What is the cost of living in Baltimore and Durham?

[Guest Garcon]

Dear all,

I heard that the cost is not low in both places. Is that right? Can I survive in these two cities with funding of about 15k? What is your advice?

Thanks in advance.

Yours,

Garcon

[Guest]

Baltimore, depending on where you live, should be doable on 15k. You may have to bike or do bus transport to get around from cheap areas to campus (depending on which school you are at) and you will need a roomate, but you can do it. Rents really depends where you are going, but there are something like 12 colleges in town so there is plenty of affordable student housing available if you start looking for it and have a budget in mind when you go.

[Guest]

Baltimore's definitely doable on 15k (though you may have to work/ find funding in the summer if you plan on staying and your stipend is for 9 months). My boyfriend's a first year grad student at Hopkins, and he lives reasonably well on a 14k stipend (lots of shopping at the great market on Saturdays). He has a pretty spacious studio that he pays $700 a month for, but he's since learned that he can probably do better. Hope that helps!

[Guest]

Both of these cities are reasonably cheap by national standards. 

[Guest guest]

Grad students live like kings and queens on their stipends. Very affordable, many students are able to buy houses/townhouses, admittedly often with parental help, but still ... pretty incredible.

[ophiolite]

I live much better than I had as an undergradute on my 16k stipend in Chapel Hill. My rent is ~700/mth for a one bedroom (split w/fiance). If you can find roommates cost keeps on going down! Those in my department with a one bedroom w/no roommate pay between 500 and 700 a month. Not exactly sure about Durham pricing, but probably about equivalent.

[Guest adrienne]

i'm from the ral-durham area... durham is much more reasonable than chapel hill as far as living costs (i went to UNC-CH undergrad). you'll be fine... and i'm a big fan of durham, btw.

[Guest Guest]

I think living in either location is within reason with the stipend you mentioned, however, I think Durham is a little bit more affordable. Also, you have to be careful if you're looking at cheap housing in Baltimore, there are some areas of the city that really aren't safe. Personally, I wouldn't want to live there (I interviewed at JHU and decided that even though it is a good school, I couldn't live there).

[Guest guest]

I think living in either location is within reason with the stipend you mentioned, however, I think Durham is a little bit more affordable. Also, you have to be careful if you're looking at cheap housing in Baltimore, there are some areas of the city that really aren't safe. Personally, I wouldn't want to live there (I interviewed at JHU and decided that even though it is a good school, I couldn't live there).

I went to JHU for undergrad, and although there are some sketchy areas, it's really not bad, at least around the main (Homewood) campus. There is a lot of cheapish housing right near the homewood campus. I'd check out Charles Village, Hamden, and Roland Park (the latter can be pricey, but you can find cheap apartments if you look). Those are all areas that have a mix of college/grad students and families. I never felt threatened when I lived there, but of course you have to use common sense--don't walk around drunk at night, alone, for example. Most of the violence in Baltimore is confined to certain areas of the city, and as long as you don't venture in those areas too much, you won't really see the crime.

For what it's worth, I really liked living there and I'd consider moving back.

[Guest Debating]

This is a good place to start: http://www.communityhousing.duke.edu/FH ... ptions.php. Living in Durham is very affordable, and it's a nice town. It's very spotty though, where I lived was awesome, but literally four blocks down the same street it was really sketchy... for example, you don't want to live a couple of blocks right north of Duke. When you call the landlords, they should be able to give you details (assuming they're truthful).