Houston, TX

[biotechie]

10 hours ago, daymoose said:

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are starting our respective graduate programs in Houston this fall (I'll be at Rice and she'll be at the Texas Medical Center). We originally wanted to live in the Rice Village Apartments but they don't open until August and her program starts in June. Since we only have one car between the two of us, we'd like to live someplace where we can walk, bike, or take the rail to the TMC. In particular, we were looking at some of the condos near the Reliant Park metro station. Do you guys have any advice about that area?

Definitely stay off of Holly Hall as sometimes those are a little sketchy. If you live in one of the condos on Cambridge St. on the Med Center side of Holly Hall (close to the Kroger), the 60 bus goes straight into the middle of the Med Center and then to the Med Center Transit Center. Depending on where you live, walking in could be about 30 minutes or so, which on nice days is really fun to do. PM me if you have specific questions about the area and which condos are good or bad. El Paseo street also has some decent ones, but you'll have a longer walk to the med center or to the bus. I don't want to give away where I lived on here!

As you may have noticed, Houston had a bit of an apocalyptic day. Check out places carefully when you move and try to get places that don't flood or upstairs apartments. Also try to find places with parking areas known not to flood. This is the third time Houston has flooded since I moved there, and the second time it has done so badly. Several of my friends have lost their cars that way, and a few have had major apartment damage!

[sjoh197]

On 4/18/2016 at 0:40 PM, daymoose said:

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are starting our respective graduate programs in Houston this fall (I'll be at Rice and she'll be at the Texas Medical Center). We originally wanted to live in the Rice Village Apartments but they don't open until August and her program starts in June. Since we only have one car between the two of us, we'd like to live someplace where we can walk, bike, or take the rail to the TMC. In particular, we were looking at some of the condos near the Reliant Park metro station. Do you guys have any advice about that area?

We thought about moving down there, but went with moving to hermann park area instead. I like to use the Houston crime map to gauge an area... here's the link. 

https://www.crimereports.com/map?CRSearch=Houston,%20TX

I too would probably stay off of Holly Hall. I don't know much about the condo's in the area, although I've heard that IMT medical center are supposed to be okay apartments. 

[MEISFFSNLE]

Hello everyone,

I will be attending Baylor and plan to move within 4 weeks to Houston. I am looking at $700 or below per month, what can I get for that price? I do have a car if that changes anything.

Thanks.

[biotechie]

40 minutes ago, yonglin489 said:

Hello everyone,

I will be attending Baylor and plan to move within 4 weeks to Houston. I am looking at $700 or below per month, what can I get for that price? I do have a car if that changes anything.

Thanks.

You will probably be able to do that if you have a roommate, but decent one-bedroom apartments near the med center tend to run at least $850+, and that is not including utilities like water and electric. I lived outside the 610 loop for a while paying about $850 a month, but that is also a 45 minute bus ride. Parking at the med center can also be expensive, but you can park for $50 or so a month in the remote lots and ride a shuttle in. I recommend living close enough that you can bus into the med center in less than 30 minutes. I moved so my ride in is very short and so I can walk in. You will want the car for getting groceries, etc. Houston is a driving city, though there are good places to get out and play.

[sjoh197]

On 4/21/2016 at 8:44 PM, yonglin489 said:

Hello everyone,

I will be attending Baylor and plan to move within 4 weeks to Houston. I am looking at $700 or below per month, what can I get for that price? I do have a car if that changes anything.

Thanks.

Any non-ghetto apartment near the med center will be much closer to 1000 a month. You can live just outside the 610 loop for that price range, but the drive will be anywhere from 45 min to an hour. There are some decent 2 beds you can get for 1400 ish and share. Estates at Bellaire is one I can think of. Gables citywalk is another. That's anywhere from a 15-25 minute drive. 

Also... remember that a lot of places here have a pretty decent pet fee per pet, and also pet rent usually $25 each pet. 

Another thing you could think about is using "park and ride". Houston metro has a park and ride deal, where even though your ride would be a little longer, you would be on a bus that does non-stop service to TMC. Saves the wear and tear on your car, and means you can use that time to relax, read a book, check your emails... whatever. 

http://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/ParkRide.aspx

[PowerlessVirus]

On 4/21/2016 at 8:44 PM, yonglin489 said:

Hello everyone,

I will be attending Baylor and plan to move within 4 weeks to Houston. I am looking at $700 or below per month, what can I get for that price? I do have a car if that changes anything.

Thanks.

Hey, this is probably already too late, but I figured I would chime in. If you're still looking for a place, email you program administrator about what you're looking for, and they will be able to send out an email to our grad student listserv. It is quite common for us to get emails about people looking for a place/roomate, and this is how a lot of people at Baylor find apartments. Unfortunately, housing prices have been rising quickly, but this is still a pretty affordable place to live. Places like IMT, the Lanesburough, or some options in midtown are pretty decent and placed right on the rail for convenient commuting into TMC. 

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with, and welcome to BCM/Houston!

[AllieKat]

Looking for advice on living close to the medical center! I've been told "it's a buyer's market," so it's common to see some very negative reviews, but where should I actually avoid? Also, how functional is the bus system/the light rail? I'll have a car, but I'm wondering how easy it'd be to take public transit for my daily commute. Thanks!

