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I'm at a point in my degree in which I can finish the last year of courses online. As such, I can live anywhere, obviously. I'm currently in the midwest enjoying a low cost of living-I pay 500 a month for my apartment, for example.
Any recommendations as to where I should live for a year? money is an issue, so the big cities like NYC/San fran/La are probably bad ideas, unless I had picked up an a VERY good part time job. I'll have about 5 grand cash going into this year, hopeful to pick up a part time job to supplement at a minimum, possible full time if need be.
Where would you go? How would you do it-craigslist roomy, studio apartment, what?
If money is a big issue, which it appears to be, I'd say...
-The state of Kentucky in general...VERY affordable housing (some of the cheapest in the country) and pretty low taxes. Louisville is kind of cool, quirky city that would be worth looking at. Lexington is supposed to be nice as well, although I've never been there. Lots of nice country areas too.
-Cincinnatti, OH...again, very affordable housing and low costs of living. Lots of nice architecture there. It's on a river, which adds a nice touch.
-Saint Louis, MO...affordable area and pretty stable, just be careful about picking good areas.
-Wichita, KS...known for being very affordable.
-Tulsa, OK...known for being affordable, and will offer warmer weather than the others I mentioned, if that matters to you.
-Omaha, NE....a bit pricier than the others I've mentioned, but if you want a more "up and coming" city, this is probably your best bet in terms of cost. If you want to know more, just search this board for "Omaha"...there are quite a few Omaha nuts on here who have posted tons of info.
The nice thing about all of these places is that they should be relatively close to home for you. And honestly, with only $5000 to your name and wanting to pay only about $500 for rent, I wouldn't recommend going to either of the coasts...it'll likely be too expensive. Even the southeast and southwest will likely be too expensive...I live in the southwest (which is less expensive than the coasts), and even here you have to pay at least $700 or $800 a month to live in a decent area.
So, yeah, I'd say that cities in and around the midwest are definitely your best bet. Even a great part time job isn't going to be enough to afford housing in other parts of the country. If you want to leave the midwest, I'd recommend waiting until you can work full time and/or have more than $5000.
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