Each year the USA issues more than 300,000 F1 student visas. If you are looking to study abroad and earn the benefits of international education, be it a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, or even a Ph.D., the USA offers one of the best educational opportunities for an international student.
Taking Care Of Basic Needs
As an international student, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when it comes to housing, food, and transportation. In this guide, we’ll go over what you need to know about finding a place to live, getting around, and eating while you’re studying in the United States.
We will cover how to find housing and what to look out for in renter’s agreements. Similarly, we cover how to find transportation so that you can get to all to cool places you will go. Finally, we will cover where to grocery shop, how to compare prices, and alternative ways to get food delivered to you.
Shopping For Housing
When you come to study in the US, you will have two main options for housing. The first is on-campus or school housing. These units typically come with many amenities but are expensive. The second option is to rent.
On Campus Housing
You will need to talk to your university about their options if you are interested in on-campus housing.
Typically, these units come in singles (just you), doubles (you and a roommate), and quads (you and three roommates). The more roommates you are willing to live with, the less you will spend. Usually, there are online forums to meet other students to find like-minded roommates. This is especially the case for undergraduate studies.
On Campus Pros – (Most On-Campus/University Housing Comes With The Following Amenities Included)
- Utilities – electricity, water, trash, etc.
- Laundry
- Internet
- Maintenance
- Landscaping
- Transportation (or close enough to walk to campus)
On Campus Cons – (Here Are Some Common Downsides Of University Housing)
- Unknown roommates
- Moderate to high rent costs
- Minimal upkeep
If you have the money to spend and want to decrease the stress of finding housing, we highly recommend considering on-campus or university housing. If not, or you would like your own place, you will want to explore renting options.
Renting In The USA
The next option for housing is to rent an apartment, condo, or house. Depending on the unit condition, roommates, and location, you will find drastically different rent rates.
When you rent you need to make sure you understand your responsibilities, which may include the following:
- Rent
- Utilities – electricity, water, trash, etc.
- Pet policies
- Internet – unless you get it through your cable company
- Furniture – although some places come furnished
- Lawncare – mowing lawns and/or shoveling sidewalks
- Cleaning and upkeep of the unit
All of the responsibilities will be laid out in your lease, which is a binding contract that says you will live there for a set period of time – usually six months to a year.
It is important that you read the lease carefully before signing it.
If you do not have a US cosigner (someone who will agree to pay if you cannot), some landlords may require that you pay several months of rent in advance. Make sure you look carefully at the lease.
To find a place to rent, you can look online on websites like apartments.com or  Zillow.
There are also apartment locators that will help you find a place to live. Be sure to ask about the following:
- Rent price
- Location
- Utilities – certain utilities may be included, make sure to ask about the average cost-per-month of each utility, as this will vary by apartment
- Deposit (how much money you need to give up front to get the location) – usually 1-2 months rent
- Length of the lease
- Furniture included/not included
- Cleaning and upkeep expectations
We highly recommend you price shop different units, calculating out how much your monthly expenses will be as well as weighing the different responsibilities. It may be cheaper to live on campus.
Renting Pros – (Here Are Some Benefits To Renting Off Campus)
- You can usually find a place close to campus or public transportation
- You have more control over who your roommates are
- You can often find cheaper rent than on-campus housing
Renting Cons – (There Are Some Downsides To Renting That You Should Be Aware Of)
- You may be responsible for utilities, furniture, and cleaning
- If you have a bad landlord, it can be difficult to get things fixed in a timely manner
Before signing a lease, make sure to price shop multiple places. Be sure to read the lease carefully and make sure you understand all of the terms. If possible, try to visit the unit before signing the lease. This way, you can see if there are any issues that need to be fixed. If you cannot visit in person, ask for a virtual tour.
Transportation
Depending on where you live, you may need a car to get around. If you live in a city, you may be able to get by without a car. For this article, we assume that you will not have a US drivers license when you enter the country, and thus will not be covering cars here.
There are several options for transportation, including:
- Walking/Biking
- School transportation – buses, shuttles
- Public transportation – buses, trains, subways
- Rideshare services
Walking/Biking
If you live close to your university and shops, you may be able to walk or bike as a means of transportation. Keep in mind that walking at night may be dangerous and weather may make these methods unpleasant or dangerous at times.
If you are interested in getting a bike for a good price, Walmart is a great place to go. They have a selection bikes that will not cost too much. You can even order online and they will deliver the bike to you, so that you do not have to come and pick it up. Click here to view their selection.
School Transportation
Your school may have buses or trains that are included in your school fees. These are free transportation methods that you can use to get around campus and town. Often times there will even be a bus from campus that will take you to a shopping center to get supplies and groceries.
Contact your school or look on their website to understand what is available, timing, schedules, and routes of these transportation resources.
