• Living Cost Ranking – USA vs. Worldwide

 Living in New York City is a better value for your money than nine other worldwide cities including London, Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong, as the chart below verifies. Los Angeles ranks much lower in cost of living , with a lower cost of living than Sydney, Australia and Paris, France to name a few.

Here's a link to the source of this table.

• Relative Living Costs of Cities in the USA

Within the United States costs of living vary greatly.Generally, the East Coast has a higher cost of living compared to other regions of the United States, with New York City considerably higher than anywhere else.Besides New York City, cities in California such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego rank among the most expensive cities in the United States.Choosing to study at a school in the Midwest or Southern regions of the United States will afford you with a lower cost of living overall.

Here's a link to the source of this table.

• Living Cost Ranking – On-campus vs. Off-campus

When deciding whether to live on-campus (in an on-campus dormitory) or off-campus (in a single apartment, shared apartment, shared house, etc.), it is important to assess your personal situation and choices.Living off-campus requires a certain degree of independence.Considering you will be responsible for grocery shopping, preparing your own meals, paying the bills, and traveling to and from campus, you may feel more comfortable with the idea of living and working on-campus.Furthermore, campus life provides an opportunity for more interaction with other students and better awareness off school activities.

The table below gives a good representative example of what one could expect to pay for living on-campus vs. living off-campus.What should be remembered Is that the higher the cost of living in a particular city, the more likely it is that living on-campus would be the less-expensive and more convenient option.However, knowing for sure will require a bit of research.

Sample Academic Year Cost of Living