Apartments for Rent in Emeryville Under $3,500
As of September 2, 2026, Rentomatics tracks 68 apartments for rent in Emeryville under $3,500/month, starting at $1,495/month. Listings are aggregated from Craigslist, Zumper, and other Bay Area sources and refreshed continuously.
Emeryville is a compact, flat city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, wedged between Oakland and Berkeley and hugging the I-80/I-580 corridor near the foot of the Bay Bridge. Once a gritty industrial and manufacturing zone, it has reinvented itself over the past few decades into a tech-and-biotech hub, with Pixar Animation Studios headquartered off Park Avenue and life-science firms clustered along Hollis Street. The retail and residential core centers on Bay Street, an open-air mall, alongside the Public Market food hall and a growing stack of new high-rise and mid-rise apartments near Shellmound and Christie Avenue. IKEA, a marina, and a mix of converted warehouse lofts round out a small footprint that packs in a lot. For its size, Emeryville is dense, walkable in patches, and unusually well connected for the East Bay.
Capping your search at $3,500/month keeps Emeryville realistic. That's a comfortable ceiling here — above the current average of about $2,419, so you'll have real choice.
68 listings available — updated September 2, 2026, refreshed continuously
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Living in Emeryville
The vibe
The feel is modern and low-slung industrial rather than historic — wide arterials, big-box retail, live-work loft conversions, and clusters of new glass towers like Pacific Park Plaza and the Watergate complex near the water. It reads as a work-and-shop city more than a nightlife destination, busy by day around the studios and labs and quieter on residential side streets. Bay Street and the Public Market on Shellmound anchor most of the eating and gathering, and San Pablo Avenue brings an older, grittier commercial strip along its western edge. The Emeryville Marina and the bay-front trail offer open water views and Bay Bridge sightlines. It lacks a classic Main Street core, but makes up for it with convenience and a genuinely mixed, unpretentious crowd.
Getting around
Emeryville has no BART station of its own, but the free Emery-Go-Round shuttle loops the city and connects to MacArthur BART in Oakland, putting the Richmond, Antioch, and SFO/Millbrae lines within a short ride. The Emeryville Amtrak station on Horton Street is a major Capitol Corridor and California Zephyr stop, with frequent trains to Sacramento and connections into San Francisco. AC Transit buses run along San Pablo Avenue and out to the Transbay routes into the city. For drivers, I-80 and the I-580/I-880 interchange give quick freeway access, though Bay Bridge approach traffic is heavy at peak hours. It is also flat and bike-friendly, with routes along Horton and Doyle Street connecting into Berkeley and Oakland.
The rental market
The rental stock skews newer than most of the East Bay, dominated by amenity-rich mid-rise and high-rise buildings near Bay Street, Christie, and Shellmound, plus distinctive live-work loft conversions in former industrial buildings around Hollis and Doyle Street. Studios and one- and two-bedroom units are the norm, aimed largely at professionals and couples; true single-family housing and larger family units are scarce. Expect elevators, fitness rooms, parking, and in-unit laundry as common features in the newer towers, while the loft conversions trade amenities for high ceilings and open floor plans. Older garden-style complexes and marina-adjacent towers add some variety at different price points. Overall it sits toward the higher end for the East Bay, reflecting the new construction and job-center location.
Who it's for
Emeryville fits professionals working in Bay Area tech and biotech, transbay commuters who want freeway and Amtrak access without San Francisco rents, and renters who prioritize new construction, building amenities, and shopping at the doorstep. It also suits people who value a central East Bay position, with Berkeley, Oakland, and the Bay Bridge all minutes away. The honest tradeoffs: there is no BART station in the city, so transit riders depend on the Emery-Go-Round shuttle or a bus to MacArthur; the cityscape is more warehouse-and-arterial than charming, with big-box retail and freeway noise in places; nightlife and neighborhood character are thin compared with nearby Oakland or Berkeley; and prices run high for what remains a small, still-industrial city.
Frequently asked
How many apartments are available in Emeryville right now?
As of September 2, 2026, Rentomatics tracks 68 apartments for rent in Emeryville under $3,500/month. Listings refresh continuously from Craigslist, Zumper, and other Bay Area sources.
What is the rent for a typical apartment in Emeryville?
Among current Rentomatics listings, apartments in Emeryville start at $1,495/month, with an average of $2,419 and a median of $2,434/month. Prices reflect 68 active listings updated September 2, 2026.
How often are Rentomatics listings updated?
Rentomatics continuously refreshes listings from Craigslist, Zumper, and other Bay Area rental sources. Stale listings are removed within 5 days of last sighting.
Does Rentomatics show broker fees?
Yes. Every Rentomatics listing displays whether a broker fee applies, and users can filter to show only no-fee apartments.
What is Emeryville like?
Emeryville is a flat, industrial-turned-tech city wedged between Oakland and Berkeley — Pixar, the Bay Street mall, and a dense cluster of new high-rise apartments. MacArthur BART is a short Emery-Go-Round shuttle ride. 1BRs often land $2,400-$2,900.