Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-12-2014, 12:24 PM
 
13 posts, read 51,431 times
Reputation: 16

Advertisements

My boyfriend and I will possibly be moving to Pittsburgh this summer as grad students at U Pitt or Carnegie Mellon, so I have been taking a (very) preliminary look at apartments in the area. Based on our budget, we would really like to put a $1000 cap on rent (~one week's income). I'd like to get an idea of whether or not this budget is feasible. Is it possible to find a decent (ie. safe) place in Pittsburgh for something near our budget?

I think our biggest priority is safety. In terms of commute, I would be willing to do around 45 minutes, but honestly I am happy to consider a longer commute for a more reasonable rent. Additionally, I would really like to find a place that will at least allow cats as both of us are really craving animal companionship after the restrictions of dorm life (bleh). In terms of neighborhoods it would be nice to live in a place with other grad students or young professionals but it would be most important to not live in an area that is heavy with undergrads.

If our budget isn't feasible, what is more reasonable? What percentage of income do Pittsburgh residents spend on rent? It would also be great to know of good resources to find apartments and possibly neighborhoods for us to consider.

I really appreciate any advice you guys have!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-12-2014, 12:55 PM
 
Location: Squirrel Hill PA
2,195 posts, read 2,574,685 times
Reputation: 4553
You should be able to find something in that price range easily enough as long as you are not expecting a luxury apartment. Do yourself a favor and chose a neighborhood where you can make use of the port authority transportation system. Pitt employees and students get to use it for free and it will save you a fortune in parking and gas.

Finding a pet friendly place is not to difficult. Some places may charge a pet fee.

My understanding is that you should not be spending more than 1/3 of your income on rent. I am just going back into renting myself and moving into the city (Squirrel Hill) so will have to bow to others to give more detailed information on safe and affordable neighborhoods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 12:59 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,699,807 times
Reputation: 30710
$1,000 is a nice budget for a one bedroom. You should be able to find that very close to the universities. There's no reason to commute for 45 minutes unless you truly want to live in the suburbs. Even then, your commute doesn't have to be that long.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,329,459 times
Reputation: 19072
$1,000 for a 1-BR apartment in close proximity to the universities is indeed quite doable. My biggest concern, however, would be finding a pet-friendly apartment. My partner and I abhor the apartment we currently reside in, but we stay here because there's simply nowhere else to go in our neighborhood that accepts pets. The overall rental market in Greater Pittsburgh has been extremely tight for at least the past several years now, which means that if a landlord can choose between one person with a pet or two other applicants without pets, they would most certainly prefer to NOT take any chances and give preference to those without pets. In my case I was fortunate enough to have befriended my landlady and rented from her for a year-and-a-half prior to moving into another one of her units. My partner then joined me with his dog. She allowed this because she saw the immaculate condition I left her prior unit in and grew to trust me during that time.

I suppose in similar fashion you could look to rent a small 1-BR apartment in the city from an individual landlord, befriend them over the course of a year, and then ask if they'll let you bring in pets when you renew your lease. Some neighborhoods I'd recommend for a good bang-for-your-buck factor would be Bloomfield, Polish Hill, Friendship, Greenfield, Squirrel Hill South, and the Upper Hill District (also known as "Sugar Top"). These neighborhoods are all convenient to the universities and offer relatively affordable rents for the East End, which is otherwise rather expensive and is home to many physicians, professors, attorneys, scientists, engineers, etc. If you don't have to go all the way up to $1,000/month, then I personally wouldn't. I'd rather you have more "breathing room" financially so you can take advantage of all of the great things this city has to offer.

My partner and I earn about $5,000/month combined. Of that we spend $700/month in rent (not including any utilities). We pay 14% of our income on rent alone. In addition, our utilities (gas, electric, water/sewer, cable/internet) tend to average around $400/month during winter and slightly less during summer (we have gas heat). We pay 8% of our joint monthly income on utilities. That means combined we pay 22% of our monthly income on housing. With that being said we have premium high-speed Internet access, a landline phone connection, and cable that includes Music Choice, Showtime, and HBO, so the ~$200/month we pay to Comcast might be much, much lower for you. Some parts of the city even have Verizon FiOS now, which tends to be more competitively-priced. Car insurance here tends to be quite expensive (or maybe it's just my zip code?) as I pay ~$130/month to insure a Honda Fit. Groceries are also on the high side here, as are gas prices, which I've found are MUCH lower in Ohio and West Virginia.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 02:08 PM
 
13 posts, read 51,431 times
Reputation: 16
I really appreciate all of the responses so far! It seems that as a grad couple it would be much easier financially to live in Pittsburgh than some of the other cities we could wind up in (Boston or Boulder).

