Thanks! let me ask you one more question! What if I lease for 9 months? (because I will visit my home country during summer) All apartments that I found allow me to lease for 9months. So my plan is I am going to lease for 9months and stay in my home country during summer vacation and find a new studio and lease for another 9 months (and I am going to throw away my desk and matteess and buy new ones every year and I will put my other stuff in my cousin's house in Maryland while I stay in my country during summer) If it is my case, do you still think $1,500-$1,700 is still too much for rent? Since I have no experience in living in the US, I have no idea how much I need to pay for rent..:(