Compared to many other areas of the bay, Sunnyvale’s location is one of the best. With downtown San Jose just a twenty minute drive away, access to the Caltrain and San Francisco (about an hour), Santa Cruz and its pristine beaches an hour away, and tons (seriously, tons) of hiking and wilderness parks southwest of Sunnyvale towering with California’s famed redwoods, Sunnyvale is a great community for anyone that loves the bay.

But, besides what lays outside of its city limits, Sunnyvale has its own great community. Sunnyvale is recognized as an excellent place to raise a family due to its low crime rates, a highly ranked school system, a high average family income, and Sunnyvale’s great city amenities. Not only that, but Sunnyvale has a single unified Department of Public Safety where all personnel are trained as police officers, firefighters and EMT. Actually, the effort that Sunnyvale puts into maintaining its community parks and providing access to residents is noteworthy.

The parks range from “mini” and “pocket” sizes to vast acreage such as Baylands Park which is over 177 acres. And just to give you an idea of what you might find at one of your neighborhood parks, the Seven Seas Park is pet-friendly and has a dog park, tennis and basketball court, a spray pool, and more. Then you have Stevens Creek which is a 100 acre nature preserve with lush trails for walking, bicycling and even commuting. Sunnyvale has also been dedicated to making environmental-friendly (bike riding) commutes to work simple as recognized by the National League of American Bicyclists.

However, Sunnyvale is not just a city of families; it is also home to several major businesses and many promising startups. A few of the many companies that have headquarters in Sunnyvale are Yahoo, Inc., Aerospace, and Juniper Network. Also, the community has several business perks such the several golf courses and tennis clubs within the city such as the Sunnyvale Golf Course and the Sunnyvale Tennis Center that are great for those “business meetings.”

Sunnyvale has a lively community comprised mainly of professionals young and old and families where the median family income is about $120,000. As one might expect, Sunnyvale has a high cost of living compared to the national average (59% higher, in fact), however cheap apartments with all bills paid can be found if using the right apartment guide.

Apartment living in Sunnyvale varies, but the majority of apartments for rent in the area have received very high ratings and reviews by our experts. With many recent apartment complex additions to Sunnyvale, there are many luxury apartments to choose from for apartment searchers. Also, there are many homes for rent for those looking for a house, but are not interested in owning.

Those looking for a Sunnyvale studio apartment with utilities included will want to look towards the northern parts of Sunnyvale between South bay Freeway and W. Evelyn Avenue where the price of living is less expensive. Although this area has less of a residential feel as areas south of E. Fremont Avenue, the trade-off is a closer and very walkable location to restaurants and shopping.

However, for apartment finders looking for a place within the same building as a restaurant, you should check out downtown Sunnyvale. Downtown recently went through redevelopment and is now prime for those wanting the amenities that downtowns generally have (restaurants, shopping, nightlife), but within Sunnyvale. Make sure to check out restaurants such as Dish Dash and Tarragon for some good eats.

Average Apartment Rental Prices Nearby

Studio $1,581

1 Bedroom $2,119

2 Bedroom $2,783

3 Bedroom $3,710

Average rent on Backpage and Craigslist Sunnyvale, California: $2,310

User reviews for apartments in Sunnyvale, California

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars, 57 reviews

RentLingo User

Mountain View Love

Downtown Mountain View is a cute little place to visit. Especially on a Sunday, you can shop a little in the farmers' market, then have brunch with friends, and then shop again (There is a boutique called Therapy which I loveeeeeeee). Great selection of restaurants nearby also. We have lived in Mountain View for about 3 years and just love it here!!!

RentLingo User

Residential area

Nice residential neighborhood with mostly large, expensive homes. Still a doable walk downtown and being close to Embarcadero is convenient if you commute outside of Palo Alto.

RentLingo User

Great area, but pricey

Great location (walking distance to bars, restaurants, cafes, and short bike ride to Stanford). Unfortunately it's really pricey - you can get more value in menlo park or Cal Ave area.

