize that there is a lot of turnover. The market for affordable housing is very competitive, so if you find a place that's a good fit act fast! 

Note: check out PG&Es CARE program for cheaper electricity & gas! 

Neighborhood Vibes

• North Berkeley hills

  • Residential, families, the locals can be somewhat bougie but still a great place, very hilly, great views of the Bay, lots of parks

• North Berkeley/near Cheeseboard

  • Residential, closer to shops and restaurants than the hills, easier to get around by bike

• West Berkeley

  • Get used to hearing the train, gets more industrial as you move further west, but near San Pablo Ave there are lots of restaurants, bars, and shops

• South of campus

  • Kind of expensive with lots of undergrads, but very bikable and some good deals to be found

• South Berkeley/Ashby

  • Close to Berkeley Bowl, also residential but more young adults than the families you'd find in North Berkeley

• Albany/El Cerrito

  • Residential but typically more affordable than other neighborhoods closer to Berkeley

• Temescal/North Oakland

  • Lots of cool, trendy establishments and accessible to MacArthur BART

• Emeryville

  • Mix of condos and older houses by North Oakland/South Berkeley. Lots of big box stores and not convenient for BART, but has affordable options

• Elmwood/Rockridge

  • Upscale with lots of cute shops, but good luck finding something affordable

Methods of Commuting (in order of costs)

• • Walking

  • Biking

    • Biking/walking map from City of Berkeley shows bike avenues and bike paths

    • Bike theft is fairly common. It's a good idea to use a U-lock plus cable lock to make sure your frame and both wheels are locked. We also recommend taking your bike lights off your bike when you lock it up so they don't disappear.

    • Great option for getting around, but be sure to check on Google maps the bike-ability of a place (i.e. elevation gain)

    • Many BART stations have adjacent "Bike Stations", bike valet, and "Bike Links". These options are often free and allow you to bike to BART and not worry about theft. 

  • Bus (free AC Transit bus pass included when you get your Cal ID)

    • AC Transit

    • Transit app to see live-tracking of buses

  • BART 

    • Fare calculator

    • BART map

  • Driving (Parking pass for campus ~$465/semester)

Places to look for housing

• People often send messages about housing openings or requests for housing leads on the ESPM grad student listserve. 

• There is also a campus-wide listserve (postdocnet@lists.berkeley.edu) where people post open housing.

• Craigslist is a very common way to find housing 

• Cal Rentals (https://och.berkeley.edu/): Free off-campus housing listing service run by UC Berkeley. Requires CalNet ID (Free for 60 days, renewable by request) 

• Facebook Berkeley Housing group (you may need someone who is already in the group to invite you)

The Graduate Assembly also has a housing guide.