Jump to content

UC Santa Cruz


californian girl

Recommended Posts

I'm not going to UC Santa Cruz, but I do live in Morgan Hill, which is, as we say here, "over the hill" from Santa Cruz. "The hill" is the Santa Cruz mountain range. As far as living...Santa Cruz is crazy expensive. I moved out to this area from Maryland in June 2007. I have been absolutely, 100% shocked about living expenses in California. I don't mean to scare you at all, but seriously...my parents raised me in a fairly affluent/snobby area (though I'd like to think I'm not snobby and I know I'm not affluent!) and I'm still floored. The average home price in 21044 (my home zip) is $351,500. In 95037 it's $554,500.

Just be prepared that not only is rent crazy expensive, but gas, groceries, and everything else is also crazy expensive. There are certainly ways to cut expenses and it's something you'll definitely want to look into. Definitely check out craigslist to find roommates...there are some cute and affordable rooms in Santa Cruz, but don't expect a yard, tons of space, or to be able to have pets.

I hope this isn't too pessimistic...I am going for realistic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It all really depends on your reference point. I grew up in San Francisco, and am pretty familiar with high rent for small spaces. With that being said, Santa Cruz wasnt that bad in comparison. I attended UC Santa Cruz for my undergrad and lived off campus for two years. Rent for my own room in a house with other roommates was $625, a shared room was $525. The shared room was a much nicer apartment. If you do your research, Im sure you can find something that will fit your needs. Of course, the closer you are to campus the more expensive housing prices are. To save money, Id recommend living on a bus route (as your student ID will let you on free).

Groceries can be expensive. Santa Cruz is very much the hippie vibe with many grocery stores catering to the organic all natural crowd, which is usually so over-priced anyways. Safeway on Mission, and Trader Joe's downtown were good options for me. I probably spent about $25-$30 per week on groceries, and I avoided eating out as much as possible. You can definitely find ways to save money. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use