for a grad student at UCSD for a 2br apartment ranges from just under $1,000 to over $1,200 a month, so either your friends are sharing that apartment with someone else or they’re paying much more than they’re saying.
The rent for comparable apartments and condos in the area range from $1,300 to over $1,800 a month for the nicer condo complexes.
But renting is still by far the best option, at least in the immediate vicinity of UCSD. Prices are still dropping and will probably continue for the forseeable future.
The condos and apartments in the penasquitos and scripps ranch area are more affordable and seem to have hit a plateau over the last couple months, probably closer to the bottom. And there might even be something available in the $200K range that is more than a converted apartment.
