This place, where tech companies mingle easily with financial bastions, feels like new money. San Francisco's diverse nature attracts all types of people, and the neighborhoods reflect this. Deciding where to live takes almost as much research as picking which school to enroll in since each area has its own distinct personality. The choice of neighborhood may already be decided for you if you are a student and must live within walking distance of your school. Berkeley may be grungy, but student demand for housing has created high rents.
Rooms are generally small since many of the buildings are old.
Other cheaper alternatives are co-ops or renting a room in a nearby Berkeley Hills or Emeryville home. At Stanford, on-campus housing is provided for most of its students. This works out well, considering the neighboring areas are affluent. Unfortunately, pricing is more often the determining factor than the neighborhood itself. Since the number of people moving to San Francisco is greater than the number leaving, a housing shortage has been created.