Cost of Living in USA for International Students

Living Expenses in USA for International Students

• As a student, your living expenses in USA depends on a lot of factors; your general lifestyle choices, place of location, social commitments, eating and shopping habits, and overall expertise in budget planning.

• The average estimated cost of living in USA for an international student ranges between $10000 and $12000 annually. This means that you will spend approximately $700-$1000 every month.

• Accommodation costs can vary greatly depending on the type of housing you decide to opt for. Living in a single apartment can be expensive, a better choice would be sharing an apartment with like-minded students or living in the campus housing for students. Your rent is an unavoidable expense. Think carefully and consider all factors before choosing your accommodation. This article will provide you with information on various accommodation options in the US.

• On an average, students in the US spend about $13,000 on food, clothing, travel and transportation every year. However, this number depends a lot on the personal choices you make.

• Your food expenses will be around $200 per month if you stick to cooking from home and keep eating out to a minimum.

• Commuting expenses depend on whether or not you have your own vehicle. Most people above the age of 18 in the US own a car. You may need to get one too if your university is too far from your place of stay. This means added costs in the form of the car purchase, car insurance and gas which can amount to $175. Alternatively, if you are living in university campus or if your university is located in downtown, there are public transport systems available at affordable cost. This blog on transportation options in the US will give you complete details on how to get around in the US.

• Healthcare costs can be a big factor in deciding your overall expenses. Since health insurance is mandatory for international students in the US, this is a non-negotiable expense. However, health insurance premium is often a part of the university tuition fee for international students and so is not a separate expense to worry about.

• Miscellaneous expenses include cell phone costs of around $20 every month. For a high-speed internet connection at your apartment, you may need to spend about $15 per month. Other expenses include occasional shopping, movies and eating outside. These expenses entirely depend on your pocket money and affinity to splurge.

• In a mid-sized US town, your total living expenses as an international student should not ideally exceed $600 a month. However, many of the expenses listed above are left to your discretion.

Other Expenses for International Students

• Apart from the costs that the other students in the US manage, you, as an international student will have certain additional expenses that you may need to take care of.

• Flight tickets for international travel are an extra cost for international students. If you intend to travel back home during semester breaks and for vacations, you may need to set aside funds to pay for international flight tickets that can be quite expensive.

• International calling cards may cost about $15 per month. If you and your family back home have a good data plan or good Wi-Fi connectivity without restrictions on free online calling apps, this cost can be avoided.

How to Plan your Cost of Living in USA

• If you live in a middle-sized town away from the major cities like New York, you can easily find accommodation for about $700 a year if you share an apartment with fellow students. This is excluding the cost of heat/air-conditioning and electricity which can be an average of $15.

• Purchasing your household items and groceries from large supermarket chains like Walmart is a smart thing to do. These shops often have discounts and offers and your bills should not exceed $125 per month.

• Always fix a budget and plan your expenses before the beginning of a new month. This will help you spend wisely and discourage any impromptu buying decisions which may be unnecessary.

• At the end of every month, keep track of all the payments you have made and costs you have incurred. Looking back allows you to understand the areas in which your expenses are high and make adjustments to your upcoming monthly budget.

How to Fund your Cost of Living in USA

• As a university student in the US, you can engage in part-time jobs that will help cover your expenses to a certain extend. You can earn anywhere between $9 to $15 per hour working on odd jobs and minimum wage jobs at restaurants and hotels.

• Most universities in the US provide some kind of financial assistance to international students in the form of scholarships or grants. You can look for such options and avail them even before moving to the US for your master’s program.

• If you have an excellent academic background and fare well in studies, you can apply for scholarships that may be partially or fully funded. Most scholarships require applicants to meet certain criteria. So, collect the necessary information and prepare your documents accordingly before applying.

• You can look for on campus work opportunities for students at your university. Assistant positions can earn you a handsome sum of money in the range of $300-$700 per month depending on the hours worked.

Other Useful Tips

• Even in the initial stages of applying to universities in the US, look for universities in locations that are affordable. You can easily get the zip code for the university you wish to apply to and look online for apartments in the area.

• Locate a few apartments of your choice and contact the advertisers asking for a quote, this way you will have an idea of the average rent in the area around the university.

• As you can imagine, big cities in the US are way more expensive than middle sized university towns. There are also state wise differences. For instance, studying in places like New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island can be way more costly in terms of rent than studying in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Idaho or New Mexico.

• You might want to take the transportation facilities into consideration. Not all cities in the US have well networked public transportation. Before zeroing down to a place to stay, consider any costs involved in your daily commute as well.

Cumulative Cost of Living in USA for International Students