<p>I just wanted to ask a quick question for anyone currently or having recently attended the school... what's the per-semester cost of living for living off campus? I'm talking about a shared apartment, modest expenses, no extravagances, and within 15min or so driving of campus. Basically, how much money would I need above and beyond the tuition each semester to attend UMCP if living off campus?</p>
<p>Good off campus apartments in a safe community are expensive. From start to finish, including food, utilities, and adding in the cost of a car, it would probably be the same as if you came and lived on campus with no car.</p>
<p>Oh boy, am I schooled in living off campus. Basically, no one can answer this question for you - it varies WIDELY depending on what you’re looking for (apartment, house, your own room, a shared room, etc.) and WHERE you’re looking (walking distance, a few miles, 15 mins by car away, etc.). And remember if you live off campus you will be signing a year lease, so even when you are not in school you’ll be paying to live there (ex over summer and winter break). Here’s some info.</p>
<p>Ok. The apartments immediately near campus (walking distance) are quite pricey. They will run either around the same price as living in a dorm ($625 a month for only the months you are in school) to even more expensive (The View comes to mind as a more expensive option, being about $900 or more a month, for 12 months out of the year). Sometimes you can find deals by sharing a room - in that case, it is a better deal than living in a dorm. You will pay about $100-200 less a month including utilities and have a full kitchen/small living room/etc. But remember you’re paying for 12 months. </p>
<p>Housing walking distance from campus is also quite pricey. But if you go in with a large group of people, you can oftentimes find much better deals (of course, it’s against the law in the city of college park to live with more than 4 other unrelated people in a house - so if you do go this route know you might have to go under the table to get a good deal). That said, I’m living with a group of friends in a house and it’s a great deal. My own room, our own bathrooms, large living room and kitchen, our own washer/dryers, and less than $700 a month also including utilities walking distance to campus. If you were sharing a room with someone in our house you would pay no more than $400 a month for everything house-related.</p>
<p>To compare, a dorm is half of a concrete cell with no kitchen and paying for washing clothes and a very expensive meal plan (trust me, you can grocery shop for a LOT less - I recommend Aldi, a discount grocery store in Hyattsville about 5 mins from campus - there’s another one in Langley Park, another community close to campus, but that one’s more ghetto in my opinion hahaha). </p>
<p>If you are looking within a 15 minute drive, your affordable options expand ENORMOUSLY as the areas around college park NOT walking distance to campus (or a couple/few miles off campus) are extremely affordable and the rents usually aren’t inflated due to high student demand. Northern college Park a mile or 2 up route 1 from campus or off of Kenilworth Avenue near the airport or even Greenbelt and Hyattsville (Hyattsville is to the South down route 1) offer up extremely affordable rent. You may expect to pay about $500 living (legally) in your own room INCLUDING UTILITIES. Split that room and well, what a great deal. The difference in the cost of apartment prices is less stark, so if you are looking for your own apartment you may still be looking to spend quite a penny (~$800/month). Though I know a girl who is living in Hyattsville about a 5 min drive from campus and paying $600 for the ENTIRE two bedroom apartment - including utilities. Dayum. Of course, don’t expect to find a deal THAT good unless you look really hard 
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<p>When considering the drive though, consider traffic - living only 10 miles or less off campus can translate into a 30 minute drive during peak times. Think about places that are within biking distance but maybe not luxuriously close (such as Northern College Park or the back of 193). Also consider the price of having a car. Good news is the bus system for CP is EXTENSIVE but when looking at commuter bus routes, make sure the route you pick is popular enough to not be cut. Just call DOTS and ask to speak with David Allen or a representative - he should let you know which routes you can rely on.</p>
<p>Also consider the difficulty of finding a roommate. Students want walking distance and there may not be as many willing to drive, so you may have difficulty getting a price you want if you can’t find the roommates to help you out (in the end it seems to work out for most everyone, but make sure to be thinking about it/advertising your place/being open to living with professionals and not just students). </p>
<p>Finally, consider safety. Some of the immediate areas around college park, as the previous poster alluded to, are not that safe. Contact the university police department or PG county police, let them know you are a student, and ask them about how they feel about a neighborhood you are considering/if they have a better suggestion. Or just shoot me a PM and I can try to help (esp. with areas very close to CP). </p>
<p>Anyway, hope that helped. You can check out university of maryland’s off campus housing webpage (just put that into google and you’ll find a site called OCH101) and there is also a board in the Student Union advertising rentals. Also check the Diamondback classifieds (diamondbackonline.com). This is just to get an idea for the price as places a little further off campus won’t start advertising for next year until the Spring semester. When you find a listing, put the address into Google maps to get a sense how far from campus you’re looking at. Looking that way you’ll start to get a fairly good idea of what kind of prices you’ll pay depending on what you’re looking for. But keep in mind at this time of year, places that aren’t rented out yet may be discounted slightly, so count on paying a little more for next Fall.</p>
<p>Finally: GOOD LUCK!</p>