September is a high season in the rental market, because students are coming back to universities and colleges. If possible, you may want to move earlier. For example, if you move in July and start the renting from August, it will be much easier to find an apartment.
For one bedroom apt, the price ranges from about 800 to 1000.
There are no really bad areas of town, although some are better than others. You may want to avoid the following: parts of Esquimalt, parts of Fernwood, and the downtown core.