As housing costs in downtown St. Petersburg rise, USFSP students share their struggle to find off-campus housing with minimal trade-offs. They consider what they are willing to sacrifice in order to live comfortably and affordably.
Photo by Makenna Wozniak | The Crow’s Nest
By Laura Troyer
Rising rent prices in downtown St. Petersburg are making it difficult for University of South Florida St. Petersburg students to live near campus, forcing many students and new graduates to move farther out or rely on financial help from family.
Average rent downtown has climbed to around $2,070 a month, up more than 60% in the past five years, according to a 2025 study by Jaclyn DeJohn, a director of economic analysis at the financial technology company SmartAsset. Rising prices leave students to face long commutes, cramped housing or the reality of being priced out of downtown.
Haley Chivers, a junior studying journalism at USF St. Petersburg, looked at downtown one-bedroom apartments priced between $2,000 and $2,500 before deciding to settle for less expensive options in the Old Northeast neighborhood.
“I don’t think it’s realistic at all,” she said. “I don’t even make close to enough money to pay for my apartment if my parents didn’t help me.”
Dawn Fernandez, a St. Petersburg real estate agent, agreed with Chivers, explaining that downtown rent prices are becoming akin to those in luxury markets, even for modest apartments.
“It is hard to afford for people making $50,000 a year,” she said. “For a college student, I have to be honest, I don’t know how they do it.”
Living downtown is becoming unrealistic for students and recent graduates, causing many of them to compromise on amenities, convenience or location.
Ella Beeman, a junior studying criminology at the St. Petersburg campus, moved 20 minutes north of the city with two roommates and found her rent slightly lower than on-campus housing, but offset by commuting costs.
“I wanted to make sure that our rent costs were less than the options on campus, and they were,” she said. “But now, with the gas prices and having to drive down there, we pretty much break-even.”
Chivers sacrificed her plans of downtown living and now pays around $1,800 for a one-bedroom, one-bath, further from campus. However, she still compromises on small conveniences.
“I fell in love with the place I ended up [with], but it is still expensive for not having everything you need,” she said.
While high rents and long commutes are the biggest concerns for most USF St. Petersburg students, natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton that struck the area last year have added another layer of pressure to the market.
Hurricane damages and rising insurance costs have displaced residents and tightened rental supply, leaving students with even fewer options.
Walker Taylor, a graduate student at the USF St. Petersburg, experienced this firsthand with his first house flooding during the storms. Being displaced by hurricane damage, Taylor has been forced to relocate twice since moving to the area in August of 2024.
Fernandez noted that this displacement is not only a struggle for students, but also for local families and long-time residents.
“We had whole neighborhoods in Gulfport still not back in their houses a year later,” she said. “Those folks are renting, so we just don’t have the rental options we had five years ago.”
Saturation in the rental market is causing downtown to grow pricier, and students are being pushed into different areas of the city.
“I knew as soon as I started looking that I would have to change my location because of costs,” Chivers said regarding her original housing search.
Beeman noted that she looked at cheaper housing south of downtown, but her roommates didn’t find the location and cost worth sacrificing other comforts.
“I was willing to be in a junkier place for the price,” she said. “But both of my roommates’ parents were adamant about the safety aspect, so that is why we ended up further away.”
Fernandez did point out south St. Pete’s Skyway Marina District, where income-based apartments are drawing more students. With its close proximity to campus, it has potential to be a good option for students in the market.
“It’s much more affordable for students to live there,” she said. “You get a lot more house for the money.”
Even with new developments and a handful of affordable options, students say navigating the housing market is all about knowing the market and planning ahead.
Beeman urged students not to wait until the last minute to start their search.
“Start looking really early so that you end up at a place that you want,” she said. “We ended up at a place we liked, but if we had started looking earlier, we would have ended up at a place we loved.”
USF St. Petersburg Student Government does offer an off-campus housing listing tool through apartments.com that could assist students in starting their search early. But students aren’t often aware that the tool exists.
Taylor emphasized the importance of time management for those who are looking to live off campus.
“I don’t think there are any cons to living downtown, but you’ve got to work and manage your time,” he said. “You can live affordably if you put your mind to it.”
