Interview preparation guide
Weighing housing and cost of living: residency interview preparation guide
AAMC's questions to ask yourself list housing and cost of living among the location factors worth weighing before you rank. A salary that is comfortable in one city is tight in another, and the difference follows you for the whole program.
How to prepare
- 1
Price real housing, not averages
The AAMC list names housing and cost of living as factors to consider. Check current rents within a realistic commute of the hospital, and ask residents what they actually pay and how far out they live.
- 2
Compare salary against local costs
Set the program's salary and benefits against rent, parking, childcare if relevant and everyday costs. Two offers with the same salary can leave very different margins at month end.
- 3
Ask residents whether the salary works
Residents know whether the stipend covers life in that city without moonlighting or family help. Their answer is the fastest honest check on the arithmetic.
A practical exercise
Realistic rent and commute: [..]. Salary minus local costs: [..]. Residents say salary covers life: [..].
This is an editorial exercise to adapt to your own interview, not a script or a program requirement.
What the source guidance supports
AAMC's questions to ask yourself list housing and cost of living among the location factors worth weighing before you rank. A salary that is comfortable in one city is tight in another, and the difference follows you for the whole program.
The exercises and checklists are editorial applications of the cited guidance, not required program procedures or predictions of interview outcomes. Costs and formats vary by program, so follow your actual invitation and school guidance.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using city-average rent instead of pricing the neighbourhoods residents actually live in.
- Comparing salaries across cities without adjusting for cost of living.
- Forgetting one-time costs: deposits, moving, parking permits and licensing fees.
Check your preparation
- Have I priced real housing within a workable commute?
- Have I compared salary against actual local costs?
- Did residents confirm the salary is livable here?
Questions for your practice review
- What do residents typically pay for housing, and how far from the hospital do they live?
- Does the salary cover comfortable living in this city?
- Are there any housing stipends, relocation help or hospital-affiliated housing?
Common questions
Is this an official list of required questions?
No. AAMC describes its list as questions created by residents and students to help you assess fit, and says to build your own more specific questions from it.
Who should I ask?
Residents are the honest source on rent and whether the salary works. The program coordinator can state salary, stipends and any relocation support; verify those figures in the offer documents.
Is this current for the 2027 ERAS season?
AAMC publishes this question list as current guidance for applicants interviewing in the 2027 ERAS season. Program answers change year to year, so ask each program for its own current answer.
Related guides
Sources
This page is general editorial guidance based on the sources above. It is not a prediction of any program's questions or a statement of its current policies.