Apartment Question

[craig90]

Hi, incoming MS1 here. As I'm looking into apartments for med school, I'm starting to realize how expensive COL is in the area. I have two options:

A. $1400 apartment, utilities not included

- 5 min drive to school, gym, waterfront, and heart of the downtown area with onsite laundry. Includes internet. Quiet area with responsive property management team (from talking to past tenants, this place has issues/maintenance resolved within a couple hours)



B. $1100 apartment, all utilities included

- 17 min drive to school, away from convenience stores since it's in a quiet residential wooded area, top floor and much bigger apartment (800 sq feet instead of 600 sq ft), no laundry onsite/no laundry hook ups so I would need to drive 20 min to the nearest laundromat in downtown. Landlord is actually the homeowner so this is not a commercial property (not sure how this affects management style/reliability)



Given that the $1400 might end up being 1500 or 1600 after utilities, I'm wondering if it's worth the extra cost to be within walking distance/5min drive to school (where all first year classes are typically 10-5 on campus in-person) or if I should save the money and go with the cheaper apartment despite the inconvenience it may cause (being 20 min/30 min in traffic away from everything). Another thing to note would be that the $1100 apartment wants the tenant to move in at the end of this month whereas the $1400 is the perfect move-in date for August right before classes start (aka I will be paying for an extra month with the 1100 apartment since I don't plan on moving my stuff in until August)



Sorry for the long post! Looking for current medical students' inputs for what I should be prioritizing. I appreciate all your suggestions/advice!

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[LunaOri]

Be close to school for your first year. After that, you may be able to find a house or apartment to share with friends to save on costs.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Probably worth it but obviously depends a little bit on your financial situation. As you know 500 per month could be 6000 per year.

Classes from 10-5 in person? Is that normal?

I would say maybe B would be okay if classes weren’t so long and mandatory in person.

 

[operaman]

Option A hands down. No question.

Your vehicle/transit costs alone may offset the difference. The laundry thing is huge - time is precious and that can eat into what little you have.

If you can manage the first one financially, I’d say go for it. As you get to know people, maybe you can find some roommates, but for now it’s worth the investment to have a nice living situation.

 

[Game Machine Joe]

Option A. Onsite laundry >>> all else.

The laundromat sucks up more time than you think it will and time is your most precious resource right now. Plus, all the other things are so much better, too. Closer to school, optimum move-in date, close to everything else you need, responsive property managers. If you can afford it, the convenience is absolutely worth the extra $. Don't make school any harder for yourself than it already is.

 

[Smurfette]

I would also go for option A if your budget can handle it.
On site laundry is huge. Having to sit in a laundromat trying to study is not something you're going to be excited about when exams are looming, especially compared to throwing in a load of laundry while making dinner, studying or doing other things at home. Will also point out that having internet at least eliminates that extra bill each month.

An additional consideration: do both sites include guaranteed parking? I assume they do, since you didn't mention it, but it merits mentioning. If it's street parking, that can be dicey depending on how late you are out, if you are somewhere with a snowy climate (winter parking regulations/alternate side parking), having to pay for permits, etc.

 

[mvenus929]

I was actually leaning towards Option B until the laundry thing was mentioned. Having on-site laundry is a game changer and worth the extra cost. Especially since you'll also be closer to school and social activities.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Yes, I would just be aware that downtown apartment costs can quickly add up. For the apt I’m moving to in a low COL area, it Quickly becomes another

200 per for parking
150 per for cable and Internet
200 per for assorted utilities

I agree with others that it’s better. But be aware of these when making a budget. The apts usually hide these until after signing lease.

 

[RangerBob]

On site laundry is nice, but not critical M1-M2. I'd say by M3 you'll want it. You certainly won't want to drive 20 minutes looking for laundry.

Being up to a 30 minutes drive from school also hampers social participation. 15 minutes or less is the ideal amount of time to drive/walk/bike anywhere you need to go from where you live.

Don't underestimate the enjoyment of being able to walk to school/elsewhere. In residency I had a 15 minute walk to one of our two main rotation sites. It was a really nice way to start and end the day. I wish I were walking distance from my hospital now as an attending.

