Budget enough for living in Austin ? (Spring, Turkey: health insurance, home, school)

[mturkol]

Hello everyone,

I plan on coming to Austin in Spring for a 2-3 months of stay. I will be attending a language center. The reason why I still could not decide for certain depends on the rents and the cost of living, so I want to hear your opinions on whether I should choose Austin or another city in a different state.

My monthly budget will be $ 1235. I won't worry about tuition, student fees oır health insurance for they will be automatically paid by a sponsor. I don't smoke and I plan on using public transportation. I am dance instructor and I have lived a social life so far here in my hometown in Turkey. I frequently went out with my friends, drank, went to dance parties and such activities without spending too much and I don't want to live a life in Austin that will be composed of only going to school and back to home just to survive.

Based on the information I gave above, I have questions for you :
1) Do you think it will be convenient for me to choose Austin ? Can I live a life that won't force me to get stuck at home just to survive with a monthly budget of $1235 ? And Do I have a chance to find a place to live as a roommate that will be suitable for my budget considering the deposit I will pay (and considering the fact that I will be staying there for 2-3 months) ?
2) Do I have a chance of using my dancing ability to give dance lessons ? Do they require a certificate to do that ?
3) How successful is Austin in activities, nightlife and entertainment stuff ?
4) If you have other recommendations for cities to live, which ones would they be in my case ?

Thank you in advance.

[Sampy]

Just so you know, the public transit in Austin is not very good. It takes forever to get anywhere and the wait for the bus is often long. Unless you live downtown, I would not recommend public transit.

[centralaustinite]

You should contact the Turkish Students Organization at UT and get their perspective. I have a phone number for them but not a link. Send me a PM and I'll send it along.

I imagine that you will be living very central, possibly close to the University, public transportation in that area will be pretty good.