# Real estate close enough to Berkeley to commute, cheap enough to actually buy/rent **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132 "2013-12-12T03:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/1 "2013-12-12T03:02:06Z")
I am having a hard time figuring this out with google. Apartments and homes in and around Berkeley proper seem to be around two to three thousand a month to rent (for three bedrooms). How far away from the city do I need to be to bring it down to the $1200 range, if that’s even possible? Any searching I do that mentions the city itself gives me the expensive stuff right in the city. I am having trouble searching for this more commuter-oriented information. Any advice appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/2 "2013-12-12T03:21:38Z")
Here’s a map: > **[News Fix Archives | KQED News](https://www.kqed.org/news/program/news-fix)** > > KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/3 "2013-12-12T03:27:21Z")
Berkeley has a limited amount of housing, so supply is lower than other cities. But all cities have high rent. North Oakland etc. is close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/4 "2013-12-12T04:17:57Z")
$1200 for a three bedroom sounds crazy low. I don’t think you’ll find that in a commutable distance from Berkeley. I paid $1600 for a three bedroom in Sacramento, which is not commutable. I pay $2250 for a two bedroom in Berkeley. You may want to look at Craigslist for the areas along BART in the East Bay. Maybe near the ends of the lines will be more affordable. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/5 "2013-12-12T04:25:33Z")
Idaho. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/6 "2013-12-12T04:30:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Idaho. Exactly. [Oakland Intl Airport](http://www.flyoakland.com/) is not far from Berkley. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/7 "2013-12-12T04:45:35Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > I paid $1600 for a three bedroom in Sacramento, which is not commutable. Sure it is, if you don’t value your sanity. One commuted from northern Contra Costa, but eventually shelled out for a “weekday apartment” in Sacramento. The other commuted from Sac to Hayward I think daily. It’s tough, of course. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/8 "2013-12-12T04:55:18Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Sure it is, if you don’t value your sanity. One commuted from northern Contra Costa, but eventually shelled out for a “weekday apartment” in Sacramento. The other commuted from Sac to Hayward I think daily. It’s tough, of course. Mariposa to San Jose. [Every day.](http://www.chron.com/business/article/California-man-s-372-mile-commute-tops-them-all-1887929.php) 372 miles. I don’t know if he’s still at it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/9 "2013-12-12T06:20:09Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Mariposa to San Jose. [Every day.](http://www.chron.com/business/article/California-man-s-372-mile-commute-tops-them-all-1887929.php) 372 miles. > > I don’t know if he’s still at it. Sounds scary, although slightly less so once I realize it means 372 miles **round trip**. But I Google Maps it and try to match the route and get nowhere near that, maybe 334 miles. If he skips Chowchilla, I get 302 miles or 5:14. Trying to match the route described. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/10 "2013-12-12T06:25:55Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Sounds scary, although slightly less so once I realize it means 372 miles **round trip**. But I Google Maps it and try to match the route and get nowhere near that, maybe 334 miles. If he skips Chowchilla, I get 302 miles or 5:14. Trying to match the route described. Depends on where in San Jose you’re ending. If I remember, Cisco, at the time, was in San Jose very close to the Santa Clara border. Around Great America. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/11 "2013-12-12T10:15:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Idaho. Damn near. Want reasonable commute? Walnut Creek; Concord; Livermore; etc. Want affordable? Try Fresno. I know a guy who lives in some backwoodsy area halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, but works in San Mateo. I think he commutes once a week and hangs out somewhere in San Mateo during the week. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/12 "2013-12-12T10:29:15Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Livermore; etc. I’ve known some that commute from Tracy or similar distances. > [@](#): > > I know a guy who lives in some backwoodsy area halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, but works in San Mateo. I think he commutes once a week and hangs out somewhere in San Mateo during the week. Like Colfax area? Kind of a cute town. It’s a frequent bathroom stop for me, as the other towns there are minuscule. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/13 "2013-12-12T12:41:09Z")
You are asking the impossible. Ten years ago I rented a little one bedroom in Oakland for $1,200, and it was only that cheap because of rent control. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/14 "2013-12-12T13:28:36Z")
Okay, next topic. If I’m going to pay nearly a thousand dollars to fly out somewhere for job interview in a place I potentially can’t afford to live without a substantial raise, do you think it might be acceptable to break protocol and broach the salary topic _before_ committing to that interview? ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/15 "2013-12-12T14:49:32Z")
You MIGHT find something along the I80, Dixon/ Fairfield/ Vacaville, or a bit further in Winters. I lived in Dixon about 14 years ago and it was a pretty nice place. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/16 "2013-12-12T15:23:38Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > If I’m going to pay nearly a thousand dollars to fly out somewhere for job interview in a place I potentially can’t afford to live without a substantial raise, do you think it might be acceptable to break protocol and broach the salary topic _before_ committing to that interview? No, I don’t think you should bring up salary that early. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/17 "2013-12-12T15:33:17Z")
I am starting to think I am going to have to decline the interview. But that’s insane! OTOH maybe refusing to pay to fly out interviewees is their way of selecting against somethingerotheridon’tcaretospeculate. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/18 "2013-12-12T15:35:54Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/19 "2013-12-12T15:39:25Z")
You shouldn’t decline the interview opportunity. If they’re flying you out, they must think you’re worthwhile. Wait to see what the offer (if any) is and then decide. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132/20 "2013-12-12T15:39:59Z")
Can’t you at least find out average salaries for that company or comparable jobs in the Bay Area? I have to imagine that they’re going to pay a living wage (even if their definition of “liveable” doesn’t match your own). After all, isn’t the high cost of living in the area due to the concentration of high-paying tech jobs? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-close-enough-to-berkeley-to-commute-cheap-enough-to-actually-buy-rent/676132.md?page=2)