- With the cost of college already at an all-time high, is it more affordable to live on campus or off campus?
- Trulia recently took a look at how much it costs to live on campus and off campus in 48 of America’s biggest college towns.
- In more than half of the places, it was either the same price or cheaper to live off campus, with an average savings of $219 a month – but there are a few caveats.
The cost of college has already reached an all-time high – and while many worry about the price tag of tuition, they often overlook the expense of a place to live.
But what’s more affordable – the dorm room on campus or an apartment off campus? Well, that answer depends on which college you attend and which college town you’re living in.
Trulia recently took a look at how much it costs to live on campus and off campus in 48 of America’s biggest college towns. To determine this list, Trulia chose US Census-defined places of at least 45,000 people, 20% of which were enrolled in college or graduate school.
Consulting the website of the largest college or university in each place, the site then calculated on-campus housing costs for a full nine-month academic year based on monthly or per-semester rates, excluding meal plans where possible.
Trulia then compared on-campus monthly housing costs to the median estimated monthly cost of a two-bedroom home in a 12-month rental in each place, assuming the cost was split in half between two roommates and divided over nine months to match the academic year.
In more than half of the places, it was either the same price or cheaper to live off campus, with an average savings of $219 a month for those with a roommate. However, eight of these places include meal plans in the on-campus housing costs - if removed, that brings the average savings down to $146 a month. And, most utilities aren't included in off-campus rentals, which could lessen the savings once factored in.
For the 20 places where on-campus housing was more affordable, students would save an average of $221 a month. Note that none of these included a meal plan.
Below, see how much it costs to live on- and off-campus in America's biggest college towns. Starred on-campus monthly housing costs indicate that a meal plan was included in the estimate.
48. Kansas State University — Manhattan, Kansas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $667
On-campus monthly housing cost: $667
Cost difference: $0
47. University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, Wisconsin
Off-campus median monthly rent: $865
On-campus monthly housing cost: $866*
Cost difference: $1
* includes meal plan
46. California State University Chico — Chico, California
Off-campus median monthly rent: $860
On-campus monthly housing cost: $868
Cost difference: $8
45. University of Kansas — Lawrence, Kansas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $694
On-campus monthly housing cost: $676
Cost difference: $18
44. University of Iowa — Iowa City, Iowa
Off-campus median monthly rent: $753
On-campus monthly housing cost: $771
Cost difference: $18
43. Oregon State University — Corvallis, Oregon
Off-campus median monthly rent: $967
On-campus monthly housing cost: $988
Cost difference: $21
42. University of Arkansas — Fayetteville, Arkansas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $693
On-campus monthly housing cost: $670
Cost difference: $23
41. Liberty University — Lynchburg, Virginia
Off-campus median monthly rent: $535
On-campus monthly housing cost: $511
Cost difference: $24
40. University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, Michigan
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,193
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,222*
Cost difference: $29
* includes meal plan
39. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Off-campus median monthly rent: $873
On-campus monthly housing cost: $907
Cost difference: $34
38. Arizona State University — Tempe, Arizona
Off-campus median monthly rent: $825
On-campus monthly housing cost: $861
Cost difference: $36
37. Indiana University, Bloomington — Bloomington, Indiana
Off-campus median monthly rent: $733
On-campus monthly housing cost: $774
Cost difference: $41
36. University of Florida — Gainesville, Florida
Off-campus median monthly rent: $641
On-campus monthly housing cost: $687
Cost difference: $46
35. Excelsior College — Albany, New York
Off-campus median monthly rent: $923
On-campus monthly housing cost: $976
Cost difference: $53
34. Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,787
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,733
Cost difference: $54
33. Western Michigan University — Kalamazoo, Michigan
Off-campus median monthly rent: $665
On-campus monthly housing cost: $581
Cost difference: $84
32. Western Kentucky University — Bowling Green, Kentucky
Off-campus median monthly rent: $585
On-campus monthly housing cost: $498
Cost difference: $87
31. Western Washington University — Bellingham, Washington
Off-campus median monthly rent: $991
On-campus monthly housing cost: $884
