Re: Out of Character 9
Check YouTube -- if you have a bathroom in your apartment, it can be a temporary darkroom for a couple hundred bucks or less. You need a way to block light from any windows, possibly from the exhaust fan, and around the door, and something to set an enlarger on (a table that will bridge over the toilet stool works well). If you can work only after dark, this is FAR easier; dark curtains and turning off lights outside the bathroom might be good enough for printing.
There are 35 mm enlargers that weigh only 10-15 lb. but I used to use a 4x5 enlarger that weight close to 60 lb. in a temporary bathroom darkroom by standing it on a kitchen cart and wheeling it in to work, out for storage (that might be a bit large for an apartment, though). Enlargers can range from thousands of dollars (new condition, refurbished from a dealer, 4x5 size) to free (whatever shows on local Craigslist or similar). My first one, back in the 1970s when every photographer needed (that is to say, they weren't obsolete "junk" like they were a few years ago) cost me $10 at a yard sale; came with a 35 mm film carrier, lens, and bulb.
Most places, you can use tap water for everything -- no need for distilled -- and most chemicals can just go down the drain into urban water treatment (not spent fixer, please, and not some of the more advanced stuff like reversal bleach). Some chemicals are even safe for septic systems.
Minimum setup: changing bag, daylight developing tank w/ reel that fits your film, some airtight bottles big enough to hold the chemicals to fill your tank, some way to hang the film for drying (in the shower is good, you can run the shower for a couple minutes to pull dust out of the air before you hang the film). Pair of scissors and a bottle opener (some folks don't bother with the opener, they just rip the 35mm cassette open with their fingers) or leader retriever -- these last needed only if you develop 35 mm; for 120 you don't need either.
Bought new, the equipment to process your film shouldn't cost more than $150, and you might be able to get a whole setup on eBay all at once for less than a third of that. Enlarger, whatever you're willing to spend traded off against how long you'll wait for a bargain. Film, chemicals, and printing paper are pretty much fixed cost, but you can start (enough to shoot, develop, and make some prints) for about $50.
And all of this will go in a good size box that will sit on the enlarger base plate in the bottom of a closet when not in use.