Procedure was straightforward.<p>First, decide on the minimum accommodation you'll be able to live with (shared bedroom, own room, own room with own bathroom, studio, 1br, 2br, pets, no pets, etc.).<p>Second, determine the hourly value of your time. If you are salaried, divide the number by 2000 to get it.<p>Rank all accommodations you can find (Craigslist has a nice map feature) by monthly rent plus monthly travel time times your hourly rate. If you're earning minimum wage, maybe commuting in from Antioch isn't such a bad deal. If you're earning six figures, two towns over might still be too far.<p>I worked in Redwood City and lived in Redwood City. 1br's now go for $1800 and up out that way. I could've saved a few hundred a month by living across the bay, but the time lost couldn't come close to justifying it.<p>Getting "a deal" is nearly impossible if you're new to the area; even people with networks of contacts end up paying far more than their neighbors who moved in five years ago.<p>Now if you get to telecommute at least partially, this advice may not apply.