Cost of Living
Admitted Student Resources
What is Cost of Living?
Would you like to know the cost of living in various areas across the United States to help determine if you can afford to live in a certain area? A cost of living index is a useful comparison tool in evaluating the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services in a specified location.
The cost of living index measures relative price levels for consumer goods and services necessary to maintain a standard of living in a specific area. The average index for all locations in the United States is equal to 100. Each specific location is represented as a percentage of the average index of 100. Visit the Cost of Living Calculator to view cost of living information by city.
Information in our cost of living map and table was compiled using:
www.bestplaces.net
www.rentcafe.com
| School | Location | Cost of Living Index* | Avg apartment rent** | Housing Index | Grocery Index | Utilities Index | Sales Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | 83.5 | $1,552 | 78.8 | 95.3 | 103.6 | 7.00% |
| Purdue University | Indianapolis, IN | 85.7 | $1,250 | 62.7 | 93.6 | 90.2 | 7.00% |
| University of Illinois | Urbana-Champaign ++ | 81.1 | $1,506 | 52.4 | 94.7 | 95.7 | 9.00% |
| Indiana University | Bloomington, IN | 88.8 | $1,634 | 88 | 97 | 97.2 | 7.00% |
| University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | 103.4 | $1,764 | 112.7 | 97.9 | 107.5 | 5.50% |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | 105.5 | $2,070 | 143.4 | 102.6 | 99.3 | 6.00% |
| The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH | 91.4 | $1,328 | 70.6 | 98.8 | 102.1 | 8.00% |
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | 107.2 | $1,669 | 113.4 | 101.2 | 99.7 | 9.03% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Tech. | Cambridge, MA | 144.7 | $3,735 | 321.4 | 115.5 | 117.8 | 6.25% |
| Georgia Institute of Tech. | Atlanta, GA | 113.3 | $1,756 | 114.6 | 98.8 | 103.6 | 8.90% |
| University of Texas | Austin, TX | 129.1 | $1,660 | 189 | 96.7 | 99.1 | 8.25% |
| University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | 195.5 | $3,272 | 521 | 114 | 91.3 | 10.25% |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | 89.6 | $1,415 | 78.7 | 99.7 | 93.9 | 6.00% |
| University of Maryland | College Park, MD | 120.8 | $2,554 | 136 | 108 | 109.4 | 6.00% |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | 83.6 | $1,735 | 84.6 | 95.6 | 97.2 | 6.00% |
| University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE | 92.6 | $1,295 | 81.7 | 97.4 | 92.3 | 7.25% |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | 105.7 | $2,544 | 155.4 | 100.9 | 95 | 10.25% |
| Rutgers University | New Brunswick, NJ | 124.7 | $2,446 | 113 | 103.5 | 114.4 | 6.63% |
| Penn State University | State College, PA | 95.4 | $2,079 | 112.4 | 107.8 | 90.4 | 6.00% |
| Stanford University | Palo Alto, CA | 231 | $3,096 | 1139.8 | 124.4 | 89.9 | 9.13% |
Showing 1 to 20 of 20 entries
* US national average is 100%.
** The data on average rents comes directly from competitively-rented (market-rate) large-scale multifamily properties (50+ units in size), in over 130 markets across the U.S. Apartment rent data was provided by Yardi Matrix, a RENTCafé sister company.
+ Figures are averaged from both West Lafayette & Lafayette.
++ Figures are averaged from both Urbana & Champaign.
Updated April 2025.
Sources: bestplaces.net and RENTCafé.
Contact Information
Office of Graduate Admissions
Young Hall, Room 170
155 S. Grant Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2114
Phone: (765) 494-2600
Fax: (765) 494-0136
Email: gradinfo@purdue.edu