UW - Madison Housing Costs

$3,100 Other Living Expenses Typical Cost

How Do Housing Costs Compare at UW - Madison?

There are additional costs associated with college other than tuition. Find out below exactly how much you will be spending to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison.

On this page you will find:

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

Room and Board Expenses at UW - Madison

This school prices housing and dining separately. The on-campus housing cost for a typical student was $7,633 in 2026, with the price of an average meal plan at $4,500. Altogether, the average on-campus student at University of Wisconsin-Madison can expect to spend about $21,502 in 2026 in total yearly living costs beyond tuition.

The table below shows the expected costs of on-campus and off-campus housing and dining plans for University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Expense	On Campus	Off Campus
Room and Board	$17,302	$15,592
— Housing	$7,633
— Meals	$4,500
Other Living Expenses	$3,100	$3,100
Books and Supplies	$1,100	$1,100
Total	$21,502	$19,792

Room & Board Over Four Years? Projected Four-Year Cost: $92,762

The price of living on campus is rarely the same in your senior year as it was your first. A forward look helps you avoid sticker shock later in your degree.

At the projected rate, four years of on-campus living costs would total roughly $92,762 in room, board and other essentials.

Below is how room and board has changed across recent reported years — and where current trends point — at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Year	Room & Board
Three Years Ago	$15,548
Two Years Ago	$16,048
One Year Ago	$16,600
Most Recent Year (2026)	$17,302
One Year From Now *	$17,952
Two Years From Now *	$18,627
Three Years From Now *	$19,328
Four Years From Now *	$20,055

* estimated

Most recently, on-campus costs increased an average of 3.8% a year over the last three years. If current trends continue, incoming first-year students would pay about $22,152 in housing, food and other costs their first year.

Continuing the same trend, the final-year cost would be roughly $24,255 for a bachelor’s program; a two-year student would see about $22,827 for the last year of an associate degree.

Over a four-year stay, the projected room, board and living-cost total is about $92,762 over four years — compared with roughly $44,979 for a two-year stay.