Business School Peers - Does Money abound?

Four of the huge b-school locations also happen to be near or in 4 of the most expensive areas in the country. NYC, Boston, Chicago, and San Fran area.

Of those Chicago is probably the cheapest and $1500 for a decent 1 bedroom apartment in a nice area is pretty reasonable. Evanston and the northside of the city are more expensive seeming than south. If you go to GSB and live near campus in Hyde Park its cheaper than going to Kellogg and living near campus in Evanston. That said by looking at nicer apartments in the more desirable locations 1500-1800 seems fairly common...add 300-500 for each bedroom.

Boston is slightly more than Chicago, can be a lot more depending on the area though. There is a lot of competition for apartments near the schools because of all the students. There are a lot of 4-5 bedroom places if you get a bunch of roommates together though. Its a very college based city so tons of leases start in the mid to late summer, so there is a huge selection in the spring but the good ones go very fast.

NYC in a nice section of town (near NYU especially) rent is crazy. My brother has a brownstone in park slope brooklyn and pays like 4k a month. Trying to find a nice place near where you want can be tough. You might end up having to use a broker, at which point its going to cost you about a months rent for them to find you a place. If you dont have a broker you wont stand a chance at a lot of places, its all a scam the control those people try to hold over apartments.

Parking in chicago seems to be pretty common with apartments or is at least reasonably priced. In NYC or Boston parking is a nightmare so dont get a car, I know in parts of boston and NYC parking can be $500-1000 a month for a space. Parking on the street is possible but very tough in a lot of neighborhoods, forget about it when it snows...in Boston if you dont clear your space and keep it you are in trouble. If you take someones shoveled space your car will be ruined if you are lucky, if you are unlucky you might get shot.

Check craigslist its a great way to judge prices for apartments...make sure you talk to current students or people that live in the city or you might think you are getting a great deal on a nice looking apartment but end up in a crack neighborhood.