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Okay, so what is the cost of living like around Brown University, especially when compared to Seattle? Are the apartment rents expensive compared to the rest of the nation, or are other things expensive as well? What is the price of food like here? I know that New Haven, CT seems to have fairly cheap housing costs, but fairly expensive food costs.
Also, what are some other factors that I need to be aware of when moving from Seattle to Providence near College Hill?
The main thing you will find is that the housing stock on College Hill is very historic. There are few modern apartment complexes on the Hill built as such, however, you may be able to find renovated historic structures. Downtown is walkable (uphill obviously) to College Hill and has some newer construction. http://www.brown.edu/campus-life/life-in-providence
You can also walk to Brown from the Fox Point, Wickenden St areas or take a short bus down Hope Street for more housing options.
Prices likely slightly higher than Seattle since Providence is smaller and the East Side does not have an excess of housing. I would imagine other costs to be roughly comparable- you could get by without a car which would lower expenses. I don't think supermarket food is especially higher than elsewhere.
Okay - thanks very much for the reply! As a side question - what are the cheapest supermarkets near Brown campus that offer a variety of vegetarian/vegan options? I most definitely would prefer avoiding Whole Foods if possible.
Also, does $4200/year for ~30 weeks on Brown's student meal plan (where I will most likely get almost all of my dining needs met from its buffet) sound excessive, or is does it not cost that much more than other food options in the area?
The Brown plan sounds expensive to me. That's $140 a week assuming you don't buy yourself any snacks for at home or breakfast food. I don't spend anywhere close to $140/week on food. Personally I wouldn't want to head to the dining hall for breakfast so I'd probably buy more food.
East Side Marketplace is pretty solid and you could get to Stop and Shop with a little effort or order through Peapod if you are buying a lot. There is also a good amount of farmer's markets in the area that run May through Oct. I think there is even one starting up in April this year. Plus a wintertime market in Pawtucket that I think you can get to via bus. If that's something that interests you. If you are vegetarian or vegan I would definitely suggest asking some more questions about the food plan at Brown. They may have vegetarian options but that could easily mean they expect you to eat pasta 4 times a week. I have no idea what the meal plan is like, but I know vegetarian friends I had in college had a tough time getting their nutritional needs met with some variety from the cafeteria.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah - I generally do have vegan dietary requirements so this makes things a bit more difficult (though Brown is very vegan-friendly as I've eaten the food in the dining hall there before). The thing with Providence is that even though the bus is free for Brown students, the bus runs really infrequently (like, once every hour is often the norm). I live in the Seattle area, and I'm more used to the bus coming every 15-20 minutes (unlike the situation with the Providence/Pawtucket buses). The 92 does seem to run somewhat more frequently though so I'll try checking that out (as well as the Eastside Marketplace out sometime).
Where are the farmers markets usually located? If they run May through October, then they pretty much fill up the time that Brown is not in session.
How expensive is Peapod, by the way? Yeah, maybe some home-delivery service would be cheaper. Like Amazon Grocery. But I'm not sure how many services deliver to Providence.
There is a bunch of farmer's markets. Check out farmfreshri.org for listings. They obviously, wouldn't be helpful Nov.-March, unless you go to the Wintertime Market. You could make use of them at the beginning and end of the school year.
I'm not sure how much peapod is these days, though they offer a lot of free delivery specials and trials (or at least they used to).
I'll add that the biggest factor in your dining plan may be whether or not your friends have a dining plan. You don't mention if you are going to Brown for grad/undergrad but if all your friends are going to the cafeteria you may want the meal plan but if they have all shunned the meal plan you may never go. Biking around would be another option. The east side is compact. About 2 miles across and 3 miles long. You would probably have everything you need within a mile or 1.5 miles.
Remember that you're in sort of a bus hub. Three routes (35, 40, 78) run together along Angell and Waterman Streets, so service is more like every 10-20 minutes. If you're closer to Thayer Street and are heading downtown, you can add in the 42, 49, and 92.
Eastside Marketplace is similar to Whole Foods and can be more expensive. If you take the 92 in the other direction to Eagle Square, there's a Price-Rite, which is dirt cheap and usually has better produce than the big chains. The 78 bus will get you to Stop & Shop and Shaw's in East Providence.
The winter farmer's market is excellent, but it will require either a transfer or carrying your purchases uphill.
Oh wow - thanks so much for the advice. I'll have to look at those.
On a side note, does anyone know where one buy ergonomic furniture near College Hill, Providence?
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