Cost of living expenses for a Student

[DullardAndy]

Hi,

My name is Anand. I have been recently accepted into the Miami Ad School which is located at 455 Alton Street. I have absolutely no idea about anything in Miami. I have a few questions, I hope you can answer them.

• As my School is in South Beach, what rent am I expected to pay to get a studio or 1 bedroom place in that area, preferably near the beach. Also can you suggest me where to look for the apartment?
• What will be the approximate monthly expenses other then rent? (Food, Water, Electricity, Grocery, Internet, Cable, Gas, etc.)
• Are there decent number of restaurants who serve vegetarian food?
• Will it easy to move around without a car or should I buy an used car?
• Is doctor's prescription compulsory for any medicine? Also should I take a health insurance?
• Is public transport dependable?

I hope I am not bothering by asking such questions. Anything more you would like me to know about will be appreciated as I have completely no clue about Miami other then what I have seen in Dexter

[Perri]

You don't need a prescription for over-the-counter medication. But for others like anti-biotics, etc, you need a doc's prescription.

As an international student, it is wise to buy health insurance. Many of my friends who are international students use this student insurance: http://www.travelinsure.com/what/susahigh.asp. It is designed for international students in the US and thus covers a few things that domestic health insurance policies may not cover. I didn't hear anyone having problems with getting their reimbursements. You may wish to compare this insurance policy with what your school may offer, and others, and see which suits your needs and budget best. Doctor's visit and medication is ridiculously expensive here compared to what you are used to in India.

I have heard an Indian vegetarian friend recommend Mint Leaf. But it's only located in Brickell and Coral Gables.
http://www.mintleafib.com/

[DullardAndy]

Hi Perri. Thanks a lot for the reply. Currently going through that insurance site you mentioned.

Can anybody answer the other questions please? I can't find a single rent place which is priced below $750-900.

[Matt Meltzer]

In order...

1. Yep. 750-900 is the low end for rent in South Beach. And if you want to not have to deal with having a car, you're going to have to live out there. You might want to look a little further up the beach around like 25-55 street. It's a RELATIVELY short bus ride from there down to South Beach, and you may be able to find something in the 700 range. MAY. If you can find a roommate, that will help matters.

2. A lot of apartments include utilities. If you can find that, it might be a better deal for you. If not, assume cable/internet around 60-100, depending what you get. Power 100-200, again depending on if you have laundry, dishwasher and other stuff in your apartment. Water in generally included. Buying groceries can be as much as eating a quick food places here. If you can live on cheese and ramen, you can spend 25-50 a week on groceries and be ok. But if you cook a little more interestingly (Even as a vegetarian) you can easily spend 80-100. I spend 125. A typical quick-food mean will cost you 7-12 dollars. So do the math.

3. LOTS of restaurants serve vegetarian food here. Jess, one of our moderators, is a vegetarian and doesn't really have an issue when eating out.

4. If you live and work in South Beach, then you don't really need a car. If you're going to live off the island, yes you need one.

5. Public transportation here is a joke. In the Beach, it's OK. But if you are going to have any business in the rest of Miami it's a major hassle. And I would not call it dependable at all. Like there's not even a schedule really. You just go to the bus stop and wait.

[Perri]

Regarding electricity cost, I have been paying plus or minus $50 per month for the past half a year. I am out most of the day, but I do cook at home a few times a week and I do use the air-conditioner when I am at home. I have an electric stove. I suppose most apartments would have that. I seldom use my dishwasher, and I use the washing machine and clothes dryer that the condo provides. At my condo, it's $1.25 per wash and $1.25 per drying session. I don't know if this is a typical price.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are rather expensive here though. I don't keep track of my grocery costs, so I can't say how much I spend per month.

Also, when eating out at restaurants, you have to factor in tipping. It's about 15% to 20% of the price. Also, there's tax as well.

[Perri]

Hi Perri. Thanks a lot for the reply. Currently going through that insurance site you mentioned.

