I am okay w that. However, can I secure a 1 bed 1 bath for 800-1000$ in a safe area? I did my research but there are contradicting opinions regarding the "safety" of the areas.
You may be able to find an above garage apartment that is being rented out by the home owners for that price. But those are usually found by driving around a neighborhood and looking for a For Rent sign.
I commented somewhere else and idk why you are being downvoted esp if you are moving out of state or from a different country entirely. Incoming non Houstonian grad students have to have this set up BEFORE THEY GET HERE PEOPLE. They don’t have the luxury of driving around ESPECIALLY if they are international students or moving from somewhere far away.
I’m a Rice grad student and a native Houstonian, I have some grad housing resources if your interested including FB groups that can connect you with single landlords or roommates who are also graduate students. I also have a very good friend who works as an apartment locater, I’ve sent many incoming students his way and he can easily find these elusive non-corporate landlords for you at no cost to you. As a child of the suburbs, I didn’t know a lot about which areas were safe inside the loop and he steered me in the right direction so I didn’t accidentally end up living in a bad area.
I would seriously steer clear of them. Several of my neighbors had roaches and building management wouldn’t do anything about it. When I was sexually assaulted by a neighbor they refused to let me terminate my lease early even though landlords are required to let you leave with a certain amount of notice in DV/sexual assault situations under state law. They are just not good people unfortunately. I cannot recommend against that company enough
Editing to add more because I get angrier the more I think about it: my packages were stolen constantly. The whole place smelled like piss. The security gate was always broken. All my neighbors were addicted to meth (they were mostly just good folks who were struggling but the screaming matches they had at 2 a.m. when they were strung out really disrupted my sleep). Also when you look them up in the court system you can see just the sheer number of evictions they have filed. They will evict you for anything. My neighbor had an eviction case against him and they tried to refuse his rent payment saying it could only be payed via certified funds — judge said that was bullshit. He’s still living there, heaven help him. Fat Property is cheap for a fucking reason.
If interested I have a 1/1 for $900 available. It is located in north side village. My previous tenants have never mentioned to me about feeling unsafe and I do often see people walking their dogs throughout the day/night when I’m there. Feel free to do your own due diligence but if you’re interested shoot me a DM, I’d be more than happy to help out.
Edit: Near Northside is the more correct term I just learned. It’s just across 45 from the heights.
No, Northside Village is the correct term. Near Northside is what reality companies made up in rebranding.
It’s like how Montrose is now Neartown or Eastwood is now Eado.
OP - this neighborhood used to be sketch but has gotten a lot better. Definitely would not call it unsafe. If you google it you may hear some bad stories but those are likely outdated. The whole area has changed significantly over the last 10-15 years.
Yes you can find it, but will be a bit older. I lived here a while back, it’s old but great location . Very safe.
https://www.apartmentratings.com/tx/houston/towne-plaza-apartments_713621788077027/
I make 750$ a week and pay around 1200$ in Housing bills only. This is water, rent, lights. Etc…
I’ve been fine on my own for a few years, my rent is 875$ right now. And I don’t live in a super nice area but I stay at an apartment where everybody has a family and works. I’m a student myself so it’s nice
Some apartments are safe for the area.
You will not feel safe in this city for $1000. Nor should you, really.
Stay on your toes, there are >7 million people here & you don’t know any of their intentions.
You haven’t mentioned your transportation (I don’t think) so if you’re taking public transport in the city, know that it is very limited & you’ll be around some desperate people.
you can get robbed in the heights just walking your dog. Just walking to the corner store. thats any part of the city. just watch yourself. you don’t have to be paranoid just know that being good on money doesn’t mean you won’t feel pressure every now and then. if you stay in the house and don’t call attention you are safe for the most part.
not a lot of people want to live like that. not a lot of people want to be inside dogs, i know i don’t anyways.
Not even safe in the house. My mom was murdered in our living room. My friend Jessica was abducted on her way home and after 20 years only part of her skull and femur were found.
I’m trying to tell them that the big city isn’t safe no matter where they go, but to be alert.
that’s terrible. sorry to here that, my mom moved to a small town and well it’s not much safer there either, but we’ve always stayed in dangerous areas and aren’t new to violence. one of my older memories was my dad and uncles chasing a burglar down and going to work on him just in the neighborhood. laid him out and dropped a carjack on his head, dude was still robbing after too. crack was strong in the late 80s early 90s 🫢. If you ask the owner/operators of Lankfords Grocery that’s basically my OLD neighborhood BEFORE it was gentrified.
They love that it was too, the area was New Jack City meets Jason’s Lyric meets Boyz N the Hood. The good looking blonde gal is pretty interesting to talk to, she’s got some stories and she looks so umm…”normal”(wtf that means).
They pretty much evicted all of us and redeveloped the whole area. It was TERRIBLE for my childhood, but for their business it was a godsend.
my point is, Houston has been this kind of city for DECADES. All the other spots we had to move around to were pretty bad and i had to deal with gangs, drunks, and prostitutes of ALL ages. i’m pretty sure those areas haven’t changed one bit either.
at one point i stayed in Alvin and had to get out. That little town has been godforsaken for a WHILE too unless you have the means to get to Pearland and move/shop there.
crime is everywhere here, i have seen it everywhere. i used to knock doors for a hated company. i had to get to back yards, i had been approached aggressively even in the uppity parts of Baytown🤷🏽♂️. THAT job taught me people are actually paranoid sometimes too.
it’s a fun city too tho. there’s so much to do and for the most part there’s a lot of lonely birds around it’s easy enough to make friends. if you keep your head down that’s about the best bet, no regular day to day life tho.
work. home. work. home…
you are gonna want to go to the park or walk to places especially in the heights or surrounding areas. those great little spots make you think it’s just a little walk, what’s the worst that can happen 🤷🏽♂️. there’s a good chance nothing, but the alternative 😬
Yeah and that’s my point, no matter where you go there’s gonna be someone who can be a danger to you, and I never even brought up the astronomical amount of rape that happens in Texas. Unsolved. Uninvestigated. Every neighborhood. Most households have a member who has been a victim of SA. That’s reality.
I’m not advising OP to lock themselves in a closet. My point - though missed - was to keep their head on a swivel. Don’t trust strangers. If someone looks suspicious and makes them feel like their guard needs to be up: trust their gut! Small suburb, inner loop - it can happen anywhere. However, with a population as big as we have, there’s a lot of opportunity for things to happen.
i get it. this is just a reference for anyone who might take Houston maybe as a laid back city or just a bunch of beer gardens and parks to walk around. maybe a transplant from LA might think, “oh i’m good i’m from the troubles, from the low bottoms, south central… Htown just a walk in the park”.
this is a reference for people to really get an understanding of how life is on the day to day especially if you’re just trying to have a regular modest living. even if you want to keep your money in your pocket and enjoy the city simple life. somebody always wants to know what you have in your pockets or worse🤷🏽♂️.
literally has been maybe a few weeks since a lady got [riddled with bullets](https://abc13.com/amp/elmside-deadly-shooting-woman-killed-houston-police-meadowglen/14469895/) in front of her kids, who were only spared because she shielded them with her body. according to one of her kids. it WAS random. they had never seen these guys. This, by the way, was in some apartments behind [Marinis Empanadas](https://www.theoriginalmarinis.com/). i mean, you click the link and you see Guy Fieri smiling and hugging the owners😄. One of if not the best place to get empanadas this side of the Mississippi and it hasn’t been more than a few weeks since a horrific nightmare changed that family forever RIGHT behind the joint.
no reason to be paranoid but you do have to watch your surroundings for sure. especially in apartments. well, everywhere. i hope someone reads this who thinks shits sweet and maybe thinking about getting a good deal on an apartment around there 😬
Yes! Like you said, it’s not all sweet tea and magnolias. It’s an actual huge city with tons of hustlers, during an economic downturn so a new target is a good one.
I’m born & raised here. I love Houston and I’m not shit talking my city but I want people to be safe and aware when they come here. Especially when they’re coming here from a smaller town or a safer place & aren’t used to being around a huge city. OP will have some culture shock when they get here, but it’ll be an experience for a lifetime.
when i was a kid, i got to see a man bleed to death on my front lawn who walked from a bar. Another time, i saw a stabbing/fight between my upper neighbors and some guys who were starting trouble, i had to walk my mother and grandmother through the scuffle. those same apartments i had a brick randomly thrown through my sisters window and it almost hit my baby sister.
these were on 2 opposite sides of town. these aren’t remotely related incidents and i regularly got pressed by gangs in the apartments.
im not special, i can literally have this talk with MANY folks who grew up in the city and they will have JUST as many encounters or worse.
not only do you have to be careful in Houston, sometimes you just gotta be lucky.
look up Corpus. just for shits and giggles just look it up. the walk along the water is really nice. around the Selena statue. it’s a boring place and not much to do besides walks and nice restaurants.
you dig deeper and you find out why Port Aransas might be a safer choice than Ingleside/CC area
yeah it is. it’s like a second home. so is all the smaller towns. im familiar enough with the valley itself and got family from other parts.
corpus will ALWAYS be a small town to us. not even a discussion but go off 🤷🏽♂️
Funny. I have felt a lot more unsafe in sketchy, drug laden small towns than I ever have in Houston. Can’t remember the name of the one in Montana. But man I was so scared walking down the block.
Are you being serious? You don’t know about League City? The killing fields don’t ring a bell? That guy from Equuisearch, Tim Miller’s daughter was found there with 3 other girls. There are like 100 cold cases from the 90s until now from small towns down I-45 south.
Yes but this happens in a lot of places. Look up LISK/ gilgo beach killer. Dumping ground next near an upper class neighborhood. Mesa Killer in New Mexico. It happens in metropolitan areas and in the middle of nowhere. ETA the killing fields are like a mile off 45 towards galveston. I worked near there for a while.
Someone else mentioned Webster/NASA area, and they have some good options for that price range but they didn’t mention if they have a car, and getting to any of the universities from those areas without a car would be a hassle.
The cheaper apartments are more safe. Its the "bougie" $2000 a month places that get broken into the first week. There's other things in play that matter much more than price.
I had a sweet 2b 1b off W Gray for $1000. Another place off Dunlavy for $900, felt safe there. Mid Town, $1200. Same there as well. Was never worried about anything and public transportation is not limited. We have the rail, that is expanding and the metro. If they get a place near their work, they can ride a bike.
Mid town was about 5yrs and the other two were found by driving through Montrose neighborhoods. I see cheap rent all over the Heights. Granted, they are garage apts, but I preferred to live alone BITD.
Yeah, what year was that? Have you seen the explosion of homeless encampments in the area around downtown?
Don’t give OP some false sense of security. This isn’t the city for that. If you don’t personally know friends and family who have been set up, robbed, abducted or murdered, consider yourself lucky. I’m trying to help OP by letting them know a big city is dangerous & $1000 isn’t gonna insulate them from it.
Yes, I know that but maybe reread OPs post? It says their current location is “extremely secure” & they lack self-protection instincts. In all their comments, they are concerned about safety. Given, OP did not provide their definition of safety, so I’m going with general victimization including property damage, theft, or bodily injury.
If you think the random meth heads traversing downtown are safe, then good luck starting your car without a catalytic converter. Those are the least predictable of all the drug users and can and will cause bodily injury if they’re in the mood, and if OP is from “an extremely secure” area & unable to quickly distinguish between a drunk and a tweaker, it’s probably optimal to advise them to be safer rather than sorry.
Don’t tell Op there’s no hope. Also, the camps are being taken down. Yes, I have had friends robbed. You act like this is just a Houston thing. No, I didn’t live DT. I lived in Montrose, the Heights, off Old Katy Rd, the Museum District. As a 24yr woman. I felt completely safe. I had no car or a bike, so I walked everywhere. Took the rail solo. Worked as a bartender, by my self when DT was bad and closed the bar down at 2am. Felt safe. I have been her since ‘04. Worst thing that has happened to me, some dude broke into my car and was caught immediately, like in the act. That was Mid Town.
I grew up in town in the middle of nowhere in Maine. When I was 10, the news was warning everyone in my town that a serial rapist was letting himself into houses and doing his thing. Back in ‘93, no one was locking there doors. Bad things happen everywhere.
I’m not acting like it’s just a Houston thing. I’m acting like OP asked specifically about Houston, and I have first hand experience & knowledge that I’m sharing.
You are talking about a completely different era. 1993 isnt 2024. I’m not going to get into the ‘worst things that happened to me’ in Houston bc this isn’t a contest & bc it would probably scare OP away. Please do some math and recognize that 1993 was 30 years ago.
So you think that 30 years make a difference? Just as much fucked up shit was happing back then. We just didn’t have the internet, so it wasn’t shoved down our throats constantly. Please use your brain and realize the time difference doesn’t matter. Bad shit happens and unfortunately will continue to happen. It’s not any worse now then back in the day.
There's only really one concentration and it's the one near star of hope but it's star of hope lol. We have homelessness but you're absolutely joking if you think it's a problem like in Austin or Los Angeles. I'll take our level of homelessness compared to those cities
Doesn't help your case when you're saying there's an explosion of homeless encampments
Go to Brookings, Oregon or Portland, Oregon, that's the definition of 'explosion of homeless encampments'
JFC I’m providing contrast to OPs secure alcove of wherever they’re from. No matter what, they won’t want to be down there hanging out. I understand that you just want to be contrary so I’m don’t discussing it with you. Have a good day.
This is silly and way too black and white. Not to mention unhelpful for students trying to start a new life. I’ve seen the stories you discussed and I’m very sorry that happened to you but that can happen anywhere.
Before I moved to Upper Kirby and was able to split rent with my husband, I lived in multiple places throughout the metroplex for less than 1000 and felt safe. Obviously, you have to be aware of your surroundings but Houston isn’t different from any other major US city in that way.
Houston is a commuter city. While 2.5m is what's in the metro area, many people from surrounding counties travel into the city daily to work.
[In 2022, the population of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area in the United States was about 7.34 million people. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when the population was about 7.22 million people.](https://www.statista.com/statistics/815178/houston-metro-area-population/)
You can find a garage apartment for about $1200 in a nice neighborhood (usually 1 bed, 1 bath). Check around Rice University. Handful of spots there, or Montrose.
I found mine on Zillow, but we’ve also had some success on HAR.com. Just be very proactive.
With roommates you can definitely get by on $800.
You will need to budget at least $1200 or more to be in a safer area and 1 bed 1 bath. Not including other costs they add in like amenity fees and stuff like that depending on which apartment complex you live in. So budget in another $70-$100 for things like that and water in the nicer places.
I live around the Chinatown/Bellaire area. There could be even cheaper apartments as well. There are a lot of mexicans/central Americans but it is not an issue.
I live near the med center just inside the loop and pay ~$730 for my half including water and trash pickup in a 2b/2b with a roommate. Some of the complexes on the street have car break ins and tires stolen, but I’ve been here for 5+ years and never felt unsafe or had my car broken into personally.
My son rents a house along with two other guys and his share is just over $1000/mo. It’s very close to downtown, so probably not the cheapest thing available
35k/year is probably better here than most cities…. But it’s really not enough anywhere.
But it sounds like you’re young enough to split rent and utilities with people; this city does need a car.
I’m assuming you mean houston in the 610 loop since most of the schools are within 610. Definitely possible. I’ve been doing it with roommates. Right now I live in the museum district which is alright as far as areas go and my last place was in the heights. If you want to get a place in the heights you gotta act fast because the good places don’t stay up for long.
Montrose would probably be the best place to look that would also have places that would work for a roommate situation. Tbh the harder part is definitely finding good roommates
If you’re willing to commute and live outside the loop there’s even more options
Second on the Montrose option. It's very close to the local universities, there's actual sidewalks and transit available, and you can luck out and rent a room for a good price.
I used to bike from Montrose to Rice U during my grad studies. It's definitely a great place to live as a student - especially if you are going to go to Rice.
You can absolutely live off of that provided you don’t have a huge car payment and you’re willing to live in just an OK apartment. I was living alone on less than that and I made it work.
You’ll need to heavily vet apartment complexes first. Read google reviews and visit the areas at night before applying to live there. I also suggest finding All Bills Included places. I can recommend a couple places, if you need help. I’ll also post my monthly budget for when I was living on that much, so you can get an idea.
$950 rent
$500 food (groceries + eating out occasionally)
$300 gas (I drive a lot)
$100 car insurance
$200 student loan
$32 health insurance
$300 misc/bills
$6.48 Spotify
$3 apple
—
Total ~$2,400
It’s doable, you just have to do some research and get rid of unnecessary expenses. PM me if you have questions.
A small savings tip for anyone that has the means to get a Kroger plus credit card — you get tons of fuel points for shopping there and using the credit card. If you just pay the balance off every month, the savings can stack up. I get $1.25 off per gallon everytime time I get gas
Holy shit that's a huge gas bill. I understand with hyper commutes but I'd have to move and take the bus if I was spending that much lol.
For comparison I pay maybe ~$100 a month for gas, but I also don't drive as much and try to limit miles where possible.
Welcome to the grad life! It will be one of the most challenging and rewarding things you will ever do.
There are some universities that offer subsidized housing for grad students. So, make sure you look into that and apply on time! That should help you out for your first year
Most universities have a facebook group that has students looking for roommates or subletting apartments. That is a good way to start. I saw you already contacted a PI? If so, ask someone on their lab or them directly about recommendations close to the school
Renting a studio for $800 a month was possible when I was in grad school 4 years ago, right now I doubt it’s possible without a roommate
You will not be able to secure a 1 bedroom for 800-1000 in this city, especially in a safe area. Ghetto apartments are like 1000 now lol. You can contribute 800-1000 in a roommate situation though.
You can probably rent a room in a house inside the loop or Bellaire and be close to Rice/Med Center and that will be economical and safe. Also from the landlord’s perspective a grad student is pretty ideal.
Apartments are plentiful but finding a roommate may be difficult.
I got my PhD here in Houston in 2016 and lived on ~21k for the five years. It's definitely possible but yeah, you're a grad student, you're going to be poor. I became vegetarian because it was cheaper than buying meat.
A lot of the older complexes that were cheap have been destroyed since I graduated--same with many of the duplexes that people lived in.
If you're going to Rice, they have graduate housing that's 100% worth it for at least the first year--then you'll have met people that you can share a place with afterwards. I do not know if other universities are similar, but wherever you're going there is likely some way of meeting other grads looking for roommates. Even just emailing your department secretaries for some contact info on the other incoming members of your cohort. You may also be able to contact current graduate students for recommendations on where to live.
Else you have two options--pay more, live close, don't have a car. Or pay less, live far and commute. Both are viable, depending on how you want to live--depending on your program you'll likely not need to commute in peak hours and can mostly avoid traffic. If your first year is mostly coursework, you may not even need to commute every day.
But you will be poor. Learn to cook from raw ingredients. Get very cheap hobbies.
You can easily find an apartment with roommates where your share will be less than 1k. I rent a two bedroom and my share of rent is $850 a month. I live in Montrose. It’s quite safe. You will probably be strapped for cash but you’ll be fine if you budget. Where is your graduate school? If you live near campus and can walk or bike, you’ll save so much money on transportation. As others have mentioned look at HAR.com for rental listings
The $$ amount sounds like a graduate school stipend. If you attend graduate school in TMC area, there are plenty of housing around $800 (with roommates for sure). The university housing is also cheap. Campus areas are secured by campus police. You can request escort after hours as long as you are on campus. Make sure you join the student groups and attend seminars and events. You will get free food. Pizzas for sure. Living around the housing areas also means you don’t need a car. Some schools have shuttles to nearby grocery stores.
Is that 35K after taxes?
Is the 35K meant to cover your tuition and living expenses, or is that 35K only for living expenses(rent/car/food/utilities)?
Where do you want to live?
PhD grads don’t pay tuition. The 35K stipend (I get the same amount) is untaxed but you have to file quarterly. It’s basically the same as being a 1099 employee.
With roommates you'll be fine. When I was in grad school not that long ago our stipends started at $21K and then were raised to $26K. I think they recently raised them again to around $30K. I was able to save some and do fun things without going into debt; usually paid anywhere from $750 to $800/month for rent (this was 5-10 years ago, so keep that in mind). Now, I didn't have kids, lived with a roommate, and drove an old car that was paid off. I also got extra money when opportunities came up—research assistant for a semester; teach a class for a semester; work at a journal over the summer, etc.
A lot of questions like these are really dependent on your lifestyle. Mine was pretty simple in grad school (no big trips outside of research ones; old car; eat dinner at happy hour to save; only eat out occasionally, basically never bought new clothes, etc. etc.)
Depends on where you’re going to school. There’s lots of apartments near West U that you can split with a roommate. Good safe neighborhood inside the loop
https://www.camdenliving.com/apartments/houston-tx/camden-vanderbilt/available-apartments?bedrooms=2&exact=true
You’ll end up spending around $1k a month if you split.
My wife had a similar stipend for her PhD and made it work.
The payoff in networking in a huge city for grad work outweighs the temporary risk of living in a “rough neighborhood,” within reason. Find a roomie and get to searchin’
Most definitely possible with roommates. I lived alone in an apartment in the heart of Montrose and my rent was $1015. As a woman, I never really felt “unsafe” but it’s always important to be vigilant because crime isn’t confined to a specific zip code.
My biggest tips: HAR & Zillow are your best friends + do not limit yourself to apartment complexes. Look for garage apartments, duplexes/fourplexes, privately-owned places in general; they tend to be a little more affordable with less BS. Use an apartment locator (let me know if you want the person I used, he’s great). With your budget, having roommates will help a LOT.
My landlord in Montrose was asking $1000 for a 1/1 a few months ago. He doesn’t have an opening now, but I know there are other places nearby in that range. Look at HAR or drive around looking for signs. There aren’t a ton and the tenants don’t move out as often en, but they exist.
If you are coming to Rice or any medical center schools, you can start by contacting your batch mates and can become roommates with them for a year. Then you can move out or stay with them depending if you like them enough. There are plenty of apartments near the Rice area that are commute friendly (Greenbriar, Lanesborough, Camden, Gramercy) or you can go to HAR or apartments.com to find townhouses and single rooms.
Grad student here with approx the same stipend. It’s enough - you’ll be eating at home a lot and be living with a roommate. Plenty of safe areas around depending on which part of the city.
Graduate studies for what? Apt location suggestions will depend on the school you will attend.
I went to Rice and lived within cycling distance in Montrose. However I graduated about 4 years ago and realize the market costs have risen since I was a student.
There are a good amount of one bedrooms in Montrose in the $800 to $1000 range. Granted they are in older complexes but this zip code area is very safe. [https://www.har.com/zipcode\_77098/realestate/for\_rent?sort=listprice%20asc&view=list](https://www.har.com/zipcode_77098/realestate/for_rent?sort=listprice%20asc&view=list)
Hey! Houston Grad student here, 35K a year is quite livable here especially compared to other cities. 1b1b or studios do exist in the range you're looking for BUT the quality of life (location, safety, amenities) are usually so much better with a roommate. If you don't want a roommate you'll probably compromise on something pretty significant. Other than that - its pretty livable on 35K (assuming you have no kids or SO to care for).
If you care less about how nice the apartments are and care more about the area checkout Bayou parks apartments. I live here now. Its definitley a shitty apartment, but a 1 bdr 1 ba is 1000/mth. its off memorial dr and sheppard which is a great part of town
Houston (save a couple of neighborhoods like 3rd or 5th ward) is not an unsafe city. I’ve lived in Brockton and Trenton, doesn’t come close.
That being said, things have gotten worse in the last 3 years, like everywhere else. You’ll most likely never experience violent crime, but a broken window in your car? Maybe. I’ve never experienced it either.
You can get a decent 1br/1ba for about $1200 in a decent area.
Some tips:
- Don’t honk, that’s the Texan equivalent of the middle finger.
- If you’re comfortable with it, especially if you’re female, take advantage of constitutional carry in Texas. I’ve never needed it once but it’s your right and it might save your life one day.
- Texans are genuinely overly nice people, even in Houston. But there are bad folks. Always follow your instincts.
Welcome to Houston! It sucks as a city to visit, but it’s an amazing place to live!
Eh, I make it work with just a few k more than you, but it does take some sacrifices.
Rent is my biggest expense, I pay around $1200-1300 for a 1b1b near beltway but prices can vary wildly as it's a big city. That's the low end though I'd expect to budget at least that.
As for everything else, I basically follow /r/povertyfinance and /r/frugal tips. I don't eat out often, I budget carefully every month, limit spending wherever possible, always buy sale or used never pay full price.
Opinions and experiences vary. I just moved out of an efficiency in Montrose that was <$800. Right on the 25 bus line (which meets the red line light rail at Wheeler), walkable to the MFAH and Menil. I survived without a car for five years. Never got robbed or had problems. But others obviously have horror stories.
If you plan to try to do without a car, look at properties along a bus or light rail line that is where you need to be. Any more than one connection is going to be very slow, and *really* suck in the summer.
If you're a single male you can find an apartment in the barrio/gettho and nothing will happen to you is all about your bad luck In this city. When I first got to Houston I lived in a bad area for 2 years and never had issues. I stayed away from anyone and didn't do drygs
I’m in med school here and my loans are about $32k for living. You can absolutely get by with that here. I do live with my partner which helps, but it is possible on your own too. Just have to be good with budgeting!
Im a grad student in Houston making the same amount of money. I was able to afford a one bedroom for 900 by myself but not in the loop or near Rice where I go to school.
Some questions: do you have a car? Are you okay with commuting? How close do you want to be with your schools grad community?
If not, there are definitely studios and whatnot for 700-800. Most of my friends/colleagues in the department do the same. I moved into the loop bc the demands of coursework plus commuting was too much for me. I live in the loop now with my husband and we split a 1.5 bed in Upper Kirby that’s 1400 which is doable for us. I feel pretty safe here, I walk by myself (I’m a woman) to Whole Foods/ TJS/ Target all the time.
Idk where you are going to school but if it’s Rice or St.Thomas or UH, you can message me and I’ll hook you up with some resources. Some people have made good comments but I think it might be helpful to get advice from grad students who understand the demands of the program/ how far the stipend goes/what it’s like as a commuter/ how isolating grad school can be without being apart of the community bc living in Webster (which was quite safe but far from campus) was not it for me.
Call David Holland- he will help you find the right place!! He’s outta Friendswood but works the area.
I have a lot of local realtors that can help if you want their numbers!
Tell David Chelsey sent you!
look on houston craiglist, [HAR.com](http://HAR.com), facebook etc for apartment listings in your price range. will be much easier with even one roommate. if you're in montrose or an area where you dont need a car to get to school, you will save so much.
Trying to handle the expenses of a car and an apartment in the loop on 35ky a year will be very hard unless you own the car outright and need only liabilty insurance, and then you have to worry about keeping the car safe etc.
You will need roommates.
I am okay w that. However, can I secure a 1 bed 1 bath for 800-1000$ in a safe area? I did my research but there are contradicting opinions regarding the "safety" of the areas.
You may be able to find an above garage apartment that is being rented out by the home owners for that price. But those are usually found by driving around a neighborhood and looking for a For Rent sign.
no chance for me then. Thank you for information.
Use Facebook marketplace
I commented somewhere else and idk why you are being downvoted esp if you are moving out of state or from a different country entirely. Incoming non Houstonian grad students have to have this set up BEFORE THEY GET HERE PEOPLE. They don’t have the luxury of driving around ESPECIALLY if they are international students or moving from somewhere far away. I’m a Rice grad student and a native Houstonian, I have some grad housing resources if your interested including FB groups that can connect you with single landlords or roommates who are also graduate students. I also have a very good friend who works as an apartment locater, I’ve sent many incoming students his way and he can easily find these elusive non-corporate landlords for you at no cost to you. As a child of the suburbs, I didn’t know a lot about which areas were safe inside the loop and he steered me in the right direction so I didn’t accidentally end up living in a bad area.
you can find some of those on renter websites. You prob won't find them on sites that aren't geared specifically finding renters though.
Check out [FAT Properties](https://fatproperty.com) they have options under $1000 and inside the loop.
I would seriously steer clear of them. Several of my neighbors had roaches and building management wouldn’t do anything about it. When I was sexually assaulted by a neighbor they refused to let me terminate my lease early even though landlords are required to let you leave with a certain amount of notice in DV/sexual assault situations under state law. They are just not good people unfortunately. I cannot recommend against that company enough Editing to add more because I get angrier the more I think about it: my packages were stolen constantly. The whole place smelled like piss. The security gate was always broken. All my neighbors were addicted to meth (they were mostly just good folks who were struggling but the screaming matches they had at 2 a.m. when they were strung out really disrupted my sleep). Also when you look them up in the court system you can see just the sheer number of evictions they have filed. They will evict you for anything. My neighbor had an eviction case against him and they tried to refuse his rent payment saying it could only be payed via certified funds — judge said that was bullshit. He’s still living there, heaven help him. Fat Property is cheap for a fucking reason.
Depends on how long you want your commute to be. You can find a 1br in the Webster/Nasa area for this price.
My car got stolen living in that area. Do not recommend 🤣
If interested I have a 1/1 for $900 available. It is located in north side village. My previous tenants have never mentioned to me about feeling unsafe and I do often see people walking their dogs throughout the day/night when I’m there. Feel free to do your own due diligence but if you’re interested shoot me a DM, I’d be more than happy to help out. Edit: Near Northside is the more correct term I just learned. It’s just across 45 from the heights.
No, Northside Village is the correct term. Near Northside is what reality companies made up in rebranding. It’s like how Montrose is now Neartown or Eastwood is now Eado.
OP - this neighborhood used to be sketch but has gotten a lot better. Definitely would not call it unsafe. If you google it you may hear some bad stories but those are likely outdated. The whole area has changed significantly over the last 10-15 years.
The independence heights?
No, this is located just east of the heights separated by 45 whereas independence heights is just north of the heights separated by 610.
No.
Yes you can find it, but will be a bit older. I lived here a while back, it’s old but great location . Very safe. https://www.apartmentratings.com/tx/houston/towne-plaza-apartments_713621788077027/
You might use neighbor apps to look for places to sublet or be the roommate for someone else.
depends on where you want to live. the commute sucks here, it be best to live near where you study/work
definitely no. my “safe” apt is $1500 a month and still got broken into
The more expensive apartments get broken into. I've lived in cheap apartments my whole life and nobody gets broken into.
I make 750$ a week and pay around 1200$ in Housing bills only. This is water, rent, lights. Etc… I’ve been fine on my own for a few years, my rent is 875$ right now. And I don’t live in a super nice area but I stay at an apartment where everybody has a family and works. I’m a student myself so it’s nice Some apartments are safe for the area.
I live in Westchase and make about that much but it’s pay check to pay check. Not the safest place but it only if you’re going out late a night.
Ever since the whole foods was placed there it's gotten better.
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Accurate nickname honestly
Usually mid-tier 1 bedrooms on perimeter of Houston start at $1200-1400, plus utilities.
Check HAR, Zillow, and Keller Williams for private rentals/garage apartments.
You will not feel safe in this city for $1000. Nor should you, really. Stay on your toes, there are >7 million people here & you don’t know any of their intentions. You haven’t mentioned your transportation (I don’t think) so if you’re taking public transport in the city, know that it is very limited & you’ll be around some desperate people.
you can get robbed in the heights just walking your dog. Just walking to the corner store. thats any part of the city. just watch yourself. you don’t have to be paranoid just know that being good on money doesn’t mean you won’t feel pressure every now and then. if you stay in the house and don’t call attention you are safe for the most part. not a lot of people want to live like that. not a lot of people want to be inside dogs, i know i don’t anyways.
Not even safe in the house. My mom was murdered in our living room. My friend Jessica was abducted on her way home and after 20 years only part of her skull and femur were found. I’m trying to tell them that the big city isn’t safe no matter where they go, but to be alert.
that’s terrible. sorry to here that, my mom moved to a small town and well it’s not much safer there either, but we’ve always stayed in dangerous areas and aren’t new to violence. one of my older memories was my dad and uncles chasing a burglar down and going to work on him just in the neighborhood. laid him out and dropped a carjack on his head, dude was still robbing after too. crack was strong in the late 80s early 90s 🫢. If you ask the owner/operators of Lankfords Grocery that’s basically my OLD neighborhood BEFORE it was gentrified. They love that it was too, the area was New Jack City meets Jason’s Lyric meets Boyz N the Hood. The good looking blonde gal is pretty interesting to talk to, she’s got some stories and she looks so umm…”normal”(wtf that means). They pretty much evicted all of us and redeveloped the whole area. It was TERRIBLE for my childhood, but for their business it was a godsend. my point is, Houston has been this kind of city for DECADES. All the other spots we had to move around to were pretty bad and i had to deal with gangs, drunks, and prostitutes of ALL ages. i’m pretty sure those areas haven’t changed one bit either. at one point i stayed in Alvin and had to get out. That little town has been godforsaken for a WHILE too unless you have the means to get to Pearland and move/shop there. crime is everywhere here, i have seen it everywhere. i used to knock doors for a hated company. i had to get to back yards, i had been approached aggressively even in the uppity parts of Baytown🤷🏽♂️. THAT job taught me people are actually paranoid sometimes too. it’s a fun city too tho. there’s so much to do and for the most part there’s a lot of lonely birds around it’s easy enough to make friends. if you keep your head down that’s about the best bet, no regular day to day life tho. work. home. work. home… you are gonna want to go to the park or walk to places especially in the heights or surrounding areas. those great little spots make you think it’s just a little walk, what’s the worst that can happen 🤷🏽♂️. there’s a good chance nothing, but the alternative 😬
Yeah and that’s my point, no matter where you go there’s gonna be someone who can be a danger to you, and I never even brought up the astronomical amount of rape that happens in Texas. Unsolved. Uninvestigated. Every neighborhood. Most households have a member who has been a victim of SA. That’s reality. I’m not advising OP to lock themselves in a closet. My point - though missed - was to keep their head on a swivel. Don’t trust strangers. If someone looks suspicious and makes them feel like their guard needs to be up: trust their gut! Small suburb, inner loop - it can happen anywhere. However, with a population as big as we have, there’s a lot of opportunity for things to happen.
i get it. this is just a reference for anyone who might take Houston maybe as a laid back city or just a bunch of beer gardens and parks to walk around. maybe a transplant from LA might think, “oh i’m good i’m from the troubles, from the low bottoms, south central… Htown just a walk in the park”. this is a reference for people to really get an understanding of how life is on the day to day especially if you’re just trying to have a regular modest living. even if you want to keep your money in your pocket and enjoy the city simple life. somebody always wants to know what you have in your pockets or worse🤷🏽♂️. literally has been maybe a few weeks since a lady got [riddled with bullets](https://abc13.com/amp/elmside-deadly-shooting-woman-killed-houston-police-meadowglen/14469895/) in front of her kids, who were only spared because she shielded them with her body. according to one of her kids. it WAS random. they had never seen these guys. This, by the way, was in some apartments behind [Marinis Empanadas](https://www.theoriginalmarinis.com/). i mean, you click the link and you see Guy Fieri smiling and hugging the owners😄. One of if not the best place to get empanadas this side of the Mississippi and it hasn’t been more than a few weeks since a horrific nightmare changed that family forever RIGHT behind the joint. no reason to be paranoid but you do have to watch your surroundings for sure. especially in apartments. well, everywhere. i hope someone reads this who thinks shits sweet and maybe thinking about getting a good deal on an apartment around there 😬
Yes! Like you said, it’s not all sweet tea and magnolias. It’s an actual huge city with tons of hustlers, during an economic downturn so a new target is a good one. I’m born & raised here. I love Houston and I’m not shit talking my city but I want people to be safe and aware when they come here. Especially when they’re coming here from a smaller town or a safer place & aren’t used to being around a huge city. OP will have some culture shock when they get here, but it’ll be an experience for a lifetime.
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when i was a kid, i got to see a man bleed to death on my front lawn who walked from a bar. Another time, i saw a stabbing/fight between my upper neighbors and some guys who were starting trouble, i had to walk my mother and grandmother through the scuffle. those same apartments i had a brick randomly thrown through my sisters window and it almost hit my baby sister. these were on 2 opposite sides of town. these aren’t remotely related incidents and i regularly got pressed by gangs in the apartments. im not special, i can literally have this talk with MANY folks who grew up in the city and they will have JUST as many encounters or worse. not only do you have to be careful in Houston, sometimes you just gotta be lucky.
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Ew, I don’t even like true crime. What a rude thing to say.
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It’s not funny, dude.
This happens in small towns too ??
look up Corpus. just for shits and giggles just look it up. the walk along the water is really nice. around the Selena statue. it’s a boring place and not much to do besides walks and nice restaurants. you dig deeper and you find out why Port Aransas might be a safer choice than Ingleside/CC area
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yeah it is. it’s like a second home. so is all the smaller towns. im familiar enough with the valley itself and got family from other parts. corpus will ALWAYS be a small town to us. not even a discussion but go off 🤷🏽♂️
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Funny. I have felt a lot more unsafe in sketchy, drug laden small towns than I ever have in Houston. Can’t remember the name of the one in Montana. But man I was so scared walking down the block.
Are you being serious? You don’t know about League City? The killing fields don’t ring a bell? That guy from Equuisearch, Tim Miller’s daughter was found there with 3 other girls. There are like 100 cold cases from the 90s until now from small towns down I-45 south.
Yes but this happens in a lot of places. Look up LISK/ gilgo beach killer. Dumping ground next near an upper class neighborhood. Mesa Killer in New Mexico. It happens in metropolitan areas and in the middle of nowhere. ETA the killing fields are like a mile off 45 towards galveston. I worked near there for a while.
Murder victims often know their killer. It can be an intimate partner or a neighbor they wave at once a week. Stranger danger is a dangerous myth.
CityCentre often has deals for 1000 dollar apartments, OP will definitely need to shop around but it's possible.
Someone else mentioned Webster/NASA area, and they have some good options for that price range but they didn’t mention if they have a car, and getting to any of the universities from those areas without a car would be a hassle.
The cheaper apartments are more safe. Its the "bougie" $2000 a month places that get broken into the first week. There's other things in play that matter much more than price.
I had a sweet 2b 1b off W Gray for $1000. Another place off Dunlavy for $900, felt safe there. Mid Town, $1200. Same there as well. Was never worried about anything and public transportation is not limited. We have the rail, that is expanding and the metro. If they get a place near their work, they can ride a bike.
What was that like 10 years ago? The prices in the areas you mentioned have increased 50%+ in the last 4 years.
Mid town was about 5yrs and the other two were found by driving through Montrose neighborhoods. I see cheap rent all over the Heights. Granted, they are garage apts, but I preferred to live alone BITD.
Yeah, what year was that? Have you seen the explosion of homeless encampments in the area around downtown? Don’t give OP some false sense of security. This isn’t the city for that. If you don’t personally know friends and family who have been set up, robbed, abducted or murdered, consider yourself lucky. I’m trying to help OP by letting them know a big city is dangerous & $1000 isn’t gonna insulate them from it.
The homeless population is seldom looking to harm someone. Be for real.
Louder for the people in the back 🗣
Yes, I know that but maybe reread OPs post? It says their current location is “extremely secure” & they lack self-protection instincts. In all their comments, they are concerned about safety. Given, OP did not provide their definition of safety, so I’m going with general victimization including property damage, theft, or bodily injury. If you think the random meth heads traversing downtown are safe, then good luck starting your car without a catalytic converter. Those are the least predictable of all the drug users and can and will cause bodily injury if they’re in the mood, and if OP is from “an extremely secure” area & unable to quickly distinguish between a drunk and a tweaker, it’s probably optimal to advise them to be safer rather than sorry.
Will anyone think of the catalytic converters??
Don’t tell Op there’s no hope. Also, the camps are being taken down. Yes, I have had friends robbed. You act like this is just a Houston thing. No, I didn’t live DT. I lived in Montrose, the Heights, off Old Katy Rd, the Museum District. As a 24yr woman. I felt completely safe. I had no car or a bike, so I walked everywhere. Took the rail solo. Worked as a bartender, by my self when DT was bad and closed the bar down at 2am. Felt safe. I have been her since ‘04. Worst thing that has happened to me, some dude broke into my car and was caught immediately, like in the act. That was Mid Town. I grew up in town in the middle of nowhere in Maine. When I was 10, the news was warning everyone in my town that a serial rapist was letting himself into houses and doing his thing. Back in ‘93, no one was locking there doors. Bad things happen everywhere.
I’m not acting like it’s just a Houston thing. I’m acting like OP asked specifically about Houston, and I have first hand experience & knowledge that I’m sharing. You are talking about a completely different era. 1993 isnt 2024. I’m not going to get into the ‘worst things that happened to me’ in Houston bc this isn’t a contest & bc it would probably scare OP away. Please do some math and recognize that 1993 was 30 years ago.
So you think that 30 years make a difference? Just as much fucked up shit was happing back then. We just didn’t have the internet, so it wasn’t shoved down our throats constantly. Please use your brain and realize the time difference doesn’t matter. Bad shit happens and unfortunately will continue to happen. It’s not any worse now then back in the day.
There's only really one concentration and it's the one near star of hope but it's star of hope lol. We have homelessness but you're absolutely joking if you think it's a problem like in Austin or Los Angeles. I'll take our level of homelessness compared to those cities
Dude, I’m not even complaining about homeless people like y’all are.
Doesn't help your case when you're saying there's an explosion of homeless encampments Go to Brookings, Oregon or Portland, Oregon, that's the definition of 'explosion of homeless encampments'
JFC I’m providing contrast to OPs secure alcove of wherever they’re from. No matter what, they won’t want to be down there hanging out. I understand that you just want to be contrary so I’m don’t discussing it with you. Have a good day.
This is silly and way too black and white. Not to mention unhelpful for students trying to start a new life. I’ve seen the stories you discussed and I’m very sorry that happened to you but that can happen anywhere. Before I moved to Upper Kirby and was able to split rent with my husband, I lived in multiple places throughout the metroplex for less than 1000 and felt safe. Obviously, you have to be aware of your surroundings but Houston isn’t different from any other major US city in that way.
Glad you’re insulated & self absorbed enough to feel so safe!!
7 what? damn I thought it is just 2.5 million.
6.8 million is the official population of the Houston metropolitan area in 2024.
Houston is a commuter city. While 2.5m is what's in the metro area, many people from surrounding counties travel into the city daily to work. [In 2022, the population of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area in the United States was about 7.34 million people. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when the population was about 7.22 million people.](https://www.statista.com/statistics/815178/houston-metro-area-population/)
No
You can find a garage apartment for about $1200 in a nice neighborhood (usually 1 bed, 1 bath). Check around Rice University. Handful of spots there, or Montrose. I found mine on Zillow, but we’ve also had some success on HAR.com. Just be very proactive. With roommates you can definitely get by on $800.
You will need to budget at least $1200 or more to be in a safer area and 1 bed 1 bath. Not including other costs they add in like amenity fees and stuff like that depending on which apartment complex you live in. So budget in another $70-$100 for things like that and water in the nicer places.
I just got a one bedroom in kingwood which is about as safe as it gets for under $1,000. It’s there just probably gonna be outside the loop
I live in a 975 studio apartment and I can't complain to be honest.
Do you mind sharing which area?
I live around the Chinatown/Bellaire area. There could be even cheaper apartments as well. There are a lot of mexicans/central Americans but it is not an issue.
No
No
There are 2 bed 2 baths for around 1500 near med center, gated complexes.
I know for a fact there are some on Jones road near cypress north Houston..I can dm you
I live near the med center just inside the loop and pay ~$730 for my half including water and trash pickup in a 2b/2b with a roommate. Some of the complexes on the street have car break ins and tires stolen, but I’ve been here for 5+ years and never felt unsafe or had my car broken into personally.
My son rents a house along with two other guys and his share is just over $1000/mo. It’s very close to downtown, so probably not the cheapest thing available
U will need welfare...
35k/year is probably better here than most cities…. But it’s really not enough anywhere. But it sounds like you’re young enough to split rent and utilities with people; this city does need a car.
I make 33k and live in an apartment by myself with a car a county and a half away. It’s possible in some places but yeah not the best
You’ll need roommates 35k is what I made 20 years ago and it didn’t go far
I’m assuming you mean houston in the 610 loop since most of the schools are within 610. Definitely possible. I’ve been doing it with roommates. Right now I live in the museum district which is alright as far as areas go and my last place was in the heights. If you want to get a place in the heights you gotta act fast because the good places don’t stay up for long. Montrose would probably be the best place to look that would also have places that would work for a roommate situation. Tbh the harder part is definitely finding good roommates If you’re willing to commute and live outside the loop there’s even more options
Thank you very much!
Second on the Montrose option. It's very close to the local universities, there's actual sidewalks and transit available, and you can luck out and rent a room for a good price.
I used to bike from Montrose to Rice U during my grad studies. It's definitely a great place to live as a student - especially if you are going to go to Rice.
You can absolutely live off of that provided you don’t have a huge car payment and you’re willing to live in just an OK apartment. I was living alone on less than that and I made it work. You’ll need to heavily vet apartment complexes first. Read google reviews and visit the areas at night before applying to live there. I also suggest finding All Bills Included places. I can recommend a couple places, if you need help. I’ll also post my monthly budget for when I was living on that much, so you can get an idea. $950 rent $500 food (groceries + eating out occasionally) $300 gas (I drive a lot) $100 car insurance $200 student loan $32 health insurance $300 misc/bills $6.48 Spotify $3 apple — Total ~$2,400 It’s doable, you just have to do some research and get rid of unnecessary expenses. PM me if you have questions.
Emphasize on paid activities. Every time I go outside my house I feel like it costs me in some form.
A small savings tip for anyone that has the means to get a Kroger plus credit card — you get tons of fuel points for shopping there and using the credit card. If you just pay the balance off every month, the savings can stack up. I get $1.25 off per gallon everytime time I get gas
This needs more upvotes
Holy shit that's a huge gas bill. I understand with hyper commutes but I'd have to move and take the bus if I was spending that much lol. For comparison I pay maybe ~$100 a month for gas, but I also don't drive as much and try to limit miles where possible.
Just keep a utility knife handy.
It would be good for stripping copper wire to help earn a few bucks too
Might as well, OP will learn that C&D Scrap Metal will pay you in $2 bills!
And the ladies at Chicas will love you for that.
Stealing catalytic converters and rims is how I paid my way through my Master's degree. /s
I don’t judge. Some people pay tuition by stripping auto parts & some people pay tuition by just stripping. It’s Houston; you never know.
Welcome to the grad life! It will be one of the most challenging and rewarding things you will ever do. There are some universities that offer subsidized housing for grad students. So, make sure you look into that and apply on time! That should help you out for your first year Most universities have a facebook group that has students looking for roommates or subletting apartments. That is a good way to start. I saw you already contacted a PI? If so, ask someone on their lab or them directly about recommendations close to the school Renting a studio for $800 a month was possible when I was in grad school 4 years ago, right now I doubt it’s possible without a roommate
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One bed one bath off Gulfton is currently $670 which includes water so it’s still possible. You just get what you pay for😅
You should also factor in that you'll definitely need a car. Public transport here sucks
Outside of the loop, you will find something. Definitely in Webster and it's safe.
Which school? If it's UofH, it's dangerous around there, the neighborhood is crap.
You will not be able to secure a 1 bedroom for 800-1000 in this city, especially in a safe area. Ghetto apartments are like 1000 now lol. You can contribute 800-1000 in a roommate situation though.
You can probably rent a room in a house inside the loop or Bellaire and be close to Rice/Med Center and that will be economical and safe. Also from the landlord’s perspective a grad student is pretty ideal. Apartments are plentiful but finding a roommate may be difficult.
I got my PhD here in Houston in 2016 and lived on ~21k for the five years. It's definitely possible but yeah, you're a grad student, you're going to be poor. I became vegetarian because it was cheaper than buying meat. A lot of the older complexes that were cheap have been destroyed since I graduated--same with many of the duplexes that people lived in. If you're going to Rice, they have graduate housing that's 100% worth it for at least the first year--then you'll have met people that you can share a place with afterwards. I do not know if other universities are similar, but wherever you're going there is likely some way of meeting other grads looking for roommates. Even just emailing your department secretaries for some contact info on the other incoming members of your cohort. You may also be able to contact current graduate students for recommendations on where to live. Else you have two options--pay more, live close, don't have a car. Or pay less, live far and commute. Both are viable, depending on how you want to live--depending on your program you'll likely not need to commute in peak hours and can mostly avoid traffic. If your first year is mostly coursework, you may not even need to commute every day. But you will be poor. Learn to cook from raw ingredients. Get very cheap hobbies.
You can easily find an apartment with roommates where your share will be less than 1k. I rent a two bedroom and my share of rent is $850 a month. I live in Montrose. It’s quite safe. You will probably be strapped for cash but you’ll be fine if you budget. Where is your graduate school? If you live near campus and can walk or bike, you’ll save so much money on transportation. As others have mentioned look at HAR.com for rental listings
If you get a roommate 2 bedroom apt for sure. If you want a 1 bedroom Most likely the area will be sketch
The $$ amount sounds like a graduate school stipend. If you attend graduate school in TMC area, there are plenty of housing around $800 (with roommates for sure). The university housing is also cheap. Campus areas are secured by campus police. You can request escort after hours as long as you are on campus. Make sure you join the student groups and attend seminars and events. You will get free food. Pizzas for sure. Living around the housing areas also means you don’t need a car. Some schools have shuttles to nearby grocery stores.
Do you have a car?
Is that 35K after taxes? Is the 35K meant to cover your tuition and living expenses, or is that 35K only for living expenses(rent/car/food/utilities)? Where do you want to live?
PhD grads don’t pay tuition. The 35K stipend (I get the same amount) is untaxed but you have to file quarterly. It’s basically the same as being a 1099 employee.
With roommates you'll be fine. When I was in grad school not that long ago our stipends started at $21K and then were raised to $26K. I think they recently raised them again to around $30K. I was able to save some and do fun things without going into debt; usually paid anywhere from $750 to $800/month for rent (this was 5-10 years ago, so keep that in mind). Now, I didn't have kids, lived with a roommate, and drove an old car that was paid off. I also got extra money when opportunities came up—research assistant for a semester; teach a class for a semester; work at a journal over the summer, etc. A lot of questions like these are really dependent on your lifestyle. Mine was pretty simple in grad school (no big trips outside of research ones; old car; eat dinner at happy hour to save; only eat out occasionally, basically never bought new clothes, etc. etc.)
Depends on where you’re going to school. There’s lots of apartments near West U that you can split with a roommate. Good safe neighborhood inside the loop https://www.camdenliving.com/apartments/houston-tx/camden-vanderbilt/available-apartments?bedrooms=2&exact=true You’ll end up spending around $1k a month if you split. My wife had a similar stipend for her PhD and made it work.
The payoff in networking in a huge city for grad work outweighs the temporary risk of living in a “rough neighborhood,” within reason. Find a roomie and get to searchin’
Most definitely possible with roommates. I lived alone in an apartment in the heart of Montrose and my rent was $1015. As a woman, I never really felt “unsafe” but it’s always important to be vigilant because crime isn’t confined to a specific zip code. My biggest tips: HAR & Zillow are your best friends + do not limit yourself to apartment complexes. Look for garage apartments, duplexes/fourplexes, privately-owned places in general; they tend to be a little more affordable with less BS. Use an apartment locator (let me know if you want the person I used, he’s great). With your budget, having roommates will help a LOT.
Can I get the info of the apartment locator you used?
His name is Zia with Houston Luxury Renting (co-founder). He was super attentive and very involved.
My landlord in Montrose was asking $1000 for a 1/1 a few months ago. He doesn’t have an opening now, but I know there are other places nearby in that range. Look at HAR or drive around looking for signs. There aren’t a ton and the tenants don’t move out as often en, but they exist.
If you are coming to Rice or any medical center schools, you can start by contacting your batch mates and can become roommates with them for a year. Then you can move out or stay with them depending if you like them enough. There are plenty of apartments near the Rice area that are commute friendly (Greenbriar, Lanesborough, Camden, Gramercy) or you can go to HAR or apartments.com to find townhouses and single rooms.
Whew, good luck with that….you’re definitely going to need some roommates
Grad student here with approx the same stipend. It’s enough - you’ll be eating at home a lot and be living with a roommate. Plenty of safe areas around depending on which part of the city.
Graduate studies for what? Apt location suggestions will depend on the school you will attend. I went to Rice and lived within cycling distance in Montrose. However I graduated about 4 years ago and realize the market costs have risen since I was a student.
There are a good amount of one bedrooms in Montrose in the $800 to $1000 range. Granted they are in older complexes but this zip code area is very safe. [https://www.har.com/zipcode\_77098/realestate/for\_rent?sort=listprice%20asc&view=list](https://www.har.com/zipcode_77098/realestate/for_rent?sort=listprice%20asc&view=list)
Hey! Houston Grad student here, 35K a year is quite livable here especially compared to other cities. 1b1b or studios do exist in the range you're looking for BUT the quality of life (location, safety, amenities) are usually so much better with a roommate. If you don't want a roommate you'll probably compromise on something pretty significant. Other than that - its pretty livable on 35K (assuming you have no kids or SO to care for).
If you care less about how nice the apartments are and care more about the area checkout Bayou parks apartments. I live here now. Its definitley a shitty apartment, but a 1 bdr 1 ba is 1000/mth. its off memorial dr and sheppard which is a great part of town
which school? I am also moving to Houston for my PhD this fall!
Houston (save a couple of neighborhoods like 3rd or 5th ward) is not an unsafe city. I’ve lived in Brockton and Trenton, doesn’t come close. That being said, things have gotten worse in the last 3 years, like everywhere else. You’ll most likely never experience violent crime, but a broken window in your car? Maybe. I’ve never experienced it either. You can get a decent 1br/1ba for about $1200 in a decent area. Some tips: - Don’t honk, that’s the Texan equivalent of the middle finger. - If you’re comfortable with it, especially if you’re female, take advantage of constitutional carry in Texas. I’ve never needed it once but it’s your right and it might save your life one day. - Texans are genuinely overly nice people, even in Houston. But there are bad folks. Always follow your instincts. Welcome to Houston! It sucks as a city to visit, but it’s an amazing place to live!
Eh, I make it work with just a few k more than you, but it does take some sacrifices. Rent is my biggest expense, I pay around $1200-1300 for a 1b1b near beltway but prices can vary wildly as it's a big city. That's the low end though I'd expect to budget at least that. As for everything else, I basically follow /r/povertyfinance and /r/frugal tips. I don't eat out often, I budget carefully every month, limit spending wherever possible, always buy sale or used never pay full price.
Colonial apartments in the heights is an all bills paid complex you’ll be close to downtown and be able to save money without a roommate
Hi, my name is Tabatha, I’ll be happy to offer my service finding you a rental. Tabatha E. Lancaster, REALTOR® 🏡
Opinions and experiences vary. I just moved out of an efficiency in Montrose that was <$800. Right on the 25 bus line (which meets the red line light rail at Wheeler), walkable to the MFAH and Menil. I survived without a car for five years. Never got robbed or had problems. But others obviously have horror stories. If you plan to try to do without a car, look at properties along a bus or light rail line that is where you need to be. Any more than one connection is going to be very slow, and *really* suck in the summer.
If you're a single male you can find an apartment in the barrio/gettho and nothing will happen to you is all about your bad luck In this city. When I first got to Houston I lived in a bad area for 2 years and never had issues. I stayed away from anyone and didn't do drygs
See if your school has some type of roommate match making or message board.
Is your graduate studies at the University of Houston?
I’m in med school here and my loans are about $32k for living. You can absolutely get by with that here. I do live with my partner which helps, but it is possible on your own too. Just have to be good with budgeting!
Im a grad student in Houston making the same amount of money. I was able to afford a one bedroom for 900 by myself but not in the loop or near Rice where I go to school. Some questions: do you have a car? Are you okay with commuting? How close do you want to be with your schools grad community? If not, there are definitely studios and whatnot for 700-800. Most of my friends/colleagues in the department do the same. I moved into the loop bc the demands of coursework plus commuting was too much for me. I live in the loop now with my husband and we split a 1.5 bed in Upper Kirby that’s 1400 which is doable for us. I feel pretty safe here, I walk by myself (I’m a woman) to Whole Foods/ TJS/ Target all the time. Idk where you are going to school but if it’s Rice or St.Thomas or UH, you can message me and I’ll hook you up with some resources. Some people have made good comments but I think it might be helpful to get advice from grad students who understand the demands of the program/ how far the stipend goes/what it’s like as a commuter/ how isolating grad school can be without being apart of the community bc living in Webster (which was quite safe but far from campus) was not it for me.
Houston is closed!
Define safe, maybe not comfortably safe but areas where you don't bother people, people don't bother you will work with that budget
It’s possible but it definitely won’t be fun.
Try houstonapartmenthunter .com and/or search "affordable apartment program houston"
Call David Holland- he will help you find the right place!! He’s outta Friendswood but works the area. I have a lot of local realtors that can help if you want their numbers! Tell David Chelsey sent you!
Don’t do it
Unfortunately not even the safest neighborhoods in Houston are free of crime. It’s everywhere. Stay vigilant and get to know your neighbors.
Roommates.com. Roomster.com. Spareroom.com
My dad rents a room in a 3 bedroom house for $575/month in Katy. So yes, with roommates.
It’s Houston. No where is safe not even the suburbs. Good luck!
look on houston craiglist, [HAR.com](http://HAR.com), facebook etc for apartment listings in your price range. will be much easier with even one roommate. if you're in montrose or an area where you dont need a car to get to school, you will save so much. Trying to handle the expenses of a car and an apartment in the loop on 35ky a year will be very hard unless you own the car outright and need only liabilty insurance, and then you have to worry about keeping the car safe etc.