NFT: Advice on Moving to DC?

Ain't no such thing.

are not going to find anything "cheap" close to a Metro unless you are in a horrific neighborhood.

Cheapest I ever found was north Arlington and it was either a hike to the Metro or I rode my bike to work.

I had a big apartment, but it was wood floors with some chick who loved to wear boots living above me and pace at 2AM...and the landlord controlled the heat and didn't turn it on until late October.

When my sister worked in DC for a year, the only halfway affordable option she could find that wasn't way outta town was finding a roommates-wanted situation at a townhouse in Arlington.

Cheap, Close to Metro: Really Bad Neighborhood
Expensive, Close to Metro: Better Neighborhood, but expensive
Cheap, Not Close to Metro: Bad Neighborhood
Expensive, Not Close to Metro: Good Neighborhood, but exponsive

Best option would be to go to Roselyn or Arlington within Northern Virginia. You have access to toe Roselyn metro line there which goes into the city.

0 clue how the prices are for this place but some of my friends who just graduated are living in a complex called River Place which is in Roselyn.

Few other good places there.

Let me know if I can help further!

I know some people who live in the NoMa district by Union Station and around Chinatown which are further downtown. However, as others have pointed out they're not great neighborhoods at all.

Ultimately it depends how much you value affordability compared to metro accessibility compared to location.

I think the Roselyn and Arlington areas are better for a recent graduate and is worth the commute and sacrifice in apartment size but just my opinion.

had several fun nights up there with him out on the town.
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look for an apt in Clarendon. It's part of Arlington with a close metro and some fun-ish neighborhoods.

you might be able to get somewhere cheap, for the area, in Clarendon.

Old Town Alexandria is incredibly expensive.

and commute, will definitely be cheaper.

but went to college there. Columbia Heights might be reasonable for you. I have some friends who live there. It's a young area that probably isn't super expensive. Good area to go out. Not particularly unsafe. Not particularly modern either.

for about 1700 near a metro. Studios about 1300.

In DC, Cleveland Park/Woodley Park go for about the same, but maybe $150 more.

SE DC near Nats Park is up and coming. Capitol Hill has pockets of affordable housing too, but you will be sharing.

Google Intern Housing DC, and Congressional Housing and you'll see more options. Craigslist is another alternative.

Good luck. Great town to live in.

otherwise he wouldnt have lived there. he wasnt right on the strip, he was a 10-15 minute walk.

to be difficult to find anything cheap in the DC area. Good luck.

like Fairlington or that area nears Baileys crossroads, you can get cheaper apts, but you would need to take a bus to the pentagon and get the metro there.

you might be able to get a 1BR for 1500 - 1600, but again, then you're on a bus to the pentagon (or other metro stop).

which when you're young and poor isn't the worst thing in the world - it's a short ride to the pentagon.

Places in my building are around 1800. They are condos. But there are always openings for rent and that's the going rate for one bedrooms. About 1000 sq ft. Bus stop out front on lee hwy goes right to down town DC. Or you can walk one mile to the Ballston metro.

1. Find a roommate
2. Look outside of the beltway.
3. Any friends in the area? Crash on the couch for a few and save up for a decent apartment.

Because it's intern season and the cheap stuff is gobbled up already. Where in DC will you be working? That may play a part. The suburbs of Maryland outside of Montgomery county are cheap. You might have to consider finding a roommate for the first couple of years. Welcome to the big city. At first you will love it for a couple of years until you realize how crowded and expensive it is to live here

and don't be very picky about location. I lived in a group house with three other guys in Adams Morgan and it sucked but it was "walking distance" to the metro and the cost was affordable. If you're not picky, you should be able to find something. Inside the beltway is "ideal" but not sure how far the salary will go. There are lots of young, single people opting for the less costly suburbs but the commute rivals NYC.
FYI, the DC government is a money making racket, a fine/fee for everything. If you register your car, prepare to pay big, same with VA and MD. In DC avoid long-term street parking if you have out-of-state tags and prepare to pay parking tickets and traffic camera "safety violations". I used to park my car and leave it for days and only moved it when they would "clean" the street which was just an excuse to employ ticket writers.
When you go to rent, have cash or a check ready to go, it will put you one step of the rest of the schlubs doing the same thing. Unless you fall into a perfect situation, only sign a one year lease.
Gaithersburg, Alexandria, Springfield and anywhere around the ends of the metro line should work. I stayed in a place in Alexandria off of Rt1 that had a shuttle to the metro.

oh, and about the Metro. it sucks. It has been better lately, but you need to give yourself extra time because whenever you have to be somewhere on a schedule, they have problems and it's a daily occurrence. Also, see if your employer has the metro subsidy.

Most every place is going to be expensive, but if you want to cut costs, the roommate is the way to go. Also, singular renters and not companies that own a lot of buildings. Oftentimes you can find a studio or something in someones house at under market value, but you'll hardly ever get that in like an apt complex.

I live in the Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant area. I really like it. Also, there are plenty of Bike Share stands in the city now. If you want to live away from a Metro, biking is an option. But definitely check into Metro subsidies.