10 SDSU Apartments Near the Trolley: College Area Picks a Short Walk From the Green Line

The SDSU apartments nearest the trolley sit on Hardy Avenue and Lindo Paseo, a few minutes from the underground SDSU Transit Center, with Cerca Student Housing closest at about 0.1 miles. If you want the Green Line but not the College Area price tag, look one stop away: Iconic on Alvarado and Palmilla sit by UC San Diego Health East station, and Union Grantville is basically on top of Grantville station.

A quick word on method. We pulled coordinates for all 118 SDSU-linked properties on Find My Place (on October 28, 2026) and measured as the crow flies to the four Green Line stops near campus. Sidewalks bend, so real walks run a bit longer. Rents are whatever each listing showed that morning; the whole set lives on our San Diego State University off-campus housing page.

Key Takeaways

• Closest to the SDSU Transit Center: Cerca, on Hardy Ave. Roughly 0.1 miles.
• Union Grantville has the lowest starting rent we saw near any stop ($850), one stop west.
• Heads up: "Alvarado Medical Center" station doesn't exist anymore by that name. It's UC San Diego Health East now (renamed in 2024), which trips people up on older maps.
• $39 a month. That's the SDSU student trolley pass (or $154 for all of Fall 2026).
• If you hate guessing what a rent number covers, Topaz is the one listing here that's plainly per-bed.
• Go a stop or two out (70th Street, Grantville) and you trade a few minutes of ride time for actual one-bedrooms and studios.

Which Green Line Stations Serve SDSU?

Four Green Line stations matter for SDSU renters. The SDSU Transit Center sits 55 feet under campus at the south end of the Aztec Student Union, and it is the only underground station in the whole trolley system. UC San Diego Health East is one stop east on Alvarado Road. 70th Street is two stops east in La Mesa, and Grantville is one stop west in the canyon toward Mission Valley.

From the SDSU station, Snapdragon Stadium is three stops away and Fashion Valley is eight, according to SDSU's Green Line guide. Eastbound trains toward El Cajon board on the south side of the platform. Westbound trains toward Old Town leave from the north side.

1. Cerca Student Housing, 5716 Hardy Ave

Cerca is the shortest walk to the trolley on this list, about 0.1 miles from the SDSU Transit Center as the crow flies. Its listing page puts it 0.2 miles and an 8-minute walk from campus. Floor plans are 3- and 4-bedroom units, and rent lists from $915 a month.

One catch on that number. Cerca's 4-bedroom plans show two price tiers ($915 to $945 and $1,525 to $1,565) under the same "Whole Unit" label, so the listing doesn't say whether that's per person or per apartment. Ask before you budget. If your plan is roll out of bed, catch a train, this is it.

2. Topaz, 5824 Montezuma Rd

No guessing at Topaz. A private room in a 4x4 is $1,610, and rooms in the 3x3 layouts go $1,920 to $2,200 (the bigger unit is the cheaper one per head, which is how you know it's priced by the bed). From the front door to the SDSU station is about 0.16 miles.

Reviews are mixed. Nine Find My Place reviews average 2.96 out of 5, even though the listing carries badges for overall quality and management. Read the reviews before you sign, because that gap says something. Worth a look if a private bathroom matters more to you than reviews do.

3. Aztec Campus Apartments, 5650 Hardy Ave

Three friends, one lease. That's the Aztec Campus Apartments pitch: a single 3-bed, 2-bath plan at $3,835 a month for the whole place, or roughly $1,278 each split evenly. You're about 0.19 miles from the station.

Reviewers like it (4.4 across five). It's Hardy Avenue, though, so weekends get loud, and nobody should be surprised by that.

4. Paseo Place, 5665 Lindo Paseo

Paseo Place ties Prisma for the best review score among the buildings near the SDSU station: 5.0 out of 5 across five reviews. It is about 0.21 miles from the SDSU station, and its listing page shows an 11-minute walk to campus.

There are two plans listed. A shared room in a 2-bed, 2-bath unit lists at $1,359 a month, and a 2-bedroom whole unit lists at $1,649. Pick this one if management matters more to you than square footage.

5. Prisma Student Housing, 5541 Lindo Paseo

Prisma sits down at the west end of Lindo Paseo, about 0.3 miles from the station, and everything here is a 4-bed, 2-bath. Listed rent starts at $935. Five reviews, five stars each.

