my funding offers have been in the range of 15-17k per year as a stipend and there are always fellowship and scholarship opportunities as well. in one city the stipend is livable and in the other it is only livable if you have three roommates. which actually is not that bad because the spaces are large and have private rooms, and rent can be driven down to about 300/month.
i guess the best way to approach it is to plan a lifestyle around the stipend - you can usually earn extra money on the side, like i run a tutoring business. get creative!