This is a very vague question with lots of facts not useful for a Bay Area person for giving you some inputs. 1.SF Bay Area is a very spread area. Just a quick

This is a very vague question with lots of facts not useful for a Bay Area person for giving you some inputs. 1.SF Bay Area is a very spread area. Just a quick Google will give a fair idea. (For example from San Pablo to San Jose span around 50 miles). 2. It will depend on where you will work. I believe initially you will prefer to a location close to your work place. If you have driven before in US and are willing to buy a car to make a long commute then it is possible to stay at a distant place with cheap rent from your work. But prepare to spend at least 1 hour each way on the road. Else you are going stay near a BART(Bay Area Rapid Transit) or Bus route. 3. In every part of Bay area there are some bad pockets/neighborhoods and good areas. You have to spend a bit more if you want to stay in a decent neighborhood. There is a good reason why those areas are pricey. But if you spend enough time looking around you may be able to find some good place at a reasonable price near to your work. 4. Before renting any place go to to Yelp, or apartment reviews sites and read other people's feedback. It is not always reliable. But if you are seeing an apartment or housing having several negative reviews in a row then you know there is something wrong with the place. Hope this helps.