Scuttlefish

In response to what Zetasp said - I am a current PhD student at UCSC, and I can confirm that finding safe, affordable housing can be incredibly challenging, especially if you have a partner/pets/children. Most graduate students here rent a single room in a house with other grads, and a single room can cost anywhere from $800- $1500 depending on the location, size, etc. I moved here with my partner and ESA several years ago, and we were turned away from almost every affordable rental we looked at for one reason or another - it's a real landlord's market, and we encountered some blatantly illegal practices because the demand for housing is so high that landlords can get away with a lot in Santa Cruz. I would recommend to anyone who is considering moving to Santa Cruz that you begin looking for housing as soon as possible - we started looking six months before moving here, and still ended up getting stuck paying almost $3000/month for a 650 sq ft, one bedroom apartment our first year. Contacting your department and seeing if you can get on any grad student listservs or chats is also a good idea - often people find places through these resources. Also, be very wary of scams, and read reviews on apartment complexes - we almost moved into one that seemed affordable and animal friendly, but from reading reviews, I found out that the place was also notorious for their mold, bedbugs, and other pests, and had very hostile, unhelpful management to boot. I now live in Family Student Housing on campus, and can confirm that while it has some downsides (very old buildings, poor insulation, etc.), it's one of, if not the, most affordable options for couples looking for a private space in a safe area. We've never been able to find anything cheaper. Feel free to DM me if you have questions about living at FSH at UCSC. Best of luck!

Current TA at UC Santa Cruz chiming in - though they list the TA annual salary as $46,493, with a monthly take-home of of $2,582.83, my actual take-home pay after taxes and fees is closer to $2200/month. It should also be noted that UCSC operates on a nine month annual cycle, and funding during summers is not always guaranteed; this may be why the annual estimates seem high. It can be very difficult to live in Santa Cruz on a TA stipend due to the incredibly high cost of living here. Hope that helps!

I would also take into consideration that funding yourself through assistantships can significantly slow your progress in your degree and have a negative impact on your mental health, especially if you're in a research-oriented field. I ran into this for the first time last fall; being a TA on top of trying to get my research off the ground and meet my other program requirements during this pandemic almost broke me (I had struggles with my mental health prior to this, but the extra burden in terms of time and energy that being a TA required was almost too much to deal with). The potential for SAD is certainly something worth taking into consideration, but I would also consider whether you might run into mental health issues at your top choice school due to financial stress and potentially having to fund your studies through assistantships that may take up a significant amount of time and energy. From your post, I was a little unclear on whether your second choice schools offered stipends as well as tuition waivers, but if they do, I would give that a lot of weight. For that reason, I would probably give some serious thought to whether you could make your fully funded options work, despite their less than ideal location. Source: current PhD student living in one of the most beautiful towns in sunny California who is seriously struggling with mental health due to funding issues, and is spending a ton of money on therapy as a result.

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I made an account just to respond to this and let you know that you're not alone! I too relocated thousands of miles away from home to go to school in California in the fall of 2019, right before the pandemic began, and the isolation and loneliness has been unbearable. In addition to not being able to visit my family, the pandemic has been a huge obstacle in building new friendships, bonding with my lab mates, and getting to know my new town - and that's setting aside how much it has delayed and interfered with my research due to cancelled field seasons and supply chain issues. My mental health has suffered so badly during my time in this program that I am also considering leaving if things don't improve in the next year.... so you're not alone! You made the best choice for you, and that's something no one should ever feel guilty about. I wish you much happiness and success in your new program!