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The University of Houston estimates that students will only need $9,200 for 9 months of living expenses, while neighboring South Texas budgets $13,500! SMU and Baylor budget nearly the same as South Texas. I have spent the last 5 years in Houston and know that you can not live in a decent part of Houston for $1,000 a month, unless you don't mind the ghetto. A $650 a month apartment would put you 15 miles (45 minute commute) from campus. An $800 apartment would get you 5 miles. I am considering UH, but I would be forced to take out private loans to cover the gap. Has anyone else experienced this with other law schools?

I haven't had experience, but I too can say you would definately living in the ghetto in Houston with that budget. Unless they are assuming you roommate. idk..

Houston ghettos are not to be played with

dey206 wrote:I haven't had experience, but I too can say you would definately living in the ghetto in Houston with that budget. Unless they are assuming you roommate. idk..

Houston ghettos are not to be played with

I agree with this. STCL's budget seems about reasonable for what you should generallyl expect as living costs. I once lived around the Medical Center area (which is not very far away from UH, and if you have a roommate, you could definitely get by with UH's budget.

I went to STCL's open house and they claim:
Fall&Spring:
tuition: 26,340
Books: 2,800
Room&B 13,500
Misc: 3,500
Transp: 3,500
-----
Total: 49,640

Is this accurate for Houston? What about a place with a small 1 car garage? I have a SUV that I feel is going to get me carjacked or ripped off...

txadv11 wrote:I went to STCL's open house and they claim:
Fall&Spring:
tuition: 26,340
Books: 2,800
Room&B 13,500
Misc: 3,500
Transp: 3,500
-----
Total: 49,640

Is this accurate for Houston? What about a place with a small 1 car garage? I have a SUV that I feel is going to get me carjacked or ripped off...

i wonder how much $3500 misc is even necessary. $2800 for books? first semester i played it safe and spent a lot on textbooks...realized it was unnecessary. Went to amazon and got some very good condition used books (minor highlighting) and this semester i only needed to spend $100 on casebooks for ALL my classes. wuzzup.

The MISC category was listed as "Misc Personal" I guess that is food and groceries?

I've noticed some schools don't include utilities in the living expenses cost. Perhaps that might account for some of the discrepancy?

hmm... anyone in Houston (STCL/ U of H) know a typical price for a SAFE 1 bedroom apt? what about a unit with a 1 car garage?

txadv11 wrote:hmm... anyone in Houston (STCL/ U of H) know a typical price for a SAFE 1 bedroom apt? what about a unit with a 1 car garage?

You can get a safe 1 bedroom in houston for around $800 - $1,000 around the med center or montrose. Midtown, Galleria, and Upper Kirby 1 bedrooms go up to around $1,200 - $1,500.

However no part of Houston is completely safe. Most people have had their car broken into at least once, regardless of location.

txadv11 wrote:hmm... anyone in Houston (STCL/ U of H) know a typical price for a SAFE 1 bedroom apt? what about a unit with a 1 car garage?

If you're going to South Texas, there are a couple high-rises downtown that have studio apartments for $800. You could easily walk to campus.

Ive noticed something very similar between Emory and Georgia State which are roughly 5-7 miles apart. Georgia State estimates 14K a year while Emory estimates almost 25K a year in living expenses for singles living off campus. Not sure where the discrepancy is coming from.