<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>Just curious on what people know about housing costs when transferring. I know all areas will be different, but I'm looking for a rough monthly estimate for rent. I TAG'd to UC Davis and will be for sure going there since it was my #1 choice. Two of my friends and I are looking into a 3 bed, 2 bath apartment that will be around $650 per person for rent each month. This seems a bit pricy to me, but seeing that the apartments were just renovated it makes sense. Anyway, if you guys know anything about the average housing costs I'd love to hear. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Davis is not a cheap place to live - particularly the areas close to campus. $650 a room is about right. Lots of students pack 2 per bedroom to save $.</p>
<p>I would go on to Craigslist and go to the apt/housing section and compare with the listings there to give you a rough estimate of what the average cost is for 3 bedroom apartment in Davis. Also, it’s probably your best bet of finding the absolute cheapest rate because it’s usually the owner listing it themselves and you don’t have to deal with a rental agency. Off-campus housing varies significantly among all the UC’s because of the neighborhoods. For example, Westwood, La Jolla, and Santa Barbara have some of the most expensive housing prices in the state whereas Davis, Merced, and Riverside should be much cheaper. </p>
<p>At UCLA, if you tried to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in Westwood you’re looking at $3000-$4000+, which split is $1000-1300+ per person. Most off-campus UCLA students don’t live in Westwood for that reason and tend to commute from a bit farther away. For UCSD, a normal 3 bedroom apartment in La Jolla/UTC area is going to be anywhere from $2200-$3000+ for rent. So that’s $733-$1000+ per person.</p>
<p>I would say $650 for Davis does sound a little high and I’m sure if you really looked hard enough you could realistically find somewhere maybe in the $500-550 range. But you’re going to have to do more looking around. Start on Craigslist, maybe go on Reddit and ask in the Davis or UCD subreddit.</p>
<p>Here in Davis, 3 bedroom apartments typically ranges from $1400-2400, although there are those that are cheaper. The cheapest 3 bedroom apartments is Glide Place Apartments in South Davis at $1220 (pretty much almost the same price I paid for a 2x1 bathroom apartment at Anderson Place last year, with Anderson Place only being $5 cheaper), although I don’t know too much about that apartment complex–I only know about the pricing through Davis Wiki. The most expensive is the Rambles at $789-$963 PER ROOM, and you are forbidden from sharing a room to split costs (which is a shame). Most people living in 3 bedroom apartments tend to double up to save money, though there are students who do pay $600+ for a single because they can’t stand the thought of sharing a room.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the detailed responses! I really appreciate it. I talked with my future roommates and we all agreed that we were willing to spend a little more money for a nicer place and our own rooms. Since we are all going to be paying for it with loans it seems like it won’t make that much of a difference in the long run. Thanks again!</p>
<p>The fact you are borrowing the money should incent you to live more cheaply. Living large in debt is really expensive. An extra few thousand each year does add up. You have to pay it all back with interest when you have competing needs like starting a family, etc. Take on the least debt you can possibly manage.</p>
<p>Check hotpads.com for places in Davis to rent. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
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<p>You’re in for a real rude awakening a few years down the line if you have this sort of thinking about loans. You do realize you have to pay those loans back with interest, right? That could mean you’re going to pay thousands more in extra from what you originally borrowed. You should reevaluate your decision and do a bit more thinking about this before jumping the gun… financial matters are no joke.</p>
<p>Thanks for your concern, I appreciate the advice and understand that this subject is not something to take lightly. However, I should’ve been more clear in my last post. Luckily for me, I have relatives that are willing to help me out quite a bit in the financial category so the debt from my student loans would not be too substantial on my end. My friends and I have discussed the situation and all agreed on a place to live. Thanks again for all of the input! </p>