High costs linked to America's leading college towns revealed

The 2025 Best Colleges rankings have been released, highlighting the significant costs associated with living in America’s top college towns. While tuition is a primary concern for prospective students and their families, other expenses are often overlooked.

“The country’s top universities boast state-of-the-art facilities and access to a top-notch education. However, many of these towns also come with a relatively high cost of living and high home prices,” says Realtor.com® senior economic data analyst Hannah Jones.

Students living on campus might avoid some of these costs initially, but those who move off-campus or settle in the area post-graduation will face them.

University towns offer numerous amenities and prestige, “but many of the areas that house the nation’s top universities come with a matching price tag,” says Jones. The highest home prices among the top 10 schools are found in Palo Alto, CA, where Stanford University is located. “The housing market around Stanford has a median listing price of nearly $4 million,” adds Jones.

In contrast, Baltimore offers more affordable options. “The city of Baltimore, home to Johns Hopkins, boasts the lowest home prices, with a median listing price of $225,000,” notes Jones.

Cost of living varies significantly among these cities. “The cost of living in the [San Francisco] Bay Area is more than 17% higher than the national average, placing the area firmly at the top of the ‘least affordable’ list,” says Jones. Conversely, Durham, NC provides more affordability for students. “The most affordable of the top 10 college towns, in terms of cost of living, is Durham, NC," states Jones. "The cost of living in Durham is about 3.4% below the national average.”

Here are details on tuition costs and living expenses for each university in the top 10:

1. Princeton University

- Tuition: $62,400

- City: Princeton, NJ

- Median home price: $1,325,000

- Cost of living vs. national average: 100.8%

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- Tuition: $62,396

- City: Cambridge, MA

- Median home price: $1,350,000

- Cost of living vs. national average: 111.9%

3. Harvard University

- Tuition: $61,676

- City: Cambridge, MA

- Median home price: $1,350,000

- Cost of living vs. national average: 111.9%

4. Stanford University

- Tuition: $65,910

- City: Stanford CA,

- Median home price: $3.,725.,000

 - Cost o.f l..iving v.s n..ational .average:.117...8%

5.Yale University.

 - Tuiti.on:$67,.250.

 -City:N.e.w Haven,.CT..

-Median h.o.me p.rice:$296,.500.

-Cost.of.liv.ing.vs.nat.io.nal.a.ver.age:.105...3%.

6.California.Institute.of.Technology.

-Tuition:$65,..898...

-City:P.asadena,.CA..

-Median.ho.me.p.rice:$1.,295..0...00...

-Cost.o.f.li.vi.ng.vs..nati.on.al.av.erage:.113...1...

6.Duke.University.

-Tuition:$69,..140..

-City:D.u.rham,.NC..

-Median.home.price:$444,...890...

-Co.st.of.l.iv.ing.vs.na.tio.nal.av.erage:.96....6...

6.Johns.Hopkins.University.

-Tuition:$65,..230...

-City:Baltimore.MD..

-Median.home.price:$224,...900...

-Co.st.of.l.iv.ing.vs.na.tio.nal.av.erage:.102....4...

6.Northwestern.University.

-Tuition:$68,...322...

-City:EvanstonIL..

-Median.home.price:$400,...000...

-Co.st.of.l.iv.ing.vs.na.tio.nal.av.erage:.105....7...

10.UniversityofPennsylvania.

-Tuition:$68,..686...

-CityPhiladelphiaPA..

-Medianhomeprice$285,..000....

-Co.st.of.l.iv.ing.vs.na.tio.nal.av.erage:.100....6%