Rent Map

Map of monthly rent/person in the Berkeley and SF area. Last updated July 2018.

There is no limit on the amount of rent a landlord may first charge the tenant when renting a vacant unit. The annual allowable rent increase is approximately ~3%. As such, leases that started further in the past often correspond to lower rent.

When looking for a place your first year, it may also be useful to see proximity to the AC Transit Transbay Express bus stops (map) for express service between SF and Berkeley. Students can ride AC Transit buses free of charge through the EasyPass which is paid through the UC Berkeley student fees. Other transbay options are the AC transit F bus (no express service; ~60 min Downtown Berkeley to first stop in SF), and the BART trains (not free of charge, ~$5 each way).

City	Location	Type	Rent (per month, per person)	Is your place rent controlled?	When did your lease start?	How did you find it?	Other notes?
Berkeley	1624 Milvia Street	4BR/2BA	1150 average	No	6/6/2013	Friend	North Berkeley's pretty quaint, meh on groceries
Berkeley	Sacremento and Ashby	1BR/1BA	1700	Yes	4/1/2018	Craigslist	It's awesome, need to commute by bike, but convenient
Berkeley	Milvia and Lincoln (Gourmet Ghetto, North Berkeley)	4 BR/2 BA apartment, not university affiliated	$1210 for a bedroom (single)	Yes	8/11/2017	UC Berkeley housing facebook page	great area, close to campus but somewhat separated from campus (i.e. undergrads). Has a bit of a neighborhood feel and lots of good restaurants nearby.
Berkeley	Bancroft and Bonar	2BR/1BA	1375	Yes	8/1/2018		I am actually leaving this apartment - it was cheaper for me since I had it for a few years before now - but this is what I know it is being rented for this fall, so I thought I'd add it in for data purposes! (Rent listed is per bedroom as requested - whole unit rent is twice that.)
SF	Bayview, 94124	5 BR / 3 BA	2x 800, 1x 900, 1x 1100, 1x 1400 (couple in master)	Yes	6/1/2017	Friend	Pretty close to UCSF, about 3 miles, 25 minutes on the T-line or by bike. Bayview gets a lot of sun, but it's not a typical grad student neighborhood. Definitely worth checking out for UCSF people!
Berkeley	Sacramento St. and Channing St.	3 BR/2 BA	1215	Yes	7/1/2017	Craigslist	Love the area. Close to transbay bus stop
SF	Irving and 6th Ave	1st level of house with 3 rooms, landlord in 1 of the rooms	1150	I don't know	4/1/2017	Craigslist	Love it, inner sunset is great, we might be lucky bc it’s a rare find and actually the 2 rooms are living+bedroom but it has separation between them
Berkeley	Near TJ's on university/shattuck	Studio	1500	Yes	1/8/2016	Craigslist	Great space and location. Still pricey compared to other rents but actually reasonable for a studio
Berkeley	2705 Ridge Rd.	1BR/BA	$2,050/month ($1,025/person)	I don't know	8/1/2017	Friend
SF	2nd and Townsend	2BR/2BA	2000	No	6/15/2018	Sf housing group	Great area if you’re looking for a city experience, 15min walk to Mission Bay campus, 15min walk to Bart
SF	9th & Moraga St	1 bedroom in 3-bedroom apartment	1200	No	1/1/2013	Craigslist	A lot of UCSF-based students live in this area. It's less than a mile from Parnassus and a bus runs directly to campus. Grocery stores are a little far away.
Berkeley	1780 Spruce St	3BR/2BA	3000	Yes	6/1/2014	Craigslist
Berkeley	University village	2br/1ba University village	850	No	6/1/2016	University village	The village is the best deal if you have a partner - try to get in. They give priority to fellowship holders so if you have any kind of fellowship you should put that on the application. Also put the move in as the earliest day you could possibly move in. Worth it to spend a few extra months rent to secure a place here which will save a ton of money in the long run.
Berkeley	Addison and Mcgee	2 Br/1ba	1275	Yes	12/15/2017	Craigslist	Love the area. Accessible to bus lines and Bart. Lots of street parking. 1 hr commute to mission bay with the FS bus
Berkeley	Albany	UC Village	1750	I don't know	7/1/2018	UC Berkeley housing website
Berkeley	North Berkeley	2BR/1BA	1291	Yes	8/15/2014	Internet
Berkeley	Central Berkeley	3br/1ba	1100	No	8/1/2017	Craigslist	Safe area, low crime in immediate area, spacious, good deal
