When the concept of moving to a foreign country takes place, the very first thing that strikes your mind is how to manage your living expenses effectively. A report says that the majority of students suffer from money-related issues while living abroad. Hence, it is essential to overcome this concern if you want to avoid a financial burden. The best way to do this is to make a realistic budget plan for everything in advance.
For example, tuition fees, accommodation and transportation costs, electricity and internet bills, and food and shopping expenses. This strategy will make you stress-free from monetary issues in the future. Note that if you don’t pay attention to this concern, then there are chances that you will rely on your parents for financial assistance. It will be a burden for them if their earnings are low.
How much cost to live in the USA as an international student? Well, in this article, we have mentioned the overall different types of expenses with an average amount that you need to manage while studying in the USA. Moreover, if you have queries regarding the fee structure in US universities, you can connect with the best immigration consultants.
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Average Living Costs for International Students in the USA in 2025
Here are the different types of expenses you must manage while studying in the USA are given below:
Accommodation Cost in the USA
To live in the USA, you need proper accommodation to keep your luggage and live after your college and work hours. However, you can live on campus, but still majority of students go for off-campus housing options at affordable prices. It is the best way to save money. However, the accommodation cost may vary depending on the city and locality.
Well, the average house rent of a shared apartment is around 500-3500 USD per month. Additionally, you need to pay for utilities such as electricity, water, gas supply, heating systems, and so on, which is around 500-4000 USD monthly. If you want to go for on-campus accommodation, then you must have at least 4000 USD in hand.
Food Cost
If you are planning to live on campus, then you can save on your food expenses. Well, if you want to eat something extra that is not provided in the hostel meal, you need to pay extra for it. Whereas to live in private accommodation, you have to manage your expenses on your own. If you prepare your meal at home, it will be a much more affordable option for you. However, if you rely on tiffin services or restaurant food, it will be too expensive. On average, the food expenses will be around 250-550 USD.
Internet Cost
Can you imagine your life without the Internet? Not at all, because all the assignments, classes, college updates, results, and everything are done online these days. Moreover, you need to talk with your family back home, which needs a good internet connection. Although the internet cost can vary depending on various companies, the average cost will be around 75 USD per month.
Transportation Cost
If you are looking for a cheaper and budget-friendly option for traveling from one place to another, then public transport is the best option ever. So, try to travel by bus or train.
However, many students want their convenience of traveling, such as cars, but they don’t know that buying their car includes various additional costs as well. So, if we consider public transportation, then the overall cost will be around 70 USD.
Shopping Costs
Well, shopping costs can vary depending on person to person because some students are shopaholics while others are not. Still, there are some basic things that every student has to buy from a supermarket, such as groceries, clothes, shoes, stationery, household items, toiletries, and so on. So, the total cost of all these items will be around 50-100 USD monthly.
If you want to know about additional costs you need to manage while living in the USA, you need to approach the most promising USA study visa consultants.
Wrapping Up
To wrap up, apart from the tuition fee, there are other living costs that you need to manage while living in the USA. So, make a proper budget list and make sure to have enough funds in your account, so that you will manage all the expenses without getting worried.
