Downtown/Oakland utility prices on average? (Monroe: apartment, rent, month to)

[Tachs]

I'm looking to move either to Oakland or Downtown, because I'm currently going to school downtown, and am really tired of the bus situation of getting to and from Monroeville (I already go to school two hours early unless I want to ride the 67, and the later P12s tend to have people standing on the stairs in front of the door.).

Basically I want to get an estimate of what utilities would look like on average for a single person who's gone almost all day, every day, in a studio apartment for either Oakland or Downtown. Electric, water, trash, sewage, gas, heat, and anything else I might be missing. (Forgive me, I'm pretty new to this.)

Does anyone live in the May building on fifth? What's it like? Are the utilities expensive?

I don't have a budget in mind yet since I'm still talking to my financial aid, but it would be super helpful to get an idea of what I might be paying, downtown or oakland, or any suggestions for a cheap place for a student to live.

I also have two pet rats kept in a cage, which could potentially be a problem for the dorms I've been suggested, since most dorms I've heard of won't even let you have a pet goldfish.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice and patience.

[ML North]

I live alone in a small one bedroom apartment. A few notes:

-Water and sewage are combined on one bill
-Trash will be included in your rent
-Cable and internet combined is usually around $70-100

I keep track of my utility expenditures each month. A while ago another poster asked a similar question and I generated the following chart. You can use it to get a ballpark estimate of how your bills will vary from month to month.


Sample calculation:

Month- February 2011
Apartment Rent - $700
Ratio of Utility Expenditures to Monthly Income (From Chart) - 28%

28% x $700 = $196

In February, I'd expect to spend about $196 on gas, electric, and water for a 1 bedroom apartment.