SF	Outer Richmond, SF	Room in a 6BR,3BA+2 halfBA house	1095	Yes	6/1/2018	Craigslist	Love it! Super easy commute to UCSF. 10 min walk to UCSF VA shuttle stop.
Berkeley	Bonita and Cedar	2BR/2BA Apartment	1350	I don't know	6/1/2018	Craigslist
Berkeley	1993 El Dorado Ave.	1 BR/1 BA	1088	Yes	7/1/2017	Craigslist	Really wonderful quiet area with lots of families
Berkeley	Delaware and MLK	3 bedroom, 2 bathroom	1142	Yes	9/1/2015	Friend
Berkeley	berkeley hills	3 br 2 ba (4 people)	950	No	8/1/2013	Craigslist	Location is surprisingly friendly to not owning a car, but only because we live close to both the AC transit line and the UC Berkeley Hill Line.
Berkeley	Delaware and MLK	3BR/2BA	~1100	Yes	8/1/2016	Friend
Berkeley	75 Northgate Ave	3BR/2BA	$1,384	No	8/1/2015	Craigslist	It’s amazing! A hike to get home but it’s a nice quiet neighborhood and the views are unparalleled.
Berkeley	Milvia and Vine	3BR/1.5BA	1150	Yes	8/1/2013	Craigslist	Right near Cheeseboard!!!
North Oakland	Temescal	Studio	1400	Yes	8/1/2018	Friend	I love it!!!
Berkeley	North Berkeley	1 BR / 1 BA	1500	Yes	7/1/2016	Craigslist	North berkeley is quiet and lovely
SF	San Francisco, Potrero Hill, walking distance to UCSF Mission Bay campus	Private bedroom & bathroom in 2 BR condo, share w UCSF employee. Incl Tennis courts, Fitness room, Jacuzzis, Saunas, Gardens, View, Internet, Laundry in-unit, Furnished, Linens, Laundry soap, Toilet paper!	$1,450	No	6/1/2018	I am owner	Love living here. I have had a few roommates (summer internships, etc.) and both parties have always had a positive experience
Berkeley	North Berkeley, Gourmet Ghetto	2BR/1BA	1300	Yes	8/1/2014	Craigslist	Good commute location for both UCB and UCSF. Quiet, close to restaurants, grocery stores, parks.
SF	17th Ave and Taraval (Sunset/Parkside neighborhood)	3BR/2BA	$3000 split unequally (master room + bath pays $1200, other two pay $900)	I don't know	7/1/2016	Craigslist	Great place to live if you're at UCSF Parnassus. 20-30 min commute by public transit, right on the MUNI rail line so it's easy/fast to get most places in the city, and you're close to the beach!
Daly City	331 San Diego Ave Daly City (3 blocks from BART)	2BR/1BA	1137.5	No	12/1/2016	Craigslist	Daly City is so incredibly underrated! Much cheaper than SF and just as fast to get to Mission Bay as the western half of SF. 30-45 minute commute with BART + shuttle, 15-30 minute commute driving. I like living there.
Berkeley	1094 Creston Rd	Full house rental	1000 (though usually this area is 1500-2000)	No	6/15/2017	Cal Rentals	Love the area. Quiet, extremely safe, close to Tilden park. At least one member of your house should own a car though. Serviced by the 65, 65*, 67, and Hill lines, so transit is easy (though last bus up is at ~8pm). You'll also have to be very diligent about looking for houses if you're aiming to spend less than $1400 per room. Shaw Properties is a great place to start--amazing rental company.
SF	Inner Sunset	1BR/1BA	1400	Yes	6/1/2015	Craigslist	Great area - good food, close to UCSF Parnassus campus, close to muni & UCSF shuttle stops.
Berkeley	2910 wheeler st, Berkeley CA 94705	2 BR/1 BA	1250	No	8/15/2017	Craigslist	It was good for a year, now I live in UCSF housing
Berkeley	McGee and Allston	3br/1ba	1100	Yes	8/1/2017	Craigslist	Great location and lots of room
SF	Inner Sunset	2br 2ba	1295	I don't know	6/1/2018	Craigslist	Walking distance to Parnassus. Love it
Berkeley	Sacramento and Addison	2BR/1BA	1300	I don't know	8/1/2017	Housing Facebook groups
Berkeley	Shattuck and Vine	3br / 1.5ba	$1,200	Yes	8/15/2013	Craigslist
Berkeley	Grant and Channing	3BR/1BA	1000	I don't know	6/1/2015	Craigslist	Great, would recommend the area. Channing is a bike lane so it's easy to go right up to campus, but it's still close enough that you can walk to lab.
Albany (UC Village)	UC Village	UC Village	950	Yes	9/1/2013	UC Housing	Tons of property crime. Multiple vehicles stolen from me and misc property around the area.
Albany	UC Village	2 BR /1 BA	1700	I don't know	8/1/2014	Mentioned to me at prospective student interviews	Great housing, especially for the price.
SF	1382 4th Ave (inner sunset)	3BR/2.5BA	$1,250	I don't know	8/1/2017	Friend
SF	1382 4th Ave (inner sunset)	3BR/2.5BA	$1,250	I don't know	8/1/2017	Friend
Berkeley	North Berkeley, near Oxford & Los Angelos	shared house	981	No	7/1/2015	Friend