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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — There is new evidence that the Bay Area housing crunch is spreading to cities once considered to be affordable.
A long commute no longer means lower rent.
The advertisements used to say, “Drive a little, save a lot.”
Now, would-be renters from Gilroy to Fairfield are finding cheap housing tough to find.
Palo Alto in the heart of Silicon Valley holds the crown for the Bay Area’s highest rent, more than two-and-a-half times the national average.
Menlo Park, San Francisco, Berkeley and Redwood City round out the top 10.
Among big cities nationwide, only Manhattan has higher rents than San Francisco.
Solano County has the lowest rents, though people there still pay more than the average American.
Suisun City, Vacaville, Fairfield, Antioch, and Vallejo are the last places in the Bay Area where rents average 1,700 or less.
And while Bay Area rents rose 3 percent overall last year, some places saw much bigger jumps. It increased more than 6 percent in Napa, Union City, and Redwood City.
Low-cost Fairfield is becoming less affordable.
And Berkeley, with the highest rent increase, is now one of the Bay Area’s most expensive places for renters.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: