Potentially Moving to St. Louis near Washington University: Cost of Living? (University City: for sale, apartments)

[nlemmon86]

My girlfriend recently was accepted in to a grad program at Washington University and it looks like we will probably both be moving to that area (from North Carolina) next fall.

What can you all tell me about the cost of living around there?

I basically need to know how much a decent studio apartment would cost for each of us (we don't really want to move in together until we 'seal the deal' so to speak).

Also, do you like St. Louis in general? I know crime is a concern, but how is the economy/job market for a recent college grad?

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I just wanna say, I find it admiral that you and your girlfriend decide to live apart until the wedding day, even if it costs you more money.

Kind of old-fashioned, but I admire it.

And congrats to her on getting into Wash U.

I would suggest trying craigslist: st louis, MO classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events and maybe STLtoday.com - For Rent (http://realestate.stltoday.com/RealEstate/rentals/SearchIndex.asp - broken link) I've never tried the STLToday paper for rentals, though.

Are you wanting a suburb? If so, try University City maybe. If you want the city, there seem to be some nice neighborhoods south of Forest Park.

Sorry I can't be of more help than that.

[wustu87]

Will she be on the main Danforth Campus or on the Medical Campus? That will make a big difference where to choose to live. If she is a Wash U grad student you should consider a Wash U apartment run by Quadrangle. Many of the first year grad students live in university apartments:

Welcome to Quadrangle Housing (http://www.offcampushousing.wustl.edu/index.asp - broken link)

Or you can try one of the many apartments available through the university's referral service:

Apartment Referral Services (http://ars.wustl.edu/home.asp - broken link)

We enjoy the St. Louis area, but the job market is similar to how it is across the rest of the country -- not very pretty. A lot depends on your degree and specialized expertise, but there is quite a bit of competition for jobs. One of the best places to look for jobs, incidentally, is Wash U itself, especially at the med school. The university is being hurt by the economic downturn too, but it is still hiring people.

[AJohnston_STL]

lemmon, are you the recent college grad, or are you asking about when she gets done with school? There's a good chance that the economy will be "coming back" around the time she's finishing, so I wouldn't worry a whole heck of a lot at this point...for her. If you are talking about you, what field are you in?

As far as living, I can't much help with a studio. What will your price range be, and do you want to live in the same building?

[joe stixpuck]

Craigslist is the best source for rentals in the StL area IMO, unless you want to rent in one of the larger apartment communities. Most of the studio/1br units I've seen on CL range from $400-$600, and more upscale and expensive are available also.

Main thing to watch out for is whether units have gas service for heat and hot water...that can get pretty expensive, especially during winter. If only running a cooking stove with gas that's not too bad though. Other utilities are pretty avg/cheap. Gasoline is around $1.70/gal right now. Dining/going out is relative inexpensive here. Overall cost of living is cheap.

Job market is about the same as (most) everywhere else--lean times. There seem to be a lot of inbound call centers (woohoo) that are always hiring at about $10/hr if ya need something to get by. Really depends on your type of edu/occupation what is available and rate of pay.

St. Louis is a pretty cool city. I've lived in many and it's one of my favorites. Great sports town also. Crime can be an issue, but if you know what areas to stay away from it's not much too worry about.

[aragx6]

How close to Wash U do you want to live? What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? Do you want something walkable with lots of indie shops and restaurants or do you want a more suburban feel? how important is public transit to you? What kind of things do you like to do?

[Central Illinois 1]

The two nearby areas with lots of apartments are Clayton and the Central West End. Both areas are "upscale" and alot of the rents in the area reflect that. However, if you are just looking for studio apartments, you can probably find something in a good neighborhood in the $600 range. Crime in Clayton is very low but, in the Central West End, you will need to watch yourself a little more. Both neighborhoods are nice and have lots of restaurants and places to go out. However, if you are looking for the racey nightlife like you might find in LA or NYC, its not really there. The CWE and Clayton can be fun but they tend to be quiet and fairly low key overall - which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.

[nlemmon86]

I'm not sure which campus she will be at. She will possibly be attending the Brown School of social work (so I would assume away from the medical campus.)

We both feel like separate studio apartments would be best at this point, so being able to get around via walking etc. would be preferable. She is probably going to be bringing her car with her, however.

Really I would like something in the $400 - $500 range as that is about what I'm paying now in Chapel Hill, NC.

Yes, I am a recent grad (actually graduating in May) with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from UNC-Chapel Hill (which is a top 30 school in the country, so that's good). I really just need some decent work for while she's in school then consider my own career goals following her graduation and our eventual engagement.

[Aidra]

I lived in a really cute one bedroom about a 20 minute walk/5 minute drive from Wash U. in University City and I paid $490 a month. If you check out CraigsList, streets named after colleges and universities in U. City are nice and have a lot of affordable flats. I lived on Tulane Ave and enjoyed my time there. Amherst Ave., Dartmouth Ave., Tulane Ave., Stanford Ave. are all college student-friendly streets.

A warning, IMO, I'd stay away from anywhere East of N. Skinker Blvd. and North of Olive Blvd. in U. City.

Good luck. I'm currently relocating and I'm looking for advice on the town I'm moving to in April. You can PM me anytime if you want to know more about a neighborhood or area around Wash. U. as I grew up in St. Louis.

Originally Posted by nlemmon86

I'm not sure which campus she will be at. She will possibly be attending the Brown School of social work (so I would assume away from the medical campus.)

We both feel like separate studio apartments would be best at this point, so being able to get around via walking etc. would be preferable. She is probably going to be bringing her car with her, however.

Really I would like something in the $400 - $500 range as that is about what I'm paying now in Chapel Hill, NC.

Yes, I am a recent grad (actually graduating in May) with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from UNC-Chapel Hill (which is a top 30 school in the country, so that's good). I really just need some decent work for while she's in school then consider my own career goals following her graduation and our eventual engagement.