College · Family Resources · Housing

The hall or
an apartment
for next year.

Type the hall’s rates and the apartment’s rent, roommates and lease. The calculator prices a whole year in each, summer months included, and the cash you need to move in.

Price bothWhat you get

The college housing budget calculator

The worked example weighs the hall against a three-person apartment for sophomore year. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
Each option’s cost for the year, the difference, a monthly figure over the school months, the cost of lease months past the school year and the cash needed up front. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
College students deciding where to live next year, their families, and incoming students comparing colleges’ housing.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Copy the hall and meal plan rates.
  2. Type the apartment’s rent and how many share it.
  3. Add utilities, groceries and commuting.
  4. Set the lease length from the listing.
  5. Keep the deposit and first month ready.

Price both

How the year is priced

Both places, priced for the same twelve months of commitment.

The worked example: sophomore year, hall or a three-person apartmentHall$13,8002 × ($4,300 + $2,600)Rent share$610/mo($1,650 + $180) ÷ 3Apartment$11,11012 months + food, setupDifference$2,690less off campusThe worked example: sophomore year, hall or a three-person apartmentHall$13,8002 × ($4,300 + $2,600)Rent share$610/mo($1,650 + $180) ÷ 3Apartment$11,11012 months + food, setupDifference$2,690less off campus
Price each place for the whole year, including the months a lease runs past the school year.

The hall

A residence hall is priced by the term, with the meal plan alongside. Two terms of room and meals is the whole year; summers are not charged.

The apartment

Rent and utilities are split among the people on the lease and paid for every month of it, often twelve. Groceries and commuting run over the school months. Insurance and setup are added once. The deposit is shown apart because it usually comes back.

Sources

  1. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Cost of attendance, including housing and food (studentaid.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov).
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Renting: what to know before signing a lease (consumerfinance.gov).
  4. National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Consumer guide to renters insurance (content.naic.org).

The worked example’s rates, rent and costs are examples, not any college’s or landlord’s prices. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.