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Stanford is in Palo Alto, where rent-controlled apartments are pretty much non-existent.

I wouldn't advise an SF->PA commute to a newcomer. You'd have to restrict your housing search to sites within a reasonable walking/biking distance to the Caltrain. Much easier to just focus on something that's within a reasonable walking/biking distance of Stanford.

> okay with a roommate

That's a really big caveat. Most places you don't need to spend that much for a one bedroom apartment.

Paying $1600-$2000 with a roommate is insane IMO.

When you (Americans) say roommate do you mean someone that you share a room with or a flat with?

In the Bay area, "roommate" is generally used to refer to someone you share an apartment (flat) with.

2k per month for a rent controlled room? On a salary of 70k pre tax, 2k per month is roughly half of the income.