While you are going to school in USA as an international student, every penny counts. Cost of living is major factor when selecting University to apply for graduate admission or when deciding between choice of universities. Cost of living calculator will give an idea about different cities and its very clear from difference in salary range for masters degree in 13 different cities,.
Also, students life style is much different from people who work full time. Here’s the breakdown of typical monthly student expenses and list gives an average of many cities, if student happen to study in LA, it will be more expensive.
Cost of Living in LA
- Apartment Rent – $75 to $200/month ( Can’t avoid. More roommates less Rent)
- Electricity – $10 to $25/month
- Food – $75 – 150/month (Depends on Eating Habits)
- Laptop – $450 – $1500 ( One time investment)
- Cell phone – $35 to 70(iPhone costs more, landline not required)
- Public transportation – $30 (usually for students its free )
- Books/Textbooks – $50 – $150 /quarter (Get books from friends or buy used books)
- Shopping/travel – $20 to $50/month ( It varies )
- Calling cards – $5 to $20/month (free – Skype, GTalk, )
- Car – $1500 – $3000 (will discuss in separate article)
- Car maintenance – $80 to $100 / month ( Includes – insurance, gas, service, parking)
- Gifts to GFs/BFs – Unlimited
- Cheap International Students Health Insurance – $30+/month ( if University Policy is not mandatory)
How much did I spend while in School?
- Apartment Rent – $75 (yeah its just $75)
- Electricity – $10 – $15
- Food – $125/month
- Laptop – $1500 (Fujitsu Lifebook)
- Cell phone – $45 ( I got Cell phone almost towards the end of M.S.)
- Landline phone – $5
- Internet, Cable TV, Netflix – $15
- Books/Textbooks -I got most of books from friends/seniors
- Shopping/travel – $50 to $100/month ( It varies )
- Calling cards – $10 (Used Yahoo Messenger – Vocie chat)
- Car – $600 ( My first Car, shared the cost )
- Car maintenance – $50 ( $100/2 insurance, gas, service, parking)
- Gifts to GFs – $0 (Poor Me!!)
- Cheap International Students Health Insurance – ( University’s Health Policy was mandatory)
I douut, if you can still get to spend $75 for apartment these days. Did I miss anything? If so, write a comment to this article.
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Please send me the cost break down of living in Erie, Pennsylvania
tel me cost of living in canada. & plz tel me future after complted biotechnology courese over there…any job over there in pharama company or any reserach lab. how much salary they give,,,,,,plz tel me.
We need cost of groceries, rental figures etc for 201o … ‘cos cost of living as gone up.
Cost of living have gone up in India, not in US due to recession.
I agree with u. Cost of living in India is much higher than the US.
ya i also agreee that it could have made available in indian currency
HSB hi once again ,
On reading this i noticed that you have graduated from UTA . How is that university ? Job opportunities after graduation there??? Can you put some light on this university ..what was your stream of education?
Hi HSB ,
Its a really useful guide .Your blog has given me good idea of many things that i have also recommended your blog to many of my friends aiming to do higher studies.
Personally i thanks alot for such a good work . Keep Going
all the info which is given is nice, but it luks gud if the expenses r mentioned in indian currency…..
Ur articles are too good !
It’s cool, getting an apartment with 75$ is indeed a thinkable quiestion. However, blog is fruitful to those who are preparaing to go US as a student
Chetan
I don’t rate it a good article….. this article belongs to the year 2002. It seems like this. The rates are so underestimated. I wonder how they wrote insurance $30 a month….. lol… its $486 per semester. The apartment even in Dallas or any low expense states are not what the blog saying. I study in Los Angeles and I know the real rates. I have people from many places in US. The only thing that I felt genuine was about the car. Even laptops are somewhat ok price but that 1500$ thing seems too much.
I have a laptop of $600 and its the best. $1500 is very expensive.
Hey Happyschoolsblog… who wrote that “APARTMENT RENT $75″….. I really wonder what type of place you talking about. When you mention the rate please mention of which state? In California, $75 is a joke…. average room is at least 450$ and do u mean 5 people shared a room?.. lol
really this blog is very usefull for students who wants to know abt cost of living in us.can u tell me some information that how much interest we have to pay for banks after completing ms & when we have to start paying loan for banks
12.03%
HI this is sharath final year B.E(E.C)
I wish to apply for the followin uni this fall
1.San JOse State uni.
2.Prtland State uni.
3.Kansas State uni.
4.Oklahama State uni.
5.Uni of texas at San Antonio
Plz el me about the expense studyin in these uni’s. Are they expensive or normal..
If possible plz express ur views about these uni
good analysis buddy
that’s good!!but friend please give some idea about what u eat and from where u get that? do u cook or what? in several places u mentioned pressure cooker why? grocery means….what it include?
Eat whatever….. your average food expense of a single day can never be less than 10$
information provided is really helpful.you r doing a gr8 job
its really a usefull blog to me. i got a lot of information only visiting this blog…
That was a really good analysis! You are too good Mr.Raghu. Every time I come to your blog I wont leave with out opening some 11 windows at one go (I will click links of something I havent read on the page current page and then on that page and so on) It is so informative and very usefull. I never knew so many things until I read your blogs I consider myself lucky too have come across this blog by accident (on google search actually)
This is really a good website. But this article is shocking because it is unexpectedly inaccurately figured. But rest of the articles are good.
Varun – Thanks for list of comments
. I can give you list of 100′s of students who have similar cost of living now. No need to go back to 2002. There is another article for USC too, which will say different figure. Texas, Florida, AL, Ok, KS, MS, …. 2 Bedroom for $500 to $700 shared by 6.
I guess you are paying mandatory insurance offered by school – Here is a link where most international students buy insurance for $31 – http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/health-insurance-students-and-visitors/
I think you got Gateway Laptop for $600. I have used Fujitsu, HP, Thinkpad, Macbook, Vaio, Dell and Gateway personally. I can say the different between cheap/good quality. Quality of Fujitus, HP, Thinkpad, Idepad, Dell is way above thean Gateway. You will understand as time goes on
Walmart sell $298 HP laptop with very good config. Dell XPS you can get for $700 to 900 with coupons.
Keep your comments coming, many readers are finding it useful.
my back ground is b.tech(ece) electronics i would like wat is the cost of ms in usa in average college