SteelCityRising, it is definitely helpful to know about the pet-friendly caveat. We will not be moving in with a cat/dog but we are hoping to secure an apartment with a pet-friendly policy so that within a few months we could bring one in. Perhaps that would help us be more appealing to a landlord, but probably just wanting a pet friendly clause in the lease would make us less competitive. What are some of the great things of the city that you enjoy? When I visited Pittsburgh, I loved both Schenley Park and the Point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,329,459 times
Reputation: 19072
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaquel View Post
What are some of the great things of the city that you enjoy? When I visited Pittsburgh, I loved both Schenley Park and the Point.
There's really so much to see and do here that I haven't truly experienced it all, and I've been here for over three years.


Some of my favorite haunts?

Cultural District (theaters, concerts, off-Broadway shows, etc.)
Fox Chapel (leafy suburb with a lot of great wooded nature trails and wildlife)
Frick Park (a bit more scenic than Schenley Park, in my opinion)
Heinz History Center (great exhibits about the history of Western PA)
Market Square (great restaurants, coffee, views, and atmosphere)
National Aviary (including two new baby penguins!)
North Shore River Walk (beautiful views of the skyline, stadiums, and rivers)
Oakmont (quaint walkable suburb about 20 minutes northeast of the city)
Ohiopyle State Park (about 75 minutes east of the city)
Phipps Conservatory (great place to warm up on a cold day!)
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (although it's not fun when it's overcrowded)
Rivers Casino (although it's not fun when I don't win on my Invaders from the Planet Moolah!)
Sewickley (quaint walkable suburb about 30 minutes northwest of the city)

In addition, while many cities have very lively Downtowns surrounded by mostly sleepy residential bedroom communities Pittsburgh is lucky because we have a decent Downtown (still not "lively", but it is getting there) surrounded by a lot of cool quirky neighborhoods with their own business districts replete with retail, dining, and nightlife. We like to go on "date nights" in Squirrel Hill to eat at Bangkok Balcony or Murray Avenue Grill followed by a movie at the Manor Theater and perhaps some shopping at Ten Thousand Villages. Ceramics panting, ice cream, and looking at art are other options here. Walnut Street in Shadyside is like our version of Rodeo Drive with a lot of high-end apparel and accessory stores in a small area. Other parts of Shadyside are home to excellent restaurants and nightlife. We also like "North Side dates" where we hit up the National Aviary, Max's Allegheny Tavern for grub, Rivers Casino, walk a bit on the North Shore River Walk, etc. I never tire of the views from Grandview Avenue in Mt. Washington or from the West End Overlook. Even taking the furniculars (inclines) up the side of the mountain is great, despite them just being an ordinary form of commuting here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Squirrel Hill PA
2,195 posts, read 2,574,685 times
Reputation: 4553
Lets not forget Falling Water and the Laurel caverns and the ski resort as places to visit within a easy drive of the city. And Kennywood. And concerts at Starlake and the stadiums. And the three rivers regata, annual vintage car race in schenley, the Montour and Great Allegeheny passage trails, the race for the cure,sailing lessons on lake Arthur, the Gateway clipper cruises, kyak lessons on the rivers, horseback riding at Rolling Hills Ranch in Bridgeville, the cyclist events like That Dam ride and that crazy bike race with all of the hills....



I never considered myself a city girl until I met Pittsburgh.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 05:11 PM
 
Location: 15206
1,860 posts, read 2,567,430 times
Reputation: 1301
Try the Highland Park Club apartments. They're pet friendly and nice quality.

Also Costello Properties has decent rentals in the East End and is pet friendly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 05:14 PM
 
1,303 posts, read 1,806,640 times
Reputation: 2486
Allegheny County has amazing parks. I have been to North Park, South Park, and Harrison Hills and they have all been first rate. You can spend forever exploring the different parks around here. The Pittsburgh metro area does a really good job integrating nature into the urban.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 05:45 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,329,459 times
Reputation: 19072
Quote:
Originally Posted by selltheburgh View Post
Try the Highland Park Club apartments. They're pet friendly and nice quality.

Also Costello Properties has decent rentals in the East End and is pet friendly.
The Highland Park Club apartments are nice, but they are > $1,000/month, aren't they?

I'd actually instead recommend this complex on Stanton Avenue because it is under $800/month and is cat-friendly. I believe a member of our forum lives here:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/4231260160.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top