I recently learned of a friend who has a brother that is a grad student and has found an incredibly frugal form of housing. Apparently Mission Bay in San Diego only charges $350/mo for a slip fee, which includes free use of electricity, resort bathrooms, pools and spas. One could purchase a boat for as little as $5k.
If you want to move to California, but are spooked by the housing prices, I guess that is one way to do it.