Finding affordable housing in Boulder is a challenge. If you have a pet, it gets tricker. And if you’re an incoming graduate student from overseas without a rental history or credit score in the United States, housing could take significant time to suss out.
As there are many people in the same situation, there are also many solutions.
For graduate students, there is usually some help through your university. University of Colorado Boulder graduate students can apply for on campus studios and 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments, offered a cheaper rate than average rates in Boulder.
On-campus graduate housing is limited though and you might get stuck on the waitlist forever. I was on it for four months and had no luck.
CU Boulder also provides information about off-campus housing while Naropa University has off-campus housing information and rental listings. Another option is the facebook group Boulder Creative Housing, mostly for shared housing, which is what many people fall back on in view of high rents.
While suburbs like Louisville, Lafayette and Gunbarrel are a bit cheaper, they have gone up so much in rent recently that they are also no longer budget friendly if you want your own place. So, anywhere in Boulder or surrounds, you’ll likely be looking at shared housing.
Public transport is decent and you’ll get an RTD pass through the university that allows you to travel free on RTD buses and trains, including to the airport. In summer you can also bike to university from some areas, but you don’t want to risk black ice on cold winter days.
Once you have a US rental history and a credit score and want your own place for under 1500/month (and not in graduate housing), Denver is your best bet. By car it takes about 40 mins depending where you live.
Buses from Denver Union Station to Boulder start running at around 6 a.m., take just under an hour and run every 15 mins during the day, and every half hour early mornings and evenings until midnight back to Denver. Here is the FF1 bus schedule.
The buses to Denver run more frequently and later than the 205 buses to Gunbarrel, which stop at 9 p.m, or to Lafayette and Louisville, although those areas have friendlier bus schedules with the last bus leaving from Boulder at around 11 p.m.
For living in Denver when using public transport, you’ll want to make sure that your new place has a good connection to Union to limit travel time. Popular search platforms are Zillow and Trulia. Plug in your budget and then check what suburbs work for you. And then prepare to go to a lot of apartment showings.