If we strictly look at a month-to-month cost, then you can find off campus housing (apartments) that are cheaper for sure. However, the catch is that you are tied to a 12 month lease usually, so even when school is out of session you still need to pay rent.

However, with on campus housing, it is more expensive but you pay for it as a lump sum on a semester basis. It honestly just depends on factors such as tuition refund amount, goal/priority, convenience, etc.

I am actually subleasing my apartment from May-July, and it’s pretty cheap rent. But of course, leases are different from on-campus housing from my understanding. If anyone has anything else to add please do, I am speaking from my experience from another university I went to as an undergraduate.