Costs of living in the us

Both the tuition and living costs vary considerably between different

universities/colleges, educations and cities. Tuition is usually between $5,000 and
$50,000 per year. Costs for food and living are normally between $8,000 and $12,000
dollars per year. In addition to paying tuition, you need money for transportation, course
literature and personal expenses.

Student Accommodation in the United States

There are three accommodation options for students in the United States:
 On-campus accommodation: You live on the school’s campus in a student
room or student apartment. This accommodation can be more expensive, but you
get to know a lot of students very fast. On-campus accommodation can be good for
your first year at the school to be a part of campus life and meet other students.
Meals may also be included in your on-campus accommodation.
 Off-campus accommodation: You hire a private/shared apartment outside of
campus, usually for a lower price than living on-campus.

Tuition fees
For example, the University of Michigan (one of the higher-ranking public universities) was
charging out-of-state students $45,410 (£34,693) per year, with about $10,872 (£8,306) for
accommodation and board, $1,048 (£800) for books and study supplies and $2,454 (£1,874) for
other personal expenses. This amounts to a budget of $59,784 (£45,674) per year.

Accommodation costs
In general, university towns in the Midwest region of the US have lower living costs, whereas
the East and North East are more expensive. The average apartment starts at $500 (£382) per
month (a one-bedroom apartment in a rural area) and goes up to $3,500 or £2,674 (a one-
bedroom apartment in Boston).
On-campus accommodation is typically in dormitories, with two or three people per room.
Residents share bathrooms, toilets and showers.
In 2017, on-campus dormitory rooms in the US averaged $10,440 (£7,976) per year at public
four-year colleges or $11,890 (£9,083) per year at private four-year colleges, including all
utilities and housing-related costs. There are specific calculators for totting up accommodation
and tuition fee estimations on each university website.

Other essential student costs

Internet provision costs $45-50 (£34-38) per month, and household and monthly phone bills are
around $50 (£38). Petrol costs around $3.50 (£2.67) per gallon (4.5 litres). A monthly public
transport pass costs about $50-60 (£38-45) and some areas offer discounted prices for students.
The average cost of books and academic supplies per academic year is $1,170 (£893), or $390
(£297) per semester.
Another compulsory cost to consider is the student visa to study in the US, which costs $160
(£122). The application can be a long process and is best started about three-five months before
the semester begins.

Lifestyle
Utilities may or may not be included in the price of rented accommodation but electricity is
about $50-100 (£38-76) per month and heating is $50-100 per month. Water, sewerage and
rubbish collection contributions are paid by the landlord, but if that responsibility lies with the
tenant this will amount to $50-75 every three months.
Weekly groceries in the US cost between $20 and $60 per person (£15-45), depending on diet –
the price of fresh fruit and vegetables varies considerably throughout the country. Some meals
are included with the price of university accommodation (many prices will be room and board –
which includes some meals or meal plan cards).

Average fees at US universities, 2017-18

  Public two-year Public four-year Public four-year Private non-

colleges colleges (in-state colleges (out-of- profit four-year
fees) state fees) colleges

Tuition and $3,570 $9,970 $25,620 $34,740

other fees      

Room and board $8,400 $10,800 $10,800 $12,210

       

Total (per year) $11,970 $20,770 $35,420 $46,950

       

Source: College Board
The cheapest options of all, however, are public-sector two-year colleges – also known as
community, technical or city colleges – where average fees for 2017/18 are just $3,570.

Accommodation in Germany

250 -300 euros a flat