CSUMB Housing Costs

$4,005 Other Living Expenses Typical Cost

What is the Cost of Living at CSUMB?

There are additional costs associated with college other than tuition. Find out below exactly how much you will be spending to attend California State University-Monterey Bay.

On this page you will find:

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

Living Expenses at CSUMB

This school prices housing and dining separately. The on-campus housing cost for a typical student was $8,873 in 2026, with the price of an average meal plan at $5,720. All in all, an on-campus student at California State University-Monterey Bay budgeted around $26,323 in 2026 after factoring in housing, meals, books and other essentials.

The table below shows the expected costs of on-campus and off-campus housing and dining plans for California State University-Monterey Bay.

Expense	On Campus	Off Campus
Room and Board	$21,419	$28,863
— Housing	$8,873
— Meals	$5,720
Other Living Expenses	$4,005	$6,931
Books and Supplies	$899	$899
Total	$26,323	$36,693

Will You Spend Four Years On Campus? Estimated Four-Year Cost: $157,076

Tuition is not the only college cost that climbs each year — room and board does too. Estimating the trend now makes for a more accurate four-year budget.

Over the course of obtaining your degree, expect on-campus living costs near $157,076 in room, board and other essentials.

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 State University-Monterey Bay.

Year	Room & Board
Three Years Ago	$13,428
Two Years Ago	$19,313
One Year Ago	$20,418
Most Recent Year (2026)	$21,419
One Year From Now *	$25,667
Two Years From Now *	$30,759
Three Years From Now *	$36,861
Four Years From Now *	$44,173

* estimated

Year over year, room and board rose an average of 19.8% per year. Carrying that rate forward one year puts on-campus living costs near $30,571 for their first year on campus.

At this pace, a senior would spend approximately $49,077 in year four — and a two-year student about $35,663 for the last year of an associate degree.

Over a four-year stay, the projected room, board and living-cost total is about $157,076 for a bachelor’s, while two years would run about $66,234 for a two-year (associate) degree.