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I will start graduate school at USC in the fall. With my assistantship plus a graduate fellowship, I will make between 24-25K a year. I don't have to pay tuition, but I do have to pay insurance and fees (about 1,500) each year. So, can someone live reasonably in this area on that income? I don't want a roommate (I've had some bad experiences), so I need to know if I should file the FAFSA and take out some loans. I'm hoping to spend around $600 on rent, is this realistic? What are your car insurance, utilities and internet bills like? Thanks! EDIT: Also, are there areas of Columbia I should avoid moving to? I'm a female and would like to live in a safe area.
KKat,
You may have to have a roommate with that little income.
Remember, it is taxable, both from South Carolina and the federal government,
Check into the tax situation.
Then the rents are reasonable, so you may be able to get a small place for what
you want to pay, but you will need a car. Car insurance you will have to call about,
gas is high, like anywhere else.
Electric is pricey in South Carolina, hot summers for air conditioning, and the winter
can get cold enough for heat from December to March.
Internet is about 50.00 a month give or take.
Food probably the same as you pay now, you will have to be frugal with food.
Yea, you can do it if you really want to, are you used to living without much now?
Sounds like you guys are saying I can live off of it if I get a roommate. I am very opposed to getting a roommate, so it sounds like I'll have to take out some loans. As for the car issue, my car is 11 years old, paid off, and in pretty good condition. In DC my insurance (including renters) is about $70 a month, and I figure it should be lower in SC. Thanks for the suggestions, I will not be getting a roommate, I'll take out some loans. 5K should be sufficient, right? With that I'd be looking at around 30K to live off of. Also, sonofaque, no internet isn't a possibility. As a grad student, I'll need to have access to the internet to do my research. Thanks again!
It is possible to find rentals in the $600 range, but they're not fancy (maybe 400-500 sqft-ish) and a bit hard to come by. Usually it's something like a detached garage or basement conversion, one side of a small duplex, that sort of thing. I've seen them in the Rosewood and Earlewood areas and they're probably in others, but a lot of times it's a sign-in-the-yard or word of mouth sort of thing that you can't really find through searches. I've never really looked at proper apartments, so I don't know of they're available in that range or not. As a student at USC you should be able to get access to their Off Campus Housing site which has some listings directed at students, as well as a message board where you might be able to answer more questions.
The Free Times (free-times.com) advertises apartments in the classifieds. One is for rent for $525 and I'd live there. It's downtown near the historic district and only blocks from USC. I saw some other inexpensive ones listed, but I don't know where they are. Apartments near USC always come open in the summer. I would think some of them aren't that expensive because college students are known to not have a lot of income for rent.
Thanks for the link and the suggestion of picking up a copy of The Free Times! I'll check out off campus housing and free-times.com. My parents live in the Greenville area as well, and my dad does business in Columbia, so he's keeping an eye out for those sign in the yard type places. Thanks again
It could be doable if the $24-$25K is after all deductions/taxes whatever they might be. If before deductions, do consider a roomie.
With a car you can broaden your looking to less expensive areas. Areas closer to USC might be more convenient but they will be more expensive.
I might suggest you consider Cayce and West Columbia. Make a triangle out of USC, Charleston Highway, and Rte 378 (Sunset Blvd) out as far as I26 with it as the triangle base and USC as the peak. Overall safe areas, easy commute to USC, and all the amenities you could ask for.
I hope my Geometry is correct.......but as a grad student....if you cannot figure it out...well then that is your issue.....joke......joke.......LOL
An aside. My wife and I met while she was in grad school. Some 40 or so years later, we are still married.
Good fortune to you.
Last edited by accufitgolf; 04-27-2013 at 03:52 PM..
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