Single girl moving to Miami on a SERIOUS budget

[r_k]

Yes, that is good advice to check with the University housing office. For one thing, you don't want to be living too far away from school.

[somebodymiami]

Originally Posted by sstone11

Thanks for the reassurance, I'm starting to feel better already! Most of Knoxville is really nice, but I live right down the road from a major housing project, in an area that was still pretty okay until the prescription drug epidemic set in a few years ago (I swear, it's worse than meth, and I didn't think ANYTHING could be worse than meth). It's mostly safe unless the power goes out, but I wouldn't want to live here alone. Still, people in Knoxville JOKE about my neighborhood, but whenever I say I'm moving to Miami, folks act like I'm headed to Afghanistan. It's just hard to gauge how a sketchy area of Knoxville compares to a sketchy area of Miami, so I'm relieved to hear that it's not as bad as people say.

The problem is that I probably won't be able to afford anything in Coral Gables or Coconut Grove, and super upscale places make me uncomfortable anyway, so I'm kind of looking for somewhere that's low income but still safe for a single girl with absolutely no street smarts whatsoever. Is there anywhere like that in Miami?

yes the flagami and west miami neighborhoods of miami... close to the gables.. rent is cheap.. you have occasional robberies and such but nothing big.

the area im talking about extends from nw7th st to bird road sw 40th st and 45th avenue to 80th avenue.

[stat3man]

You might be able to find a studio in an older South Beach building for a decent price. I rented a rather large studio on 8th St. & Lenox Ave. for about $495/month. Of course, that was back in 1997, so I don't know how much higher rents have gotten. Rents are going up because so many people either cannot afford to buy, or they have become afraid to buy after the real estate collapse. Good luck, and welcome to Miami!

[abstravel]

Your best option would be an apartment west of 57th Avenue, either North or South of US1 (South Miami/Kendall), or East of 57th Avenue and South of US1 (South Miami/Coral Gables).
Apartments here are priced very good for the area (1/1 from $900-1800). Even the $900 apartments aren't that shabby. Electricity is another matter. Miami is expensive for electricity. Same as gasoline, which compares to California.
These areas are close to shopping and food spots, and less than 15 minutes to UM.

[Hialeah_Rules]

your budget is low. get a room or an efficiency with utilities included in westchester or sweetwater. it should cost 400 to 600 a month.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by tallrick

16,000 may cover rent and food, but that's it. Gas may be extra.

No that's just going to cover rent and utilities. Not food; unless you plan to eat at Taco Bell every day.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by stat3man

You might be able to find a studio in an older South Beach building for a decent price. I rented a rather large studio on 8th St. & Lenox Ave. for about $495/month. Of course, that was back in 1997, so I don't know how much higher rents have gotten. Rents are going up because so many people either cannot afford to buy, or they have become afraid to buy after the real estate collapse. Good luck, and welcome to Miami!

Um...1997 was like 14 years ago. Gas was also $1.10/gal back then. I'm just sayin'

[Jacksonbound123]

Have you tried looking on zillow.com? It's a very convenient website. Just look around the UM area. Is the stipend just for rent or is it also going to be used for food, gas, etc.?