How expensive is it to be a student in the U.S. (1990–2025)
A student month is the typical out-of-pocket cost to live and study for one month. It bundles rent, basic utilities, groceries (food at home), public transit, tuition & fees (amortized monthly), books & supplies, basic health/insurance, phone + internet, and a small misc buffer. We track it in both dollars and hours-to-afford: the hours of work needed to cover the total at the minimum wage after tax.
Formula: hours-to-afford = monthly total ÷ (minimum wage × 0.92).
- National trend: uses the federal minimum wage (after-tax factor 0.92).
- State table: uses each state minimum wage (× 0.92).
- Sticker-price view: no financial aid; swap your wage or rent in the calculator to localize.
TL;DR (2025): A realistic student basket is about $2,400/month. At the federal minimum wage after-tax of $6.67/hour, that’s roughly ~360 hours of work (~83 hours/week).
- 2019 → 2025 (minimum-wage lens): ~298 h → ~360 h as prices rose while the federal minimum stayed at $7.25.
- Biggest push since 2019: rent & food ~+30%, electricity ~+43%. Public transport ~+2%.
- Audit-ready: CPI series + U.S. DOL minimum wage (federal for national view; state table for states) and ACS rent medians.
- 1990 → 2025 snapshot (minimum wage): $712 at $3.50/hr (~203 h) → $2,400 at $6.67/hr (~360 h). $3.80 took effect Apr 1990; we use 0.92 net = $3.50
How many hours do students need to work to cover a realistic monthly budget? There is math behind it, and we call that hours-to-afford. It is total monthly cost divided by an after-tax hourly wage. This explainer shows how the number changed from 1990 to 2019, 2024, and 2025 using the federal minimum wage for the national trend, then compares states using state minimum wages with current rents. All figures draw on official time series from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) minimum wage tables, and ACS rent medians from the Census Bureau as of October 2025, with methods and CSVs you can download and replicate.
It’s not a guess. It’s a model you can edit. Use our live calculators to swap in your campus numbers, or download the data and audit every step. Try the quick calculator here: /student/resources/#hta.
The basket and the method
We start with a transparent 2025 baseline basket that students recognize: rent, utilities (electricity and gas), food at home, public transportation, tuition and fees amortized monthly, books and supplies, basic health/insurance, phone + internet, and a miscellaneous buffer.
For each cost line we map a CPI series and scale backward by index ratios to compute implied monthly costs in 1990, 2019, and 2024. We then divide each year’s total by the minimum wage (federal for national trend; state for the state table) using a constant after-tax factor of 0.92.
Series used (NSA):
- Rent of primary residence CUUR0000SEHA.
- Electricity CUUR0000SEHF01.
- Utility (piped) gas CUUR0000SEHF02.
- Food at home CUUR0000SAF11.
- Public transportation CUUR0000SETG.
- Medical care services CUUR0000SAM2 (see the BLS CPI data page).
- All items CPI-U CUUR0000SA0 for a broad deflator.
- Wage anchor Minimum wage — federal minimum for national trend; state minimums for state comparisons (U.S. DOL).
2025 baseline amounts used in the model: rent $650, utilities $80 (60% electricity, 40% gas), food $300, transit $45, tuition $900, books $75, health $180, phone+internet $70, misc $100. National after-tax wage for 2025 uses the federal minimum $7.25/hr × 0.92 = $6.67/hr. We keep 0.92 constant across all years for comparability.
For readers who want series definitions and scope, BLS’s CPI home and factsheets explain how rent, utilities, and other items are constructed.
“With the federal minimum stuck at $7.25 since 2009, the time burden rises: ~298 hours in 2019 to ~360 hours in 2025 as rents and food climb.”
Wage source: U.S. Department of Labor minimum wage tables.
National trend: 1990 vs 2019 vs 2024 vs 2025
Two forces move the number: category costs and the wage. Since 2019, rent, food at home, and electricity pushed the basket up, while the federal minimum wage remained flat. Result: more hours required at the minimum.
