23 College Towns Where Buying a Home Costs Less Than Student Room and Board Gabrielle OlyaOctober 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM 0 jacoblund / Getty Images/iStockphoto Attending college has become increasingly unaffordable, but it's not just tuition that's rising — room and board costs have surged, too.
- - 23 College Towns Where Buying a Home Costs Less Than Student Room and Board
Gabrielle OlyaOctober 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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jacoblund / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Attending college has become increasingly unaffordable, but it's not just tuition that's rising — room and board costs have surged, too. A new analysis by Mortgage Research Network found that in nearly 1 in 5 college towns, it's now cheaper to buy a home than to pay for dorms or off-campus housing over a student's college career.
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The study compared housing costs at 121 universities nationwide, factoring in mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, closing costs and maintenance. It also accounted for rental income and expected home appreciation. In 23 college towns, the total cost of buying a home came out lower than the cost of renting or living in a dorm.
Here are the college towns where buying a home could save students and families money — and potentially build equity while earning a degree.
Roman Babakin / Shutterstock.comTemple University: Philadelphia -
Average home price: $234,799
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $50,904
3-year savings when buying a home: $29,742
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Davebanner12 / Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA 3Marshall University: Huntington, West Virginia -
Average home price: $137,909
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $38,556
3-year savings when buying a home: $18,805
gregobagel / Getty Images/iStockphotoUniversity of Delaware: Newark, Delaware -
Average home price: $365,150
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $44,514
3-year savings when buying a home: $16,696
Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.comUniversity of Alabama: Tuscaloosa, Alabama -
Average home price: $227,250
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $44,520
3-year savings when buying a home: $16,353
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphotoUniversity of Memphis: Memphis, Tennessee -
Average home price: $151,722
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $31,032
3-year savings when buying a home: $15,171
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Brad Armentor / Flickr.comLouisiana State University: Baton Rouge, Louisiana -
Average home price: $228,376
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $42,888
3-year savings when buying a home: $15,006
emma mason / Getty ImagesUniversity at Buffalo: Buffalo, New York -
Average home price: $243,408
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $50,262
3-year savings when buying a home: $13,803
©Shutterstock.comUniversity of South Carolina-Columbia: Columbia, South Carolina -
Average home price: $226,684
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $37,674
3-year savings when buying a home: $13,631
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Keith J Finks / Shutterstock.comKent State University: Kent, Ohio -
Average home price: $242,686
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $39,120
3-year savings when buying a home: $12,273
BrianEKushner / Getty Images/iStockphotoRowan University: Glassboro, New Jersey -
Average home price: $367,886
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $49,659
3-year savings when buying a home: $11,772
bgwalker / Getty Images/iStockphotoUniversity of Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh -
Average home price: $244,928
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $40,260
3-year savings when buying a home: $10,481
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Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.comWest Virginia University: Morgantown, West Virginia -
Average home price: $274,455
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $41,628
3-year savings when buying a home: $9,489
JHVEPhoto / Getty ImagesUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette: Lafayette, Louisiana -
Average home price: $222,435
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $35,964
3-year savings when buying a home: $8,965
Pete Spiro / Shutterstock.comOhio State University: Columbus, Ohio -
Average home price: $256,012
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $42,816
3-year savings when buying a home: $8,144
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Joe Hendrickson / Getty ImagesUniversity of Illinois Chicago: Chicago -
Average home price: $315,409
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $43,800
3-year savings when buying a home: $8,022
EQRoy / Shutterstock.comUniversity of Cincinnati: Cincinnati -
Average home price: $252,920
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $39,144
3-year savings when buying a home: $4,673
Robert Michaud / Getty ImagesUniversity of Southern Mississippi: Hattiesburg, Mississippi -
Average home price: $218,582
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $34,992
3-year savings when buying a home: $4,080
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Thomas R Machnitzki / Wikimedia CommonsArkansas State University: Jonesboro, Arkansas -
Average home price: $221,944
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $33,300
3-year savings when buying a home: $3,946
Edward Palm / Getty ImagesLiberty University: Lynchburg, Virginia -
Average home price: $262,020
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $38,757
3-year savings when buying a home: $3,067
youngryand / Getty ImagesUniversity of Wisconsin: Milwaukee -
Average home price: $222,245
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $32,940
3-year savings when buying a home: $2,947
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leightrail / Getty ImagesUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, Illinois -
Average home price: $230,630
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $41,814
3-year savings when buying a home: $2,884
Patrick Tr / Shutterstock.comUniversity of South Florida: Tampa, Florida -
Average home price: $376,278
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $40,785
3-year savings when buying a home: $404
ErikaMitchell / Getty ImagesVermont State University: Randolph, Vermont -
Average home price: $346,372
Cost of room and board for 3 years: $38,694
3-year savings when buying a home: $204
Editor's note: Data sourced from Mortgage Research Network and accurate as of Aug. 14, 2025.
Editor's note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed in this article.
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