[schmoll]

I hear they're not in San Francisco, but in Fremont, CA, which is somewhere around the Bay, but not technically in the Silicon Valley (it's about an hour away of public transportation from the interesting places), which explains why it's probably more affordable over there.

[j_h_s]

To be honest most of the bay area is at best only slightly more affordable than San Francisco. According to trulia, median rent in Fremont is about $3200 (http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Fremont-California/market-...), compared to $4500 in San Francisco (http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/San_Francisco-California/). Factor in the expense of a car, which is necessary in Fremont but not San Francisco, and the prices look significantly more balanced.

In this case, it seems like it would have been a better choice to build the school in San Francisco proper, than its outskirts. The marginal gains in affordability aren't worth sacrificing proximity to the tech industry.

[schmoll]

Hm, fair point. So, basically same insane budget, but very much away from all of the interesting tech scene; what's not to like? ;)