If you’re heading to UC Davis and starting to think about where you’ll actually live, here’s what you need to know before you start touring places.

The lay of the land

UC Davis students living off campus mostly land in a handful of specific neighborhoods rather than spreading evenly across Davis. The closer you get to campus, the more you’ll pay — that tradeoff holds everywhere, but how steep it is depends on the school.

Downtown Davis — Walkable and bikeable to campus, with the most restaurants and student life packed into a small area.

East Davis / Aggie Village — Closest to campus on the east side, popular with students who bike in daily.

West Davis — A bit further out and quieter, generally cheaper than downtown.

Who off-campus housing makes sense for

Freshmen are usually better off starting in on-campus or campus-affiliated housing if it’s available — it’s the easiest way to meet people and learn the area before signing anything. UC Davis guarantees housing to incoming first-years, and because Davis itself is such a compact, bike-friendly town, many upperclassmen move into downtown or East Davis rather than staying on campus. Once you know the campus and have a sense of who you’d want to live with, moving off campus for sophomore year or later tends to work out better than doing it cold as an incoming freshman.

Budgeting the move

Off-campus rent isn’t the only cost — factor in utilities, internet, a security deposit, and often first and last month’s rent up front. California law caps how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit, and recent state legislation has tightened that cap further for most landlords — the exact current figure is worth confirming directly against California Civil Code Section 1950.5 or a tenant-rights resource before you sign, since caps have changed in recent years.

Getting around once you’re off campus

Unitrans, the student-run campus bus system, and one of the highest bike-commute rates of any US college town — most students get around Davis by bike. Unitrans doubles as both the city bus system and the primary way students without bikes get to campus.

Whichever neighborhood you land in, browse verified off-campus listings near UC Davis on RentNova rather than relying on a random group chat or flyer — it’s a faster way to see what’s actually available and avoid the fakes mixed into every college housing search.