N. P.

Stanford, USC

Good location, close to shops and Stanford

Great location that is walking distance to Cal Ave. There is a solid farmers market on Sundays and Molly Stones right down the road. Only complaint is that the buildings are older but they have recently been renovated with granite and all the niceities.

Z. O.

Great Location

Biking distance to Stanford. Walking distance to Menlo Park. Great location if you can afford a place.

M. L.

UVA, United States Navy

Great location for Stanford/PA

Bikeable to Stanford and walkable to downtown Palo Alto. Downtown Menlo is a sleepier neighborhood but they have a TJ's, a nice farmer's market, and a couple of nice restaurants. Lots of grad students and young families here!

R. T.

Quiet Residential Area & Walk to Stanford

Seale Ave and, more generally, Old Palo Alto (broadly defined as Embarcadero to Oregon and Alma to Middlefield) is an ideal spot for young families who want to be close to Stanford. It is about 1 mile to Stanford (via quiet streets and bike paths), 1/2 mile to California Ave downtown, 1 mile to Town & Country shopping area, and within 2 miles of 5-6 parks. Very little traffic due to stop signs and Bryant Ave is a great bike boulevard to PA downtown (1.5 miles). There are mature trees shading sidewalks on every street and many silicon valley who's who live nearby. For students looking to party/nightlife I would choose closer to University Ave, this is almost exclusively families/couples.

A. B.

Stanford, Northgate High

sandwiches

There is a great sandwich shop in here! om nom

S. H.

Stanford, IIT Bombay, McKinsey & Company, Sequoia Capital

Incredible neighborhood

It's green, quiet and *everything* is nearby. 82, 101, Foothill, Stanford, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, CVS, Restaurants, Nail salons, Gun High School, you name it you got it. <3

Hali Dix Borenstein

Duke, Bain & Company

Great neighborhood!

Amazing place to live! Middlefield is a bit busy but overall great neighborhood.

K. M.

Quite area with a lot of nice restaurants in vicinity

Quite area with a lot of nice restaurants in the vicinity!

O. S.

This is definitely the place to live as a Stanford student

Bars, restaurants and more. You don't want to go live in the 'burbs - be here!

Mark Wittman

Yale

Munger mania

Nice place to live generally. The rooms are a little sterile, but's it's new and clean and the rooms are spacious. Definitely nicer than what you'd expect from typical grad student housing.

K. D.

MIT

Beautiful barron Park

I love the fruit trees/friendly environment. Very close to Stanford, with a bike path that makes it faster than driving!

P. R.

Pretty, quiet neighborhood

Very convenient to Stanford campus, the 101, and shopping in Town & Country, California Ave, and Middlefield. Very pretty, tree-lined, quiet suburban streets. It's nice for young families.

B. S.

Cornell, Stanford

Downtown San Jose

Used to live near downtown San Jose. Light rail was really convenient for me because I worked on first street which is where the light rail runs. Downtown San Jose has a bunch of bars, restaurants, cinemas etc and very lively at night.

J. C.

Stanford, BC

Nice place to live near Stanford

Lived here for two years while going to graduate school at Stanford. Easy bike ride to campus on the bike path. Very close to downtown Menlo Park retail/restaurants. Quieter than downtown Palo Alto. Would have preferred living walking distance to downtown Palo Alto, but better value in here. This is a nice neighborhood in Menlo Park, but not the nicest neighborhood.

C. M.

Stanford, Duke

Munger Apts

Living in Munger for the summer - super convenient when working on or near campus!

B. S.

UPenn

Close to Campus & California Ave!

Quiet residential neighborhood which is only a 12-minute bike ride to campus and offers access to restaurants/bars on California Ave. Area is a bit run-down, but prime location makes up for it.

D. G.

Super convenient, beautiful area

This location is incredibly convenient to Stanford (15 minute walk to the edge of campus) as well as University Ave, but also only a 10 minute drive to 101 or 280. Surrounded by beautiful homes; minimal street traffic and easy parking.