Table 1 — 2025 baseline and % change vs 2019
| Category | 2025 baseline (USD/mo) | %Δ since 2019 (CPI ratio) |
| Rent of primary residence | $650 | +~30% |
| Electricity | $48 | +~43% |
| Utility gas | $32 | +~20% |
| Food at home | $300 | +~30% |
| Public transportation | $45 | +~2% |
| Medical care services | $180 | +~16% |
| Misc (all-items deflator) | $100 | +~26% |
| Tuition & fees (context) | $900 | mid-teens |
| Books & supplies (context) | $75 | low single digits |
Sources: BLS CPI series pages/tables as of Oct-2025 (series above); minimum wages from U.S. DOL.
Now the headline: hours-to-afford (using minimum wage). Using the basket above and the wage series:
- 1990 (federal min): total about $712/mo; wage $3.80/hr pretax, $3.50/hr after tax → ~203 hours
- 2019 (federal min): total about $1,985/mo; wage $7.25/hr pretax, $6.67/hr after tax → ~298 hours
- 2024 (federal min): total about $2,364/mo; wage $7.25/hr pretax, $6.67/hr after tax → ~354 hours
- 2025 (federal min): total $2,400/mo; wage $7.25/hr pretax, $6.67/hr after tax → ~360 hours
Table 2 — Hours-to-afford (national, minimum wage)
| Year | Basket total | After-tax wage | Hours-to-afford |
| 1990 | $712 | $3.50/hr | ~203 h |
| 2019 | $1,985 | $6.67/hr | ~298 h |
| 2024 | $2,364 | $6.67/hr | ~354 h |
| 2025 | $2,400 | $6.67/hr | ~360 h |
Hours-to-afford timeline using the federal minimum wage (after-tax).
What does ~360 hours/month mean? ≈ ~83 hours/week (360 ÷ 4.33). For reference, 2019’s ~298 hours ≈ ~69 hours/week.
The punchline in the minimum-wage view: hours rose markedly from 2019 → 2025 because the federal minimum wage was flat while key costs climbed. Try your own inputs or use your local wage: /student/resources/#hta.
Category drivers since 2019
Rent and food at home climbed by roughly ~30% since late 2019, and electricity by ~43%, which is why students feel monthly budgets stretching even with roommate splits. Public transportation moved far less, up only ~2%, so a campus pass can still be a stabilizer for commuting costs. Medical care services rose by ~16%, which matters where student health insurance is mandatory. (All deltas derived from the BLS CPI series listed earlier.)
“Rent and food are the budget engines. A roommate split or a meal-plan rethink can move your hours more than trimming small lines.”
Category sources: BLS CPI — rent CUUR0000SEHA, food-at-home CUUR0000SAF11, electricity CUUR0000SEHF01.
For education-specific lines, tuition and fees show mid-teens growth since 2019 on CPI, and the College Board’s Trends report confirms the broad pattern for published prices. Books & supplies changed only a few percent over the same span.
Reporter cheat-sheet (quotes + sources)
- “Sticker-price student month (2025): ~$2,400; time to cover at the federal minimum: ~360 hours at ~$6.67/hr after tax.” — Wage: U.S. DOL minimum wage; CPI category series: BLS CPI.
- “2019 → 2025 hours rise from ~298 h to ~360 h because the federal minimum stayed flat while key costs rose.”
- “Housing dominates: in low-wage states, a month’s median rent alone can take 160–250 hours at the state minimum.” — Rents: ACS B25064 (gross rent); Minimum wages: U.S. DOL state table.
State-by-state 2025 snapshot
National medians hide sharp differences. To give a clean first cut we use ACS 2023 median gross rent by state and scale it to Aug-2025 using the CPI Rent factor. We then divide by the state minimum wage in 2025 to get hours-to-afford rent. This is not a full student budget, yet it is a powerful comparator because housing is the largest single line almost everywhere. (ACS B25064 and DOL minimum wage tables, both current in 2025.)
