PittPanther13

Fat Heads is by far the best, good assessment overall. haha

Fat Heads is by far the best, good assessment overall. haha

Hi! I'm in the opposite situation as you: I live in Pittsburgh and I am likely moving to Boston in the summer/fall for grad school. 
 
I can repeat what everyone else has said in here: Pittsburgh is a totally affordable city on a graduate stipend, especially compared to Boston. I am in total sticker shock just looking at the cost of living in Boston! 
 
As for neighborhoods to live in, I would definitely recommend either Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. Most graduate students live in one or the other. Shadyside is definitely more upscale and has nicer shopping and bars, but Squirrel Hill is a little cheaper and if you live anywhere near Murray Ave, you can walk to the grocery store and there are other shops on that road as well. Regent Square is also a nice area, but way more residential -- not as many students. I'd stay as far away as possible from South Side/The Slopes. South Side is basically a huge bar area and so if you value privacy and the quiet, it isn't that great of an area as a graduate student. Oakland is okay, but it's also become really populated with undergraduates so there is a ton of noise and partying there all the time. Fun for a Friday night, but not so much for a place to live. 
 
I moved here last August from the suburbs and were it not for needing to move to attend a different program, I would definitely stay here. If you are planning on attending Pitt or CMU, riding the bus is free which is super nice. I don't really consider Pittsburgh a city in the way that I do New York, Chicago, or Boston. It feels more like a ton of different neighborhoods right on top of each other, each with its own ethos.
 
If you do plan to visit, don't plan on spending much time downtown. It's basically a big business area with a few nice/upscale restaurants. When I first visited and only saw downtown, I thought I was moving to the most boring place on the planet. 
 
Also, everyone will tell you that when you get to Pittsburgh, you need to eat a sandwich at Primanti's. I'd skip that and just go straight to Fat Heads in South Side. Primanti's is a big touristy place and all, but really it's just a sandwich with fries and coleslaw on top. Plus, if you like beer, Fat Heads has 42 on tap! D's Six Packs and Dogs in Regent Square is another hidden treasure if you're into beer: they have over 1,000 different ones and you can make your own six packs. 
 
I think that's everything important.

I wouldn't go as high as $1000 a month for a studio, even in Shadyside which is the most expensive, you can probably find a decent looking studio for 700ish. I lived last year in North Oakland on the edge of shadyside, and had a 1 bedroom for $850 and that was with all utilities included. A roommate would definitely cut your costs nearly in half. As far as extra money to have a social life, Pittsburgh isn't too expensive around Oakland and Shadyside, which is where most students prefer to go. Most places have half-price appetizers and happy hours all the time. I probably get by on about $800-$900 a month currently living in Squirrel Hill in a 2 bedroom and I go out to eat/ drinking about once or twice a week.

It does sting a lot for the first few days, but you'll get through it. The amount of applicants this year is ridiculously high, and almost all of the applicants would do extremely well. You'll get in somewhere, and then just make the best of it and try to do so well that you feel that they should regret not accepting you.
 
I, for one, have taped my 2 rejection letters to the back of my door and set to the background on my phone as kind of a motivational poster (I found a typo in my Washington rejection letter, which made me feel a bit better after I wrote "idiots" next to it). 
 
Just get that first acceptance letter and you'll forget about the rejections. Good luck!