N. S.

Great neighborhood

~20-30 minutes bike ride to Stanford. At night you need to bike through California Ave. bike tunnel and the park, doesn't feel too safe. Two awesome parks near by, Safeway and Philz coffee in walking distance. Also 5 minuets from exit to 101

N. S.

Quiet, central and safe neighborhood, cute park nearby

It's a great neighborhood, feels super safe at all day times and really close to University Ave. Johnson Park has volleyball games on the weekends. Unlike other areas in Palo Alto, there's street cleaning so careful not to get a ticket!

Mark Williams

Convenient and safe neighborhood

Quiet neighborhood conveniently located near high tech businesses (short commute). THe drawback is access to shopping, etc.

H. L.

Stanford, UPenn, JPMorgan Chase

Quiet, upscale

Beautiful and quiet tree-lined street with some amazing homes. Very close to 101, yet feels miles away.

H. L.

Stanford, UPenn, JPMorgan Chase

Studio 1

An awesome place to live for grad students. It's quiet, really close to campus, next to Ray's Grill, and has updated appliances.

D. B.

RIT

Reasonable price, great location

Very conveniently located to Stanford, DT Menlo Park, DT PA, and the caltrain. Also, more reasonably priced than DT PA. The house is a downgrade in quality from where we're most recently lived, but the backyard is a nice addition.

A. R. K.

Carnegie Mellon

Oak Creek

Good location close to campus, public transportation available to stanford, good athletic facilities / outdoor pool / hot tub Mostly families living in the area

Jessica Leigh

UNC

Love Menlo Park

I love our new apartment! Its spacious, dog-friendly, has a dishwasher, and a small storage unit. There are a couple of reasons why its wonderful. First, because there is a dog-friendly park nearby with a great playground for kids and families. There are also tennis and softball fields for the public to enjoy at their leisure. Another thing I love is that is within walking distance of the Safeway, Peets Coffee and other smaller stores. This makes last minute grocery shopping a breeze. I would highly recommend this area for singles, newly married couples and young families.

Jamaal Glenn

Munger is the premier grad housing on campus

Munger is the premier graduate student housing on Stanford's campus. Cleanest, nicest amenities, newest. Its a bit pricey compared to the other options. (Frnly, the cost isn't quite worh it given that the other housing options are also very nice. That sais, if cost IS NOT a concern. Live in Munger.

Aaron Kline

Willows Neighborhood

Great neighborhood - lots of families and friendly neighbors. Biking distance to Stanford and downtown Palo Alto.

Jamaal Glenn

El Grullense Tacqueria - The pink building

Open until midnight, this is one of few late night food options in the immediate area around Stanford campus. Its a good tacqueria with typical options. Its clean and th service is good. If you want more authentic, quick Mexican food, this is a great alternative to the Chipotle down the street on El Camino

Jamaal Glenn

Stanford GSB Passdown House "BlackLight"

Huge house, kind of weird in a cool kind of way

Jamaal Glenn

Joanie's Cafe -- Best NY style Diner in Palo Alto

Great food, great value. Love the omelets. It gets crowded on Weekend mornings. You'll likely have to wait.

C. T.

Georgia Tech, Bain & Company, Harvard

Fine area - just pricey

I lived in the 725 Roble apartment buildings. They were *fine* -- management was easy to work with, property was exactly what we needed and nothing more. But the prices in Menlo have just gone through the roof lately. The area is itself is convenient, though. My partner biked to Stanford (~15 minute bike), and I either drove to work or walked to the Menlo Park Caltrain (~10 minute walk, and it gets *most* but not all trains). The Menlo Park downtown area is more cute than functional. Most things close about 9 pm, and there isn't a good bar location. Though the Safeway is close, nice, and open 24 hours.

K. M.

Stanford, Pepperdine

College Terrace

Great location right next to Stanford University. Easy to bike to Stanford and to California Ave. Housing is often smaller and older.

Shalie Gaskill

Kansas

Options are limited but hidden gems are possible

Love the PA farmers market right across the street every Saturday morning. Parking was an issue, with only 2-hour street parking available on Forest. If you find a nice place, expect to pay a premium for it!

