For incoming UCI Merage MBA students interested in renting in Coastal Orange County, Jonathan Lasner of the Orange County Register had an interesting blog post reporting on the local rents and vacancy rates in various cities around Orange County.  As excerpted from his post, the average rent in those cities most convenient for Merage MBA students at UC Irvine is as follows:

City                               Average Rent
Irvine                                   $1,908 
Costa Mesa                         $1,656 
Newport Beach                    $1,965 
Aliso Viejo                           $1,741

If you are looking to save a few hundred dollars a month, and will have a car during your time at the Merage School of Business, both Costa Mesa and Aliso Viejo offer more affordable rental options while still being very convenient to campus.  They are definitely cities to consider in your rental search.  Costa Mesa in particular is half way between the Merage School of Business and the beach - hard to get much better than that!  Several of my classmates (myself included) resided in Costa Mesa as graduate students.

For more information or assistance in renting an off-campus apartment or condo during your MBA experience, please contact Stacey Harmon at 949.885.6497.