Can anybody answer the other questions please? I can't find a single rent place which is priced below $750-900.

Does your school have its own health center? Insurance policies are a bit complicated here - there's a difference in prices for in-network and out-of-network doctors, etc... My friends who buy from StudyUSA are studying at the big universities here where the school has a healthcenter and they see the doctors there, and have to get referrals for doctors outside the school's health center. Before you buy any policy, you should ask the company how the insurance policy would work in your situation. It's good that you are gathering information, but it's probably best to decide what to buy after you get here and get to know what the international students do at your school, and you should also seek the advice of the person in charge of international students at your school. Your school may offer a group insurance that may be more cost effective as well. In the US, always compare before buying.

ETA: If you wear glasses or contact lenses, make sure you buy them before you leave India cos it's eye-examinations are expensive here, and you need an eye-examination to get the prescription to buy glasses or contact lenses. I can imagine that glasses and contact lenses are probably much cheaper in India as well.

[charles1234]

Hi Anand... I am in Miami Ad School too. What course are u in and when do you start?

[Matt Meltzer]

$50 a MONTH, Perri? How do you manage THAT? Like legit I think the lowest I ever paid was $45, and that was in the winter when I was living in Gainesville half the time. Do you not use lights?

[Perri]

$50 a MONTH, Perri? How do you manage THAT? Like legit I think the lowest I ever paid was $45, and that was in the winter when I was living in Gainesville half the time. Do you not use lights?

Actually, I have no idea... I am not the power-saving kind of person...I actually have quite a lot of lights. Just in my bedroom, I have 5 lamps. LOL. Almost all the light bulbs I use are energy-saving ones though. I use the A/C quite often. I only used the heater a few times when we had the cold front.

I am also very surprised with the power bill cos I used to pay much more in SC before moving here. Nothing much changed in my approach towards using power, except that the floor lamps with halogen bulbs that I used to use in the living room and bedroom in SC are now in the guestroom. I just thought that power is cheaper in FL, and the weather here is less taxing on my A/C and heater usage. I checked my power bill history, and so far, my power bill here has been a few dollars up and down from $50, with the highest $57 in Oct. The most amazing bill is in Dec when it was only $35. And that was actually the month that I stayed at home ALL the time while in the other months, I spent daytime out of the house. I guess it's cos I didn't have to switch on the A/C in Dec. In any case, I hope that my power bill amount stays this way.

[Catt]

same here with the power bill - i am SHOCKED (in a good way, hehe) at the low cost... here i pay 75% less than the power bills i had in Pennsylvania. I do live in a small apartment, so I'm not a power-user - but still, I have overhead lights + lamps, big flatscreen TV, electric stove, A/C, dishwasher, and water-heater, and I use them all.

In high summer when it was blazing hot and i had the A/C on 24-7, it was about 70.00/month. My last two FPL bills without the A/C usage, were 48.00 and 37.00 respectively. Cable TV is 78.00/month; same as I paid in Philly. This makes my COL for rent/utils pretty much exactly the same as it was in Philly; the rent here is 200.00 higher, but electricity cost is SO much less (i was paying 175/month there, even using the 'budget billing' option), that it evens out.

[Blackford Oakes]

Fresh vegetables and fruits are rather expensive here though. I don't keep track of my grocery costs, so I can't say how much I spend per month.

That was the most notable when I moved to FL. Tired looking fruits and vegetables with minimal choices and at higher prices.

[DullardAndy]

Hi Matt. Thanks a lot for the elaborate reply. It will help me a lot. I am shocked about the food costs. Is it really that expensive? According to the numbers you have mentioned if I calculate it equals the cost of rent. Are the groceries sold at the same price in any South Beach Mall?

Perry, I don't think so my School has a health center. So I will have to take the insurance. And I don't have eye glasses or contact lenses, thankfully.