[biotechie]

2 hours ago, AllieKat said:

Looking for advice on living close to the medical center! I've been told "it's a buyer's market," so it's common to see some very negative reviews, but where should I actually avoid? Also, how functional is the bus system/the light rail? I'll have a car, but I'm wondering how easy it'd be to take public transit for my daily commute. Thanks!

If you live on the bus route or rail to school, it is pretty good. If you want to use it as your only mode of transportation, it is not so good, so it is good news that you have a car! I like using the rail for events like the Rodeo or to get downtown, but other than that, the only time I use it is for getting to lab. Uber/Lyft are also pretty good.

I lived outside of the 610 loop for my first two years, and I would avoid living that far out. It was a 45-minute bus ride each day, and now that they've changed the bus route, is a 45-minute ride + a 20-minute walk or 8-10 minutes waiting/riding the rail.

My friends and I have had the best luck renting privately owned condos in a little area called "Condoland." This is near the Dental School mostly down Cambridge Street and along Old Spanish Trail and the "nice side" of Holly Hall (going East from Cambridge). There are also nice apartments nearby, like Stella. Most of these are near the 60 bus route, which drops off throughout the Med Center and runs until 10:20-ish at night!

[PsyJessica]

Hello everyone!

I will be attending University of Houston this fall and it will be the first time for me to go there (actually the second time to go to US lol)! I have to say sorry first if I use improper words. Therefore I really want to get useful and recent information there. For example, would you please recommend some specific communities? Safety is the priority and I also hope I won't spend too much time commuting. And I'm wondering when it's the best time for me to looking for apartments. By the way, I also want to know if SSN is necessary for renting an apartment because I'm worried that I need to find a place to sleep before getting to school and beginning my TA work.

Also, I will get a stipend of about 1,600 per month and want to know more about the cost of living there. For example, how much it will cost if I cook most time and go to restaurants(of course, not luxury ones)? Only when I know that, I can decide how much I can use to find a cozy, single apartment to live in.

I heard that this city is a multi-cultural place so I really look forward to pursuing graduate study there! Thanks in advance.

[killerbunny]

On 3/29/2018 at 7:06 AM, PsyJessica said:

Hello everyone!

I will be attending University of Houston this fall and it will be the first time for me to go there (actually the second time to go to US lol)! I have to say sorry first if I use improper words. Therefore I really want to get useful and recent information there. For example, would you please recommend some specific communities? Safety is the priority and I also hope I won't spend too much time commuting. And I'm wondering when it's the best time for me to looking for apartments. By the way, I also want to know if SSN is necessary for renting an apartment because I'm worried that I need to find a place to sleep before getting to school and beginning my TA work.

Also, I will get a stipend of about 1,600 per month and want to know more about the cost of living there. For example, how much it will cost if I cook most time and go to restaurants(of course, not luxury ones)? Only when I know that, I can decide how much I can use to find a cozy, single apartment to live in.

I heard that this city is a multi-cultural place so I really look forward to pursuing graduate study there! Thanks in advance.

I will also be attending University of Houston this fall. I now live in Austin, TX, but I have some idea of what to expect in terms of costs of living. Regarding good neighborhoods to live in, that depends on whether you will drive or not. I plan to walk, bike, and use the bus as much as possible because Houston traffic has a bad reputation, and parking on campus can be hard to find. That means I will have to live close to campus or by a commuter line like the METRO. The central neighborhoods, like Montrose, Houston Heights, and Eastwood, have been recommended to me by friends who live there. However, these neighborhoods are not cheap, especially Montrose. Of those three, Eastwood seems the most affordable. With $1,600/month, you will definitely need roommates. I'm not sure when is the best time to look for an apartment; I would guess sooner than later in the summer to avoid competition with other students but I don't know. I don't think you should need a social security number because landlords can run credit checks without one. This Reddit Houston wiki has a lot more information about moving there. 

You are moving to one of the country's greatest cities for cheap and wonderful grocery stores and restaurants. HEB and Fiesta are two of the main supermarket chains with good selections and low prices. As you mentioned, Houston is extremely culturally diverse, meaning lots of specialty grocery stores and strip mall dining that represents cultures from all over the world. 

[Red324]

Hello! i'm an incoming grad student at UH this fall 2020. Is anyone looking for a roommate or has an apartment/condo/townhome? Feel free to PM me.

[sun_daisie]

On 6/22/2020 at 4:41 PM, nitasia said:

Compared to many other cities, Houston is very cheap. My one-bedroom apartment in a gated complex cost about $650 per month. A two-bedroom in the same complex was less than $800. In the summer months, air conditioning made my electricity bill higher than I would have wanted, but I made up for it in the winter when I didn't have to run the heat very often. Food and entertainment are also reasonably priced, so your stipend will go a long way. There's always really cheap beer at Valhalla, the grad student pub.

What complex do you live at, if you don’t mind my asking. I’m currently searching out places to live and it’s exhausting lol. 

[AllieKat]

On 6/28/2020 at 8:44 PM, sun_daisie said:

What complex do you live at, if you don’t mind my asking. I’m currently searching out places to live and it’s exhausting lol. 

While Houston is pretty cheap, I'd be surprised to find a one bedroom apartment anywhere near your school for $650. A more reasonable range would be $800-1000 for a one bedroom and $1100-1500 for a two bedroom if you're looking near Rice/Med Center/UH. I pay $600 for my half of a 2B/2ba. PM me if you want some more specific insight!