Cost, next to the design
Room prices
What student housing costs, from Matthew's research and from ours.
The rows that name a university are Matthew's own research, each one carrying the link he found it through, in the currency and over the period he recorded. The rows that name only a country are approximate ranges we collected from university housing pages across that country, per academic year and converted to US dollars, and actual costs vary by university, room type, contract length, and whether meals are included.
| Country | Cost | Period | Note | Gathered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EgyptCairo University | $125 to $300USD | period not recorded | A shared apartment is 125 to 210 and a private one is 220 to 300. On-campus university residences and off-campus apartments. | 2026-09-06 |
| EgyptAlexandria University | $1,500 to $2,000USD | per year | Shared dormitory-style rooms and communal facilities, catering to students and budget travelers. | 2026-09-06 |
| EgyptMansoura University | $1,500USD | per year | One figure only, no accommodation type recorded. | 2026-09-06 |
| ChinaTsinghua University | 6,000 to 8,000RMB | per year | On-campus accommodation. | 2026-09-06 |
| ChinaQinghai University | 50 to 14,300RMB | per person, per year | Shared dormitory rooms and private rooms. Where a figure lands in that range depends on the room type. | 2026-09-06 |
| ArgentinaUniversity of Buenos Aires | $200 to $400USD | per month | In Buenos Aires. Shared apartments, student residences or hostel-style shared rooms, and homestays. | 2026-09-06 |
| ArgentinaPontifical Catholic University of Argentina | $300 to $1,000USD | per month | A private university. Shared room or shared apartment, private room in a shared apartment, studio or one-bedroom apartment, host family room, private student residence, temporary sublet. | 2026-09-06 |
| NigeriaUniversity of the Niger | 20,000 to 35,000naira | per semester | Matthew also recorded this as about 35 US dollars. Undergraduate male hostels, undergraduate female hostels, postgraduate hostel. | 2026-09-06 |
| NigerAfrican Development University | $400 to $600USD | per semester | Triple-occupancy and double-occupancy rooms. | 2026-09-06 |
| IndiaAbhilashi University | 15,000rupees | per year | Single room, double-sharing room, triple-sharing room. | 2026-09-06 |
| IndiaAcharya Nagarjuna University | 70,000rupees | period not recorded | Single room, twin-sharing room, triple-sharing room, family accommodation. | 2026-09-06 |
| IndiaAligarh Muslim University | 16,000 to 28,000rupees | per year | Double-sharing room, triple-sharing room, four-sharing room, single room. | 2026-09-06 |
| United States | $7,000 to $13,000USD | per academic year | Room only. Adding a campus meal plan typically brings the total to around 14,000 dollars. | 2026-08-17 |
| United Kingdom | $7,000 to $12,500USD | per academic year | University halls on a 38 to 51 week contract. London sits at the top of the range and the West Midlands at the bottom. | 2026-08-17 |
| New Zealand | $7,000 to $11,500USD | per academic year | Catered halls are common here, so the figure often includes meals. | 2026-08-17 |
| Italy | $2,200 to $5,400USD | per academic year | University-run residences are the cheapest option but have long waiting lists. | 2026-08-17 |
| Hong Kong | $1,500 to $4,900USD | per academic year | University hostels. The range depends heavily on which hall it is and whether meals are included. | 2026-08-17 |
| South Africa | $2,200 to $4,400USD | per academic year | Self-catering residences sit near the bottom. Catered residences with a meal plan reach the top. | 2026-08-17 |
| Japan | $1,600 to $4,000USD | per academic year | University dormitories are the cheapest option, but they house only a small share of students. | 2026-08-17 |
| China | $600 to $2,800USD | per academic year | Shared dorms in smaller cities are cheapest. Single rooms in Beijing and Shanghai are the most expensive. | 2026-08-17 |
| Taiwan | $650 to $1,900USD | per academic year | On-campus dormitories are noticeably cheaper than renting off campus. | 2026-08-17 |
| Zimbabwe | $700 to $1,300USD | per academic year | University halls are charged per semester at a daily rate. | 2026-08-17 |
| Kazakhstan | $300 to $1,800USD | per academic year | Standard university dormitories are very low cost. Newer universities charge several times more. | 2026-08-17 |
The table scrolls sideways on a narrow screen.
None of these are quotes. Check the university's own housing page before planning around any of them.