Same puzzle as Cerca: one layout, two price bands ($935 to $975, then $1,584 to $1,629). Our guess is shared versus private rooms. The listing doesn't confirm it, so ask. Two people per bathroom is the deal you're signing up for either way.

6. Iconic on Alvarado, 6625 Alvarado Rd

Here's where the trolley earns its keep. The Iconic on Alvarado listing page says campus is a 22-minute walk (0.8 miles). But UC San Diego Health East station is a short walk down Alvarado Road, about 0.11 miles away, and SDSU is one stop west.

The listed plan is a 1-bed, 1-bath whole unit at $1,945 a month. Five reviews average 4.2. Best for: grad students and upperclassmen who want a one-bedroom without roommates, and who don't mind a one-stop ride.

7. Palmilla, 5474 Reservoir Dr

Palmilla is the only pick here with studios. Those start at $1,867. A one-bedroom is $2,152, and the 2x2s go $2,634 to $2,794. Rent rises with bedroom count, which points to whole-unit pricing.

The building is about 0.14 miles from UC San Diego Health East station. Campus is 0.9 miles away on foot (25 minutes, per the listing), so the trolley does real work here. Five reviews average 4.2. Best for: anyone who wants to live alone and still skip the parking permit.

8. SETA, 7346 Parkway Dr, La Mesa

SETA is the east-end pick, about 0.23 miles from 70th Street station in La Mesa. That's two stops from the SDSU Transit Center. On foot, the listing puts campus at 51 minutes, which tells you how much the Green Line is doing for anyone living here.

Prices are whole-unit: one-bedrooms from $2,561, two-bedrooms from $3,309 and three-bedrooms from $4,111. All five reviews are 5-star. Best for: students who'd rather live in La Mesa than in the middle of the College Area party zone.

9. Union Grantville, 4520 Alvarado Canyon Rd

Union Grantville is practically next door to Grantville station (the station's address is 4510 Alvarado Canyon Rd), and its own listing says it's "near the trolley stop." SDSU is one stop east. Walking to campus would take about 40 minutes, so this is a trolley-or-nothing pick.

It has the lowest listed starting rent of any station-adjacent building we checked, from $850 a month. The spread is wide, though: 4-bed units run $850 to $1,675 and 2-bed units $855 to $1,700, so the pricing basis isn't clear from the listing. Five reviews average 2.0, and one mentions people loitering by the station. Best for: price-first renters who'll ask hard questions on the tour.

10. Gravity, 4560 Mission Gorge Pl

Gravity is the other Grantville option, about 0.2 miles from the station and 1.5 miles from campus. Floor plans are whole-unit and priced like it: one-bedrooms from $2,448, two-bedrooms from $3,216, and a three-bedroom at $4,195.

Five reviews average 3.4. From Grantville, SDSU is one stop east and Mission Valley Center is five stops west. Best for: students who split time between campus and a job or internship toward Mission Valley.

Is Living Car-Free Near SDSU Worth It?

For most students on this list, yes. The SDSU student pass is $39 a month, or $154 for the Fall 2026 semester, through the SDSU Transportation Portal (you need at least 6 units to qualify).

The trade-off is groceries and late nights. The trolley handles campus and Mission Valley well. Costco runs are a different story. Rent is only part of the bill, by the way. Our SDSU off-campus cost breakdown has utilities and the rest, and the San Diego student housing listings show every option across the city.

Frequently Asked Questions About SDSU Apartments Near the Trolley

What is the closest apartment to the SDSU trolley station?

Cerca, at 5716 Hardy Ave. It's about 0.1 miles from the SDSU Transit Center in a straight line. Topaz on Montezuma and Aztec Campus Apartments on Hardy come next, each a little under 0.2 miles.

How much is a trolley pass for SDSU students?

$39 for a monthly pass. The Fall 2026 semester pass costs $154 and runs August 17 to December 31, 2026. You buy both through SDSU's Transportation Portal, and you need to be enrolled in at least 6 units.

Which trolley line goes to SDSU?

The Green Line. It stops underneath campus at the SDSU Transit Center and runs west through Grantville and Mission Valley toward Old Town and downtown, and east through La Mesa toward El Cajon.

Is it cheaper to live one stop away from SDSU?

Not always. Union Grantville lists from $850, the lowest starting rent we found near any station. But Gravity, Palmilla and SETA run higher than most College Area student buildings, because they rent whole apartments rather than beds. Compare the actual floor plan, not the starting number.