Cost of Living?

[JuxGiant]

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Didn't really see this covered in stickied / non-stickied threads, so figured I'd ask. And if it WAS covered, sorry! Please direct me towards the answer! Also, I have looked at the information book pdf supplied by the AACPM, which lists living expenses, but I was wondering if someone could go into more detail?

So, I had a question about the cost of living, of the cities / states that Pod schools are located in.

Obviously, California and New York probably have higher costs of living, but I was wondering about the other states, such as AZ, PA, etc.

Glendale, AZ
Oakland, CA
Pomona, CA
Miami Shores, FL
North Chicago, IL
Des Moines, IA
New York, NY
Independence, OH
Philadelphia, PA

Assuming every student had the same sustenance / entertainment / everyday needs, can anyone rank, to the best of their ability, the cost of living for these cities from "Never going to bed hungry in this city!" to "Guess it's cheetos and ramen for me tonight?"

In addition to cost of living, can someone also rank to the best of their ability, the "fun factor" of the cities? (i.e. Museums, zoos, stuff to do, etc)

 

[JDMcNugent]

I can't rank these but I do live in Omaha which is roughly 2 hours from Des Moines and I will say that the cost of living in Des Moines is very reasonable/pretty cheap and the city is surprisingly fun and there are actually things to do. Of course, it is not as exciting or robust compared to new york city, chicago or oakland/san fran bay area.

 

[jonod1107]

Didn't really see this covered in stickied / non-stickied threads, so figured I'd ask. And if it WAS covered, sorry! Please direct me towards the answer! Also, I have looked at the information book pdf supplied by the AACPM, which lists living expenses, but I was wondering if someone could go into more detail?

So, I had a question about the cost of living, of the cities / states that Pod schools are located in.

Obviously, California and New York probably have higher costs of living, but I was wondering about the other states, such as AZ, PA, etc.

Glendale, AZ
Oakland, CA
Pomona, CA
Miami Shores, FL
North Chicago, IL
Des Moines, IA
New York, NY
Independence, OH
Philadelphia, PA

Assuming every student had the same sustenance / entertainment / everyday needs, can anyone rank, to the best of their ability, the cost of living for these cities from "Never going to bed hungry in this city!" to "Guess it's cheetos and ramen for me tonight?"

In addition to cost of living, can someone also rank to the best of their ability, the "fun factor" of the cities? (i.e. Museums, zoos, stuff to do, etc)

You can't judge how much a school will cost purely on cost of living.

For example, you guess that NYC cost of living will be higher than say in Ohio and AZ. That is correct, however, did you also know that the NYCPM tuition is about ~$6,000 cheaper than the other schools? That will balance out the high cost of living.

Also, you have to factor in transportation. If you go to Ohio or AZ, etc, you will need a car. But in NYC, Temple, etc, you will not need a car because there is a public transportation system. Most importantly, the clinics are in one place attached to the school (NY and Temple) whereas in Ohio, there are 3-4 clinics students go to and they are spread out so you def. need a car even if you live down the street from the school.

 

[JuxGiant]

You can't judge how much a school will cost purely on cost of living.

For example, you guess that NYC cost of living will be higher than say in Ohio and AZ. That is correct, however, did you also know that the NYCPM tuition is about ~$6,000 cheaper than the other schools? That will balance out the high cost of living.

Also, you have to factor in transportation. If you go to Ohio or AZ, etc, you will need a car. But in NYC, Temple, etc, you will not need a car because there is a public transportation system. Most importantly, the clinics are in one place attached to the school (NY and Temple) whereas in Ohio, there are 3-4 clinics students go to and they are spread out so you def. need a car even if you live down the street from the school.

I'm not asking for the cost of the school's tuition or fees or whatever. That information is readily attainable. I'm merely asking about the real estate of the cities.

For instance, which costs more: a relatively nice area in Des Moines versus a comparable nice area in Independence, etc.

Judging by the fact that no one is really posting in this particular thread, despite a large amount of views, I guess no one really has an opinion about all the cities at once.

I'm just looking for "Can't speak for other cities, but _____ is cheap/expensive" answers. Don't need to rank them all at once, if you're unsure of other cities.

 

[EK18]

As a Scholl student, on-campus apartments are pretty expensive ($~1150/month for one-bedroom + electricity). I think Woodlands on Green Bay (literally right next to the school) is just as expensive. You can probably find cheaper housing at Naval Housing or one of the apartment complexes in North Chicago, but to me the amenities, security, cleanliness, etc. of on-campus housing and the fact that I know next to nothing about this area since I am originally from 2000 miles away made this a great choice for me.

 

[heybrother]

Des Moines is very affordable when it comes to real estate.

 

[BIH91]

In AZ real estate prices are rising quickly but are still relatively low. It seems that soon renting an apartment or condo will be more affordable than buying a house. Currently you can find a good apartment in a nice neighborhood for as low as 700.

 

[hughesn2]

I just went for a visit to Kent State yesterday and the tour guide girl that took me around said that of the schools she knows Kent State and Des Moines University were the two relatively cheapest cost of living for Pod school.
Obviously, New York and Miami are gonna be expensive since NYU is literally in the heart of downtown, I think just 5miles away from Times Square and a mile away from the start of Central Park. Then Miami is just 5 miles away from the ocean and from what I know about Miami there are not a lot of apartments and TONS of houses.

 

[jonod1107]

I'm not asking for the cost of the school's tuition or fees or whatever. That information is readily attainable. I'm merely asking about the real estate of the cities.

For instance, which costs more: a relatively nice area in Des Moines versus a comparable nice area in Independence, etc.

Judging by the fact that no one is really posting in this particular thread, despite a large amount of views, I guess no one really has an opinion about all the cities at once.

I'm just looking for "Can't speak for other cities, but _____ is cheap/expensive" answers. Don't need to rank them all at once, if you're unsure of other cities.

The cost I am talking about is the overall cost of attending a school. This includes tuition, living expenses, rent, transport, etc.

If you were merely looking for real estate values as in you will buy a place to live while in school, then that is a no brainier. AZ, DMU and Kent is the cheapest.

 

[josebiwasabi]

I just went for a visit to Kent State yesterday and the tour guide girl that took me around said that of the schools she knows Kent State and Des Moines University were the two relatively cheapest cost of living for Pod school.
Obviously, New York and Miami are gonna be expensive since NYU is literally in the heart of downtown, I think just 5miles away from Times Square and a mile away from the start of Central Park. Then Miami is just 5 miles away from the ocean and from what I know about Miami there are not a lot of apartments and TONS of houses.

Just to clarify because it seems you are a bit confused: NYCPM is not NYU lol. We are in Harlem, not "literally in the heart of downtown".

We have the cheapest tuition and don't need a car. Our school clinic is on the 1st floor of our building and we have shuttle services to all the affiliated hospitals around the city. I pay $930/month for rent with utilities and internet included. Not too bad for living in Manhattan.

 

[EK18]

I pay $930/month for rent with utilities and internet included. Not too bad for living in Manhattan.

Do you have roommates?

 

[josebiwasabi]

Yes I do, it's the student housing that's a 15 minute walk away from school.