Those rent numbers seem about right for Irvine. Thing is, you have several other cities in commuting distance of SNA that are lower in rent, but great places to live (Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin, etc). Also consider looking at townhouses and other building types instead of just apartments (which I feel are a bit inflated for what you get).

Unfortunately SNA is kind of in the heart of Irvine, so you have a lot of traffic in/out of the area, notably the 55 fwy gets really bad. I would advise pulling up google maps and looking at the 5PM traffic congestion to get a good feel of where the good pockets are. It will take you about 30 minutes to get from SNA to Fountain Valley if the 405 is red.

Costa Mesa is good if you're younger (<40 y/o) and want slightly cheaper rent. Better food/nightlife. Irvine basically shuts down at 9/10PM.

Orange is really nice too, more of an old-school feel, especially if you live downtown near Chapman University. Walking distance to bars/restaurants. I lived here previously - would return in a heartbeat.

Tustin is by extension the same as Irvine to me. Suburban utopia. Kinda boring.

A lot of people say Santa Ana is ghetto, which by all means there are some low socioeconomic areas, but there are some nice places too. Downtown is pretty cool. Known for having lots of dispensaries if you are into MMJ.

I would not advise living South of Irvine - you'll have to go through the 405/5 interchange every day to get to work. The 405/5 and the 405/55 are two of the bigger clusterfucks in OC. The 405 is huge so it flows a little better.

I've been in/out of Irvine for a big chunk of my lifespan. I currently work less than 3 miles from my work, which takes anywhere from 8-15 minutes to commute. My office is around 3 miles from SNA so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.