<p>a newbie here.</p>
<p>I heard college housing is expensive, (in UC sys/CA anyhow). is it usually better to rent a room outside campus or live in college housing?</p>
<p>You will save between $1000 and $4000 dollars on housing if you choose to live off campus, based on the budgets that the UCs give you for the difference.</p>
<p>I live off-campus at Santa Cruz, and the projected difference is somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500. I am actually saving about $3500. </p>
<p>It may vary depending on your area, though, and exactly how many roommates -- and how far from campus -- you're willing to put up with.</p>