I'd recommend trying Craigslist or the classified section of our local news site (
www.ksl.com). There are tons of options near the U of U that are relatively affordable (1 bedrooms in the $600-700s), and a lot of them are actually really cool because they are old, unique buildings, or large homes that have been converted into multi-unit homes. In the neighborhood between the lower portion of campus and downtown, I swear almost every other home is a rental unit. Plus, if you are in that area (or any area surrounding the University), you are almost guaranteed to live directly on a bus route that will take you straight up to campus. I would plan on making public transit a part of your life at the U; parking on campus is a joke- pretty expensive and pretty scarce. The air can also get really bad in the winter so the less people driving, the better off we all are. There are a ton of bus and light rail routes that can get you to campus from pretty much anywhere in the Salt Lake area.
Some zip codes/neighborhoods to consider:
- 84105 (aka Harvard-Yale/North Sugarhouse/East Liberty Park)
- 84103 (aka the Avenues)
- 84102 (between the University and Downtown SLC)
- 84106 (South Sugarhouse/ South SLC)- further from campus/downtown but you'll probably find the cheapest options here.
As a
general rule, the further east and north (closer to the University) you live, the more expensive the housing.
Since I've never lived in the apartment complex setting (i.e., pool and gym on site, expensive leases, etc.) I really can't give any advice on those. I've got a friend who lives in one, and he pays $1,100 for a small one-bedroom unit. If you are able to put in a little extra work in finding some independent housing, you might save yourself a lot of money in your first year (especially if you're paying OOS tuition). Hope this helps!
