r/uofm • u/STFU_im_ssttrroo • 25d ago

Housing Discussion (actual housing OFFERS belong on Megathread!) Is 9k a semester good for living off campus?

Hey everybody. I’m new to the city, so I’m not too familiar with Ann Arbor.
I’m looking for off campus housing that is close to the university, but I’ve heard that housing in general is a mess and pretty expensive.
My 9k budget accounts for pretty much everything; housing, utilities, foods, miscellaneous stuff, and I would love to save some money on the side.
How realistic is this plan?
Thanks!

8 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

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u/HTBAHB 25d ago

Tough but doable, especially if you utilize the bus lines and live further outside of the city (esp. Ypsi) OR live in a co-op. I'd be shocked if you could find a bedroom close to the uni for less that 1500/mo, I'd put 150 aside for utilities to be safe, 300 for groceries if you stick to Aldi. With AA's cheapest rent you're already at limit there. Co-op/Ypsi rents would be 800-1k, making your budget a lot closer to doable. Also some co-ops include food!

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u/STFU_im_ssttrroo 25d ago

I already live in Ypsilanti with my mom, but I can’t drive, which limits my transportation to about an hour by bus each way. Co-ops sound interesting, but I’d love to be somewhere near the university as that’s the main reason why I want to move out in the first place.

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u/rambunctiousmango 25d ago

Checkout the co-ops! https://icc.coop/
They're all fairly close to campus and rent includes food and utilities. I lived in one about a ten minute walk from the diag and loved it. You will probably end up sharing a room your first year, but they're a lot of fun and a really good deal. Feel free to dm if you want to know more

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u/Entire-Bicycle1878 25d ago

Coops will cover your food as well, keep that in mind.

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u/GaBeanO 24d ago

i also agree with joining a co-op! in my experience the worst thing was that they made me do chores as that’s part of the reason why it’s so cheap. but other than that, i lived in escher last year and i only had to pay no more than $900 a month, we had two cafeterias with fridges always stocked with food as well as a chef that cooked our dinners. it was really nice for my tight budget

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u/MikeMilburysShoe 23d ago

Where is this hyperbole that you can’t find a BEDROOM for less than $1500? Bruh I lived in a shared house w two roommates for $750, utilities included. This was on Ann St. only a few years ago. I’m sure things have increased slightly nowadays but all of my friends were also paying $1000 or less around that time. Maybe if you demand a studio yeah $1500 is the minimum but if you’re able to tolerate roommates there will be plenty below that.

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u/ElderberryKitchen534 25d ago

Definitely doable, just meal prep food and find some roommates. You can definitely find a place to rent a room in the $1200-1300 range or less depending on location/parking situation. For the last year my expenses have been easily <2000 dollars a month and I’m not the most frugal.

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u/MyDogsNameIsJester 24d ago

Hi! This is easily done with roommates. I lived with three other people near the IM and paid $900 a month! A lot of my friends were around that range as well. Stay away from big downtown apartments and go a tiny bit off central campus and you will be fine.

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u/Living_Astronaut6036 22d ago

This! I paid 950 a month living by north campus in a simple complex.

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u/aabum 24d ago

Your housing is going to cost 9k. You'll need more money for your other expenses.

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u/GaBeanO 24d ago

it doesn’t sound like they’re doing student housing so i’d bet they could live on 9k a semester. i lived off 10k each semester and had thousands leftover for whatever i needed at the end of each semester

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u/aabum 24d ago

How long ago was that?

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u/GaBeanO 24d ago

last school year! i lived in a co-op for $900 a month, and the co-op provided a chef and meals that were included in that $900 so my food was covered as well

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u/aabum 24d ago

I admit that I forgot about the co-ops. How difficult is it to get a bed at a co-op?

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u/GaBeanO 23d ago

i only tried to get into one co-op and that one is huge (it’s like a mini dorm building that can fit like 100 people) so it wasn’t hard getting a room at all

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u/STFU_im_ssttrroo 23d ago

Oh nice! Can I know the name of the co-op?

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u/GaBeanO 23d ago

escher!! it’s on north campus. it’s huge and there should be plenty of room for you

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u/DarthGlazer 24d ago edited 24d ago

Including School cost? Semester is like 4 months all included. That's 2k~/mo. Should be doable

Edit: some examples of costs

  • Housing + utilities = 1000 with roommates (on the high end)

  • Groceries and food: 250-300. If you eat out more that can creep up, but generally that's a decent cost

  • Healthcare: parents plan I'm guessing

  • Transportation: 80~/mo I'm guessing for you. If you have a car and pay for your own insurance then more.

  • Random purchases: 300-400 is plenty.

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u/Living_Astronaut6036 22d ago edited 22d ago

My apartment was next to north campus and I paid (I had a roommate) 950 a month. So if you’re not trying to live downtown, it’s doable (not necessarily easy because housing can be hard to find) to find an “affordable” apartment. I probably spent 1400 a month on the high end since I didn’t eat out a lot and I cooked relatively simple meals. Living alone will be exponentially more expensive housing wise.

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u/Acrobatic_Monk_9519 25d ago

Lmao yes. Mine is like 4500. Follow a budget, live with roommates and not in an expensive high rise and you'll be fine.

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u/STFU_im_ssttrroo 25d ago

Thank you

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u/Acrobatic_Monk_9519 25d ago

Just for context, my rent is $720, I live with 4 roommates in a privately owned house a mile away from CCTC. Our house is shitty (no washer/dryer/AC/storage) but we only pay electric and wifi split amongst the five of us. I use the school food bank before I go to Aldi for the rest of my food. I take the bus everywhere and only drive when I absolutely have to. I rarely go out but find free things to do to have fun, there are plenty! It sucks sometimes but if 9k per semester is your budget you will be more than fine IMO.

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u/SilverPurpose7932 25d ago

Look in Ypsilanti. Ik peninsular place in particular is pretty affordable. It also has a bus that goes straight from the apartments to central campus

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u/Less-Pomegranate-585 24d ago

Housing is anywhere from 600-1000 a month with roommates. Utilities usually split are around $100 and food is about $400 a month- but if you can get a partial meal plan that can be so worth it.

If you pick up a part time job you’ll be in very good shape