Medical School: How much are residency related expenses?

My understanding is that you are not allowed to use federal education loan money to help pay for residency-related expenses such as travel, hotel, meals, attire, etc. Thus, you would have to get a private loan from a bank to help pay for residency expenses. As far as how much it costs, that just depends on how many residency programs you are applying to...this can be a lot if you're trying to match into a competitive residency like ortho, plastics, derm, etc. or not as many if you're going for a specialty that is not as competitive.

When I was a resident, most weren't married.  Certainly none had children.  I packed my stuff in a uhaul trailer and towed it 1200 miles.  I am sure glad my VW rabbit's transmission held.  It was seriously overloaded.  When I arrived I had enough to rent an apartment.  Food was a major problem...grocery stores did not take credit cards and it was not local so I couldn't get a cash advance.  I started at the VA and wasn't going to get my first paycheck...and we were the lowest paid residency in the country for a month.  Then someone told me as a resident I could eat at the main hospital for free.  I lost 10 lbs in the interim.  We were paid so little that many of us in specialties moonlit in rural ER's.  Starting year two I made 4 times as much moonlighting as I did as a resident.  $15,500 a year 30 years ago was harsh.  The legislature decided to give us an extra week of vacation to help alleviate the fact.  The director of the program said we were entitled to it but would be fired if we took it because of coverage issues. So 30 years ago you have your car and it is old, your apartment, then there are the books....these books are not cheap.  Perhaps $1000-$1500 a year depending if a new edition comes out.

When I finished medical school, it was mid-May in El Paso, Tx. I was accepted to residency in Jacksonville, Florida, which started the tail end of June. My first paycheck would come mid-July. Our expenses included two trips find a place to live, the transport of 2 vehicles cross country, the cost to move the contents of 3 bedroom house, as well as paying a deposit and rent on a new place, in addition to the fees to set up all the typical utilities, transfer titles, get new licenses, etc all without any income over that 2 month span. I think my total costs were roughly $7500. I fortunately got a loan from a family member because it would have been very difficult to manage otherwise. That's one of the reasons people take out the residency loans. It can also help pay for interview expenses but I really needed it for my move.