<p>I'm looking to transfer as a junior next fall. I've been researching the housing options and a lot of people seem to recommend the Martinez commons. This is what Cal's website said about pricing at the commons:</p>
<p>"the apartment rates for Martinez Commons are $10,366 for single occupancy apartments and $14,812 for double occupancy residence hall spaces."</p>
<p>First, why would a single apartment cost less than a double? Second, is the $10,366 per year or per semester?</p>
<p>The price is per year.</p>
<p>Martinez has two different kinds of housing. One section is like a typical resident hall. Students are in doubles, rooms open to the hallway, I assume you get a floor bathroom. You’ll be stuck with a meal plan, which is probably where the price difference comes in.</p>
<p>The apartments each have four single bedrooms sharing a common space (kitchen, lounge, bathroom). One of the biggest differences is that you don’t get a meal plan automatically. But even if you choose to buy the meal plan it’s still actually cheaper than the reshalls. As for the rest of the price difference… who knows. Could be because it’s considered off-campus, could be to encourage older students to stay in the dorms. Either way it’s a good deal for campus housing.</p>
<p>You should also look into Wada if you’re considering the apartment-dorms. It’s similar to Martinez apartments, but each apartment has two doubles instead of four singles. They’re both pretty nice, Martinez is probably a bit more coveted, but the housing lottery won’t always work out in your favor.</p>