[DullardAndy]

Hi Charles. My quarter starts this Spring, the April 2012 batch. I am accepted into the Copywriting program.

What about you, which course? Which Quarter? How many students are there with you in your batch? Also are you an international student? And how is MAS treating you? Sorry for so many questions.

[Christy]

Hi DullardAndy,

Congrats on getting accepted to Miami Ad School! Are you looking for a furnished studio? Getting around SoBe on the South Beach local bus only costs a quarter, but the bus can be dirty, smelly, and cold. A bike or walking is the best choice and taking a taxi is good for grocery shopping.

You should check out the farmer's market on Lincoln Rd on Sunday for vegetables. The best places for vegetarian food in SoBe: LIME, Fresh on Fifth, Clarke's (for the chopped salad), Pascha's, Pizza Rustica, Spris, Planet Sushi, and Juice and Java.

I found a bunch of apartments for rent on craigslist below $900:

http://miami.craigslist.org/search/a...=900&bedrooms=

[Matt Meltzer]

Well, no. I mean you spend $100 a week on groceries, that's $400 a month. That's like half of rent. I also eat a lot and have a parade of people coming through my apartment eating my sh!t. You may find your costs to be lower.

[Carlos Miller]

I didn't even know there was a Miami Ad School south of Fifth.

Groceries will be more expensive on the beach because you're limited to Whole Foods, Publix, Epicure and a handful of bodegas.

The best thing to do to save money on food is join Costco, which is a store that sells merchandise in bulk but requires a membership.

Or you can head out to one of the Super Walmarts and stock up a month's worth of groceries for much cheaper than you would pay on the beach.

But then you would need a car, so you're back to square one.

[Matt Meltzer]

Did Carlos Miller, "raging liberal," just advocate shopping at Wal-Mart?

Jail has changed you, my friend.

[Catt]

even i have to admit that *I too* have shopped at Walmart since i moved here.

Although i normally boycott big box stores in general, i searched ALL the other stores, including IKEA (which i love), and even made the thrift shop rounds several times over 2-3 months, for two pieces of furniture i needed, that had to be specific dimensions to fit my miniature kitchen -- and nobody had anything affordable that would fit the bill, aside from WalMart. (of course i could have spent $500.00 at one of the high-end "real" furniture stores, but that was out of the question.)

so there, i've admitted my shortcomings to myself and others. but i'm so ashamed :facepalm: LOL

[DullardAndy]

Hi DullardAndy,

Congrats on getting accepted to Miami Ad School! Are you looking for a furnished studio? Getting around SoBe on the South Beach local bus only costs a quarter, but the bus can be dirty, smelly, and cold. A bike or walking is the best choice and taking a taxi is good for grocery shopping.

You should check out the farmer's market on Lincoln Rd on Sunday for vegetables. The best places for vegetarian food in SoBe: LIME, Fresh on Fifth, Clarke's (for the chopped salad), Pascha's, Pizza Rustica, Spris, Planet Sushi, and Juice and Java.

I found a bunch of apartments for rent on craigslist below $900:

http://miami.craigslist.org/search/a...=900&bedrooms=

Thank you Christy. I am thinking of buying a motor cycle. Is that a good choice? I am looking for 1 bedroom apartment and hopefully will be able to find a roommate as it will save me on my rent. Finding an apartment under my budget is a headache in SoBe. Will make a note of vegetarian restaurants. Thanks a lot again for all the help.

[DullardAndy]

I didn't even know there was a Miami Ad School south of Fifth.

Groceries will be more expensive on the beach because you're limited to Whole Foods, Publix, Epicure and a handful of bodegas.

The best thing to do to save money on food is join Costco, which is a store that sells merchandise in bulk but requires a membership.

Or you can head out to one of the Super Walmarts and stock up a month's worth of groceries for much cheaper than you would pay on the beach.

But then you would need a car, so you're back to square one.

Here is the website: www.miamiadschool.com

I checked out Costco. It seems its a viable option. Thank you