Lexi Richards Riemer

Duke, USC

Grant & Ash Review

Nice area, more of a neighborhood feel than University. Walking distance to California Ave restaurants and farmers market, biking distance to Stnaford and Downtwon Palo Alto.

Lauren Marshall Mullenholz

Maryland

Great Location but pricey

This location is close to all of downtown Palo Alto and Stanford which made it a very convenient and pleasant place to live...especially on summer nights, however you pay SF prices with not a ton of amenities for the location alone. Start searching early and expect to pay a premium.

Alastair Rami

Stanford, Northwestern

1334 Middlefield Rd

very short bike ride to University shops and stores and to Stanford campus. Very nice and quiet area that is well kept up. the only issues are that traffic on middlefield is relentless which makes parking and leaving annoying.

Z. O.

Dog Park

Love living here. Quiet neighborhood, short walk to Safeway/Menlo Park, easy access to dog park and tennis courts.

N. P.

Stanford, USC

Great location, older building

Perfect location, walking distance from Cal Ave and close to restaurants/Molly Stones. There is a really good farmer's market on Sundays. The building itself is older but the kitchen has been renovated. The units are fairly large and a good value. This building does not have a bike rack so people park bikes next to parking spots which makes it hard to park. There is also a problem with package thefts so I don't recommend having packages left at the front door (ship to work or pick it up at FedEx/UPS/get a P.O. box).

A. P.

Stanford, Cambridge, L.E.K. Consulting

Mediterranean food

Check out Med Wraps for a quick bite - good quality stuff, fast and open late

P. S.

UVA, Bain & Company, Stanford

downtown palo alto

this area is great with lots of restaurants and a handful of bars and of course really close to Stanford. Unfortunately living here is incredibly expensive

P. S.

UVA, Bain & Company, Stanford

Allied Arts area

Easy bike ride to Stanford (~10-15 min to the business school) and walkable to downtown menlo and downtown palo alto

B. S.

Cornell, Stanford

Farmer's Market

Farmer's market happening every Sunday. Not the biggest market but has some pretty interesting food.

B. S.

Cornell, Stanford

Pleasant downtown

Downtown mountain view has all kinds of food. Also has occasional festivals (4-5 times a year) that draws in a large crowd.

Y. R.

Duke, Goldman Sachs

There is an awesome bikepath that goes right alongside the train, connecting Churchill to University, passing by Embarcadero and the Town & Country shopping center.

Y. R.

Duke, Goldman Sachs

On the weekend, or when class isn't in session, you can get onto the high school football field or run around the track.

Y. R.

Duke, Goldman Sachs

Peers Park has tennis and basketball courts, a playground, and a giant field. Great cute little neighborhood park.

Y. R.

Duke, Goldman Sachs

Cal Ave is the mini University Ave, the "other side" of Palo Alto. Lots of cute restaurants and shops, but smaller and quieter than University.

K. F.

Harvard

I live here now. Like it because it's close to Stanford and to the 101 and there are lots of nice spacious houses. Fun to have a backyard! But it's definitely the suburbs...

K. F.

Harvard

Where most of the MBA1s at Stanford live. Fun times.

K. F.

Harvard

Munger's great if you're a stanford student. A little further away from the business school, but the spacious, new housing is well worth it.

M. L.

UVA, United States Navy

Great proximity to downtown Palo Alto for a livelier scene (or work), but it's pretty far from the freeway if you need to take 101 for your commute.

M. L.

Stanford, Google, Loopt

College Terrace is awesome. Quirky homes and close to school and Cal Ave. Zuck used to live here, too. Unfortunately, supply is low and demand is high, so the rent is pretty high here.

P. S.

UVA, Bain & Company, Stanford

lots of grad students live in this area. short bike ride to class and easy walk to Cal Ave area which has a nice farmer's market on Sundays and a bunch of quality restaurants

B. G.

Duke

This street rules

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