According to Forbes, starter apartments are nearly extinct in San Francisco and New York. In San Francisco, median rent is $4200/month, and less than 9% of apartments rent for under $2000/month. In Manhattan, percentages are similar, with a few more apartments on the low end, but way more on the high. Google employees sleep in their trucks. The good news is, rents in these cities got where they are by progressive strategies that Asheville City Council is hotly pursuing.