I found a place for $500 (including parking, utilities, internet), right next to the university, where i'll be working. the quad efficiency units where you have your own locked room and share the kitchen/bathroom with 3 others seem to be a popular design. never really looked at rent prices in irvine, but i'd say ~50% more expensive than eugene, as well as ~4% higher state tax, and sales tax.
but money is kind of secondary. i'm not crazy about surrounding myself with hipsters and crazy college kids, which is why I wanted the california position. based on what i've read from other parts of internet, eugene doesn't seem to have much racing or fast riding. I'm not really into racing that much these days, but it'll still be fun to be challenged. doing z4+ by myself is no fun.