How Much Does It Cost US Students to Live ON and OFF Campus?

Everybody knows that college is extremely expensive. So while most of the future students and their parents as well worry about college tuition fees, they often forget about how expensive living on campus could be. So trying to save as much money as it possible students often choose to live in a rented apartment instead of in a dorm room on campus. But do they really save money? The Typical Student team put together a comparison. 

Recently, Trulia has made a research on how much does it really cost to live on and off campus in 48 American college towns. Based on monthly and per-semester fees Trulia had calculated the on-campus living costs of a full nine-month academic year in various American colleges. They then compared the on-campus living costs with a rental cost of a two-bedroom apartment or house, considering the fact that the rental price will be divided between two students.

So Trulia has discovered that in most of the places the cost of living on and off campus was pretty much the same. However, in some places living off campus was much cheaper than on campus. Thus, in those places students who live in a rented apartment with a roommate can save up to $219 a month. Besides, they discovered 20 places where living on campus was cheaper, however, it did not include meal plans.

So how much does it cost to live in the biggest college towns in America? Here is how much it cost to live on and off campus for the students of the most popular colleges in the United States.

#1 California State University Chico 

Where: Chico, California.

Monthly rent off campus: $860.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $860.

#2 University of Iowa

Where: Iowa City, Iowa.

Monthly rent off campus: $753.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $771.

#3 University of Arkansas

Where: Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Monthly rent off campus: $693.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $670.

#4 University of Michigan

Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Monthly rent off campus: $1,193.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $1,222 (including meal plan).

#5 University of Florida

Where: Gainesville, Florida.

Monthly rent off campus: $641.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $687.

#6 Harvard University

Where: Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Monthly rent off campus: $1,787.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $1,733.

#7 Texas A&M University

Where: College Station, Texas.

Monthly rent off campus: $760.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $875.

#8 Illinois State University

Where: Normal, Illinois.

Monthly rent off campus: $597.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $921.

#9 University of Missouri

Where: Columbia, Missouri.

Monthly rent off campus: $603.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $736.

#10 University of California, Berkeley

Where: Berkeley, California.

Monthly rent off campus: $2,263.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $1,861.

#11 University of Georgia

Where: Athens, Georgia.

Monthly rent off campus: $630.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $778.

#12 University of Alabama

Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Monthly rent off campus: $741.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $556.

#13 Florida State University

Where: Tallahassee, Florida.

Monthly rent off campus: $593.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $875.

#14 University of South Carolina

Where: Columbia, South Carolina.

Monthly rent off campus: $551.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $975.

#15 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Where: Champaign, Illinois.

Monthly rent off campus: $671.

Monthly housing cost on campus: $1,218 (including meal plan).