Obviously the $400-$500/month adds up to $4800-$6000/year. Minus the $1100 you lose by having to move in early for the alternate unit for the first year. That's still quite a bit over four years. Is parking included? That could tip the scales as well. If you don't have a car and #1 lets you live two years car free (no car payment, insurance payment, parking costs, etc.) that could save you a fair amount as well. If it's a dense downtown with good public transit, depending on your rotation sites you may actually be able to go car-free all four years.

 

[craig90]

On site laundry is nice, but not critical M1-M2. I'd say by M3 you'll want it. You certainly won't want to drive 20 minutes looking for laundry.

Being up to a 30 minutes drive from school also hampers social participation. 15 minutes or less is the ideal amount of time to drive/walk/bike anywhere you need to go from where you live.

Don't underestimate the enjoyment of being able to walk to school/elsewhere. In residency I had a 15 minute walk to one of our two main rotation sites. It was a really nice way to start and end the day. I wish I were walking distance from my hospital now as an attending.

Obviously the $400-$500/month adds up to $4800-$6000/year. Minus the $1100 you lose by having to move in early for the alternate unit for the first year. That's still quite a bit over four years. Is parking included? That could tip the scales as well. If you don't have a car and #1 lets you live two years car free (no car payment, insurance payment, parking costs, etc.) that could save you a fair amount as well. If it's a dense downtown with good public transit, depending on your rotation sites you may actually be able to go car-free all four years.

Both apartments have guaranteed parking - the 1400 apartment has an assigned spot whereas the 1100 apartment would be the driveway of the house. Unfortunately I would still need a car to get around since downtown is not densely packed/no reliable public transportation so going with the 1400 apartment wouldn't change that

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

$300+ a month difference is enough that I might be willing to forgo onsite laundry, especially if i have more space/otherwise like the cheaper unit better. I lived in a studio with no laundry my 2nd year, and as someone with a tendency to procrastinate on laundry it was actually kind of nice to go to the laundromat and get it all done at once in a couple hours rather than spending a day doing several loads in a row at home. I generally listened to audiobooks or podcasts while loading/waiting/folding. I think it depends how tight your budget is - if you can swing it, in unit laundry is always best, and there can be other perks to being in/near downtown for socializing, food, etc. But if you could use that money more elsewhere, I don't think B is a totally unreasonable choice.

 

[LadyDustyBlue]

Option A. Onsite laundry >>> all else.

The laundromat sucks up more time than you think it will and time is your most precious resource right now. Plus, all the other things are so much better, too. Closer to school, optimum move-in date, close to everything else you need, responsive property managers. If you can afford it, the convenience is absolutely worth the extra $. Don't make school any harder for yourself than it already is.

Hear, hear.

Honestly, living on someone’s property - the fine print of a contract can be loose and I personally wouldn’t want to deal w/ more uncertainty from a homeowner. Like does OP know if the homeowner of Option B has family or friends? How often do they see them & do they come over?

Also - is being near a wooded area very important to you? You’ll be spending a lot of time studying, but it’s also important to be able to make connections should you find a better living situation down the line + perhaps, FRIENDS as roommates could be useful later in terms of studying & potential roommates. But who knows, maybe you are more efficient independently-learning? It still helps to develop a sense of community.

15-20 min drive to your school’s area or DT area isn’t that big of a commute in terms of being near a metro area of any kind/size.

And I agree that how often you do your laundry also dictates the rhythm of your schedule. A previous poster said that it was fine for them to deal with the laundromat b/c it gave them time to catch up on audiobooks etc. I do similar things b/c I live in an apartment with an on-site laundry, but occasionally I go to a family member’s house to do laundry since there’s only 1 on-site washer & dryer… even though I live in a neighborhood next to my downtown area.

Your Option A sounds like you’d potentially have one within your apartment, so that’s a major plus. Unless it doesn’t & it’s shared, that’s something to think about - because that’s not that much different than a laundromat in the sense that it’s out in the open.