I am very fortunate to have gotten admitted to Stanford for graduate school! Coming from Florida where rent can be as little as $300 a month for a private room, I am in shock at how expensive the cost of living is. I was wondering how other students manage to find affordable options. I am not looking to be in a dorm or shared room or anything like that. Do most graduate students live at one of Stanford’s graduate housing or look elsewhere? Any advice or input would be helpful. Thanks!
Grad housing is by far the best bang for buck. Most units are renovated now, so aren’t as musty and old as they used to be. For your first year, live on campus. Once you get to Stanford you might find friends to move in with or luck in on a grad student hand-me-down lease that’s affordable. If not, don’t let go of your campus housing. Searching for something close to campus and not hazardous to health can get scary - budget at least $1800 for a studio within 5 miles.
If you bike a lot / drive, then look at San Jose, there’s rent control. Parking can be expensive too… ~300 for far away parking, ~1000 for good parking on campus. If you live off campus Stanford gives you a free Caltrain pass so it is feasible to live farther away, but places close to the train stations are also super expensive…
Stanford gets fined by the county for having too much vehicle traffic so they offer a lot of mass transportation / carpool perks to minimize driving.