If you're set on a one bedroom apartment, your choices will be limited and your budget will have to be larger. The community rentals statistics claim that the average one bedroom apartment is $1200 per month. I found that it was more like $1400 or $1500 per month for a one bedroom apartment that I was willing to live in. A nice studio, on the other hand, is $900 or $1000, less if it's a building behind someone's house that they are renting out to a single tenant. It's a lot cheaper to live in a multiple-bedroom apartment or house and split the rent. However, if you're transferring to campus and don't want to try to find random people for roommates or if you're just set on having your own space, then prepare to pay more.
There are a number of online resources that aren't specific to Santa Cruz that can help you find a place. I found
Apartment Ratings :: The leading source of apartment reviews by renters for renters. useful for its reviews submitted by tenants. Another good one was
My Apartment Map Apartment Rental Search. Map Based Listings of Apartments for Rent due to its cost breakdown on an interactive map. Of course, prices on these sites are often inaccurate, so it's best to make a list of potential places and call the managers to get the actual prices and arrange a tour. I spent two days in Santa Cruz taking tours of various facilities and I soon figured out which parts of town I was willing to live in and which parts I was not.
Ultimately, if you can't find anything on Craigslist within your budget that meets your criteria, you might have to adjust your budget or your criteria.
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