areas to rent as a grad student

Hello I am a grad student looking to move during november. however, checking renting websites such as zillow show that rend to skyrocketing in the area. i would like to stay in the inner loop, but seeing how prices are rising my assitanship stipend won't be able to cover it.

are there any sources of info about rent other than zillow or apartment apps? where can I find safe and affordable area to live in? I would like to ideally stay in south west.