Table 3 — Hours-to-afford rent (Top 10 and Bottom 10, 2025)
Formula: hours = 2025 rent estimate ÷ (state minimum wage × 0.92 after-tax factor). Data: ACS B25064 2023, CPI rent scaler to Aug-2025 via CUUR0000SEHA, DOL minimum wage table.
| Rank | State | 2025 rent est. | Min wage 2025 | Hours |
| 1 | Utah | ~$1,650 | $7.25 | ~249 h |
| 2 | Texas | ~$1,510 | $7.25 | ~226 h |
| 3 | Georgia | ~$1,490 | $7.25 | ~224 h |
| 4 | North Carolina | ~$1,330 | $7.25 | ~199 h |
| 5 | Tennessee | ~$1,300 | $7.25 | ~194 h |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | ~$1,280 | $7.25 | ~192 h |
| 7 | South Carolina | ~$1,250 | $7.25 | ~188 h |
| 8 | Indiana | ~$1,115 | $7.25 | ~167 h |
| 9 | Kansas | ~$1,105 | $7.25 | ~166 h |
| 10 | Oklahoma | ~$1,090 | $7.25 | ~163 h |
| Rank | State | 2025 rent est. | Min wage 2025 | Hours |
| 1 | Maine | ~$1,270 | $14.65 | ~94 h |
| 2 | Illinois | ~$1,320 | $15.00 | ~96 h |
| 3 | Connecticut | ~$1,560 | $16.35 | ~104 h |
| 4 | Vermont | ~$1,285 | $14.01 | ~100 h |
| 5 | New York | ~$1,665 | $15.50 | ~117 h |
| 6 | Washington | ~$1,850 | $16.66 | ~121 h |
| 7 | New Jersey | ~$1,780 | $15.49 | ~125 h |
| 8 | District of Columbia | ~$2,030 | $17.50 | ~126 h |
| 9 | Maryland | ~$1,760 | $15.00 | ~128 h |
| 10 | Massachusetts | ~$1,875 | $15.00 | ~136 h |
Localize your campus: swap in your ZIP’s median gross rent (ACS B25064) and your actual student wage—the calculator will instantly show new hours.
Sensitivity: what if things shift?
Small changes move the needle. Quick tests on the national basket (2025 baseline at federal minimum):
- Wage +$2/hr (after tax): hours fall from ~360 h to ~277 h (−~83 h).
- Wage −$2/hr (after tax): hours rise to ~514 h (+~154 h).
- Rent +10%: hours rise to ~370 h (+~10 h).
- Rent −10%: hours fall to ~350 h (−~10 h).
- Utilities +15%: hours rise to ~362 h (+~2 h).
“At the minimum wage, a $2/hour raise cuts about 80+ hours a month. A 10% rent cut saves ~10 hours.”
Dorm vs Off-campus, Meal Plans, Books
Housing first. The Dorm vs Off-Campus tool shows a clean breakeven because it amortizes deposits and adds food and transit where relevant. Many off-campus options look cheaper monthly, yet deposits and start-up costs delay the benefit if you only stay a short time. Run your numbers: /student/resources/#dorm-offcampus-live.
Meal plans next. Plans can be good value when you fully use the swipes, but many students under-utilize paid meals. The Meal Plan vs Groceries tool converts both to cost per meal, which makes the decision concrete. Try it here: /student/resources/#meals-live.
Finally books. Combine used, rental, and OER where you can. The Textbook Optimizer compares effective cost after resale with rental and eBook options, so you don’t overpay. Open it: /student/resources/#shelfsaver-live. Every small win counts. It all adds up.
What you can do with the CSVs
- Audit: trace each basket line to its CPI series and reproduce 1990→2019→2024→2025 scaling.
- Swap assumptions: replace the minimum-wage anchor (federal for national, state for local) with your campus job survey.
- Build press visuals: hours-to-afford time series (1990, 2019, 2024, 2025) and a state rent-hours bar chart.
Caveats and Limitations
Three notes for careful readers. First, we use NSA CPI component series to keep category scaling intuitive across the anchor months. Second, “phone + internet” can be split into telephone and an internet services sub-index; our baseline uses a flat monthly plan since students buy actual plans. Third, the wage anchor for the national trend is the federal minimum; local wages vary widely and many students earn above it—use the calculator to see how hours change with your local or campus wage. (Series ID documentation at BLS; minimum wage tables at U.S. DOL.)