Cost difference: $107
30. Auburn University — Auburn, Alabama
Off-campus median monthly rent: $689
On-campus monthly housing cost: $798
Cost difference: $109
29. Texas A&M University — College Station, Texas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $760
On-campus monthly housing cost: $875
Cost difference: $115
28. University of North Dakota — Grand Forks, North Dakota
Off-campus median monthly rent: $728
On-campus monthly housing cost: $600
Cost difference: $128
27. University of Missouri — Columbia, Missouri
Off-campus median monthly rent: $603
On-campus monthly housing cost: $736
Cost difference: $133
26. East Carolina University — Greenville, North Carolina
Off-campus median monthly rent: $479
On-campus monthly housing cost: $613
Cost difference: $134
25. University of Georgia — Athens, Georgia
Off-campus median monthly rent: $630
On-campus monthly housing cost: $778
Cost difference: $148
24. Texas State University — San Marcos, Texas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $825
On-campus monthly housing cost: $978
Cost difference: $153
23. Iowa State University —Ames, Iowa
Off-campus median monthly rent: $711
On-campus monthly housing cost: $528
Cost difference: $183
22. University of Alabama — Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Off-campus median monthly rent: $741
On-campus monthly housing cost: $556
Cost difference: $185
21. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse — La Crosse, Wisconsin
Off-campus median monthly rent: $633
On-campus monthly housing cost: $425
Cost difference: $208
20. Towson University — Towson, Maryland
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,054
On-campus monthly housing cost: $807
Cost difference: $247
19. Brigham Young University — Provo, Utah
Off-campus median monthly rent: $693
On-campus monthly housing cost: $417
Cost difference: $276
18. Florida State University — Tallahassee, Florida
Off-campus median monthly rent: $593
On-campus monthly housing cost: $875
Cost difference: $282
17. University of California Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, California
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,955
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,670
Cost difference: $285
16. Rutgers University — New Brunswick, New Jersey
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,173
On-campus monthly housing cost: $860
Cost difference: $313
15. Oklahoma State University — Stillwater, Oklahoma
Off-campus median monthly rent: $560
On-campus monthly housing cost: $876
Cost difference: $316
14. Illinois State University — Normal, Illinois
Off-campus median monthly rent: $597
On-campus monthly housing cost: $921
Cost difference: $324
13. University of North Texas — Denton, Texas
Off-campus median monthly rent: $922
On-campus monthly housing cost: $567
Cost difference: $355
12. University of California, Berkeley — Berkeley, California
Off-campus median monthly rent: $2,263
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,861
Cost difference: $402
11. University of California, Davis — Davis, California
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,229
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,633*
Cost difference: $404
* includes meal plan
10. Northern Arizona University — Flagstaff, Arizona
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,027
On-campus monthly housing cost: $620
Cost difference: $407
9. University of Colorado, Boulder — Boulder, Colorado
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,296
On-campus monthly housing cost: $888
Cost difference: $408
8. Colorado State University — Fort Collins, Colorado
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,026
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,444*
Cost difference: $418
* includes meal plan
7. University of South Carolina — Columbia, South Carolina
Off-campus median monthly rent: $551
On-campus monthly housing cost: $975
Cost difference: $424
6. James Madison University — Harrisonburg, Virginia
Off-campus median monthly rent: $659
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,121*
Cost difference: $462
* includes meal plan
5. Michigan State University — Lansing and East Lansing, Michigan
Off-campus median monthly rent: $620
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,141
Cost difference: $521
4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Champaign, Illinois
Off-campus median monthly rent: $671
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,218*
Cost difference: $547
* includes meal plan
3. California Polytechnic State University — San Luis Obispo, California
Off-campus median monthly rent: $1,553
On-campus monthly housing cost: $917
Cost difference: $636
2. University of Oklahoma — Norman, Oklahoma
Off-campus median monthly rent: $566
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,221*
Cost difference: $655
* includes meal plan
1. Ball State University — Muncie, Indiana
Off-campus median monthly rent: $399
On-campus monthly housing cost: $1,106*
Cost difference: $707
* includes meal plan