Sorry, to pepper you with questions. I live in the area, and am very picky about where I live. These are all factors I considered when looking for an apartment.
Driving - I never drove a car in my life. I'll get an electric scooter. I'm sure people would love to see me scooting while listening to "They see me rollin" by Chamillionaire..
Style - I'm not very selective really. Just as long as the roof holds up during an earthquake :)
Must Haves: Wash-Dryer In-Unit or in the "building". Outside of that, just something near places to code and network with down to earth people; Social scene of geeks I guess.
No need to apologize! Pepper away like I'm an overcooked steak :)
It's next to impossible to find a studio in MTV in that price range. Anyway, you will have better luck searching on Craigslist or apartments.com with the appropriate filters than asking here.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/apa/d/only-1-studio-availab...
It's just across the train tracks from downtown, Safeway and a Mexican supermarket are close by.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/apa/d/jr-1bd-1ba-hardwood-f...
With this one you would have Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe's, Starbucks etc. within walking distance, but not as many restaurants as on Castro St.
On the plus side, you'd also be closer to Palo Alto.
I mention it only because in my experience, cheap studio rentals in MV are not worth the paper their leases are printed upon. They have thin walls, which are my biggest pet peeve. When you can hear everything your neighbors are doing (or conversely, have to walk around on tip toes to avoid irritating them), any privacy-related benefit of having your own place kinda goes out the window. Again, that's just my experience. When I first moved to MV in early 2016, I rented a studio for $1900 (a decision I ultimately regretted because of noisy neighbors/thin walls). In hindsight, I wish I'd just rented a room in a house from someone with a personality similar to mine (quiet introvert). Good luck with your search:)