These choices aim for reproducibility and clarity. They are conservative, and they keep the model simple enough that an advisor can run it with students in a workshop without touching code. If you want more precision, swap in your campus’s actual rent and wage data and the hours will update instantly.
How to cite and reproduce
Cite as: “How expensive is it to be a student in the U.S. (1990–2025).” ThePricer.org, 2025.
Core sources: BLS CPI (https://www.bls.gov/cpi/), U.S. DOL minimum wages (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage), ACS median gross rent (https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B25064).
- Download our CSVs and open the calculator: /student/resources/#hta.
- Swap basket lines or wages; recompute hours-to-afford (federal minimum, state minimum, or campus typical wage).
- Export charts and cite the series and wage definitions used.
Answers to Common Questions
What exactly is “hours-to-afford”?
Total monthly cost divided by an after-tax hourly wage. We use 0.92 as a simple net factor on the minimum wage to keep year-to-year comparisons clean.
Why use CPI to scale past years?
CPI components are the official way to measure price changes by category, so scaling the same basket backward with those indexes keeps the comparison consistent and transparent.
Does this include financial aid?
No. The national model is a sticker-price view of living and study costs. Use the Aid Impact tool to add grants or work-study and see how hours change: /student/resources/#aid-impact-live. For tuition context, see the College Board Trends report.
Are state results only about rent?
Yes. The state table focuses on housing to show a clean comparison that everyone understands. You can add food or transit differences later, but rent alone explains most of the variation. (ACS B25064 for rents; DOL for minimum wages.)
Worked model: national 2019 vs 2025
Put it all together. At $2,400/mo in 2025 and an after-tax federal minimum wage $6.67/hr, a student needs ~360 hours to cover the basket. In 2019 the same basket scaled to ~$1,985/mo against an after-tax wage $6.67/hr, which required ~298 hours. In 1990, the model totals ~$712/mo, the wage nets $3.50/hr, and the hours are ~203. (Category scale factors from the CPI series listed above; wage from U.S. DOL minimum wage tables.)
Sensitivity check: add +$2/hr to the after-tax wage and hours drop to ~277; nudge rent +10% and they rise to ~370; push utilities +15% and they move to ~362. The takeaway: wages and rent dominate the hour count, but smaller lines still matter when budgets are tight.
Time share thought experiment: Working 15 hours/week at the after-tax federal minimum covers about ~18% of the 2025 basket (~65 of ~360 hours ≈ ~$430/month). The rest must come from savings, aid, or expense cuts.
Hidden and Recurring Costs
Event fees and lab or technology fees. Parking permits. Under-used meal-plan swipes. Periodic textbook purchases even after rentals. Insurance category changes. These are small line items that quietly push hours up if you ignore them.
Do it yourself: open the calculators at /student/resources/#hta, #dorm-offcampus-live, #meals-live, and #commute-live. Download the CSVs at /student/resources/#download and make your own chartbook.
“It’s not a guess—it’s a spreadsheet you can edit. Change one assumption and you can see exactly how many hours you get back.”
Social-ready copy (X / LinkedIn)
X (≤280 chars): 2025 student month ≈ $2,400. At the federal minimum after tax (~$6.67/hr), that’s ~360 hours (~83 hrs/week). 2019 was ~298 h. CPI + DOL + ACS sources; calculators + CSVs to audit: /student/resources/#hta
LinkedIn (short): We modeled a student’s month (1990→2019→2024→2025) using the minimum wage. Hours rise from ~298 h (2019) to ~360 h (2025) as prices increase while the federal minimum stays flat. Transparent CPI + DOL + ACS sources, plus calculators and CSVs to audit.
Press kit
- Two charts to reuse: (1) Hours-to-Afford timeline (1990, 2019, 2024, 2025; minimum-wage lens). (2) 2025 state rent hours (Top 10 / Bottom 10). Built from our CSVs.
- Primary sources: BLS CPI, U.S. DOL minimum wages, ACS B25064, College Board Trends (https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/college-pricing).
- Media contact: [email protected]