Caltech Housing Costs

$2,700 Other Living Expenses Typical Cost

Living Expenses and How They Compare at Caltech?

There are additional costs associated with college other than tuition. Find out below exactly how much you will be spending to attend California Institute of Technology.

On this page you will find:

Living Expenses Outline
Room & Board Trends and Total Expenses
Meal Plans and Housing Requirements
References

Living Expenses at Caltech

This school offers students separate housing and dining options. The on-campus housing charge for an average student was $11,697 in 2026, with the price of an average meal plan at $8,586. All in all, a student living on campus at California Institute of Technology budgeted around $27,624 in 2026 for room, board, books and other living costs combined.

The following table outlines average expected costs for both on-campus and off-campus housing, meals and other expenses at California Institute of Technology.

Expense	On Campus	Off Campus
Room and Board	$23,496	$27,054
— Housing	$11,697
— Meals	$8,586
Other Living Expenses	$2,700	$6,192
Books and Supplies	$1,428	$1,428
Total	$27,624	$34,674

Will You Spend Four Years On Campus? Estimated Four-Year Cost: $125,846

Housing and dining costs rarely hold still from one year to the next. A forward look helps you avoid sticker shock later in your degree.

The projected four-year total comes to about $125,846 by the time you graduate.

Here is how combined on-campus room and board has moved over the last few reported years, with a projection of where it is headed, at California Institute of Technology.

Year	Room & Board
Three Years Ago	$19,839
Two Years Ago	$21,306
One Year Ago	$22,203
Most Recent Year (2026)	$23,496
One Year From Now *	$24,939
Two Years From Now *	$26,472
Three Years From Now *	$28,098
Four Years From Now *	$29,825

* estimated

Year over year, room and board rose an average of 6.1% each year. Carrying that rate forward one year puts on-campus living costs near $29,067 in their first year.

Continuing the same trend, the final-year cost would be roughly $33,953 for a four-year (bachelor’s) degree, and about $30,600 by the end of a two-year program.

Over the entire degree (assuming you graduate on time), the total comes to about $125,846 for a bachelor’s, while two years would run about $59,667 for a two-year (associate) degree.