Public Transportation
If you plan on using public transportation, be sure to research the cost and schedules. You will want to make sure it is reliable and affordable. Your university may have discounted or free public transportation passes that students can get. It is worth reaching out to your university to ask about this.
Be sure to look at your school and cities websites to understand what is available and what routes exist.
With traditional taxis often costing a lot of money, the final mode of transportation that students rely on is rideshare services. Companies like Uber and Lyft have apps that will allow you to schedule rides all over your city or town. These apps must be linked to a payment method such as a credit card to use.
If you have not already seen, we go over setting up bank accounts and payment methods in our article: Setting up finances in the US for international students – A step-by-step guide to getting started.
Food
One of the most important and stressful things to get figured out for international students is food. In this section, we will cover three ways to get food as well as on how to understand pricing in the US.
School Meal Plan
School meal plans are often purchasable through your university. If you are living in a dormitory, this may even be required as part of your stay. These meal plans generally give you unlimited access to the dining hall on campus. The food is usually pretty good and it’s a great way to meet people.
If your school offers a meal plan and you live on/near campus, we recommend considering it. It may cheaper to get the meal plan than to buy food off campus and will defiantly save time and money getting to stores.
Grocery Shopping
The second way to get food is by grocery shopping. This option usually costs less money in the long run but takes more time and effort. You will need to get to the store and back, which can be difficult ore expensive if you are relying on public transportation or companies like Uber and Lyft.
Grocery stores are everywhere in the US and you will quickly figure out which ones are the best to shop at near you. We recommend looking for stores like Aldi, Walmart, Target, and Wegmans. They all offer great prices on groceries.
If you have space to store food, you may want to consider paying for a wholesale club membership with a company like Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s, where you can buy groceries in bulk for discounted prices. We only recommend this if you are near one of these shopping centers and have space to buy in bulk.
Meal Delivery
Since transpiration is so expensive and time consuming, it may make more sense to have your food delivered to you. With Ubers often costing $15-20 per trip to the store, you may find that these options are more convenient and save you money. There are two main categories of food delivery: meal kits, and food delivery services.
Meal Kits
Meal kits are services that deliver pre-prepared ingredients to your door so that you can quickly cook your own meals. You typically subscribe for a certain number of meals per week and select which meals you want delivered, then once a week a box full of ingredients and cooking instructions shows up at your door, so all you have to do is cook the meal.
This saves a ton of time, and I personally have found these meals quite delicious. Some of them have become my go-to-dish for the company. If you are interested, here are some popular meal kit subscriptions.
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Food Delivery Services
Food delivery services are one-off services, where you can pay to have groceries or take out food delivered. Grocery delivery services may save you more time and money than Ubering to and from the grocery store. Food delivery from restaurants may be cheaper as well, though ordering take out is much more expensive than cooking for yourself.
Here are some of our favorite grocery and food delivery services.
Instacart
Instacart partners with local grocery stores like Whole Foods, Costco, Petco and more to deliver groceries to your door in as little as one hour. You simply select what you want online and submit to have your order put together and delivered to you for a slight upcharge.
Grubhub
Grubhub focusses on delivering takeout from restaurants or convenience stores. They are typically used to purchase takeout from restaurants, but have expanded to pickup things like alcohol as well. There is an upcharge, but if you want pre-cooked food and do not want to drive, they are an excellent option.
DoorDash
DoorDash is another takeout delivery service, but in addition to food they will also deliver other things like groceries or alcohol. They are one of the few companies that delivers from Costco and BJ’s.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats is a food delivery service from Uber. They partner with local restaurants to bring you the food you crave. They are one of the more expensive options, but they are quick and reliable. If you already use Uber for transportation it may make sense for you to use their food delivery service as well.
Price Comparison When Shopping
In the US, marketers will do many things to confuse customers. There are three main things to keep in mind when looking at product prices: store member discounts, price per unit, and brand premiums.
Store Member Discounts
Store member discounts are when a store offers a discount to customers who sign up for their loyalty program or who use a store credit card/membership card. Many grocery stores will display two prices, one that is marked as the store card discount and the other that is for non-members.
If you are not a member, make sure to be aware of the price difference. If you want to become a member, you usually can sign up for free if you ask the cashier when you are checking out.
Price Per Unit Considerations
When looking at a product you will see the price to buy, but there will usually be a smaller price/unit that is on the price sticker. The price per unit may be price/lb (price per pound), price per unit (price/unit), price/oz (price per ounce), or something similar.
These numbers will let you compare products by how much you get per dollar you spend, especially between brands or quantity. Sometimes companies will be tricky and you may have two products that are the same, but give their price per unit with different units. In that case, you will have to look up conversions online if you want to buy the most efficient product.
Brand Premiums
Name brand products are often preferred by customers. Because of this, they tend to charge more than the store brand. Store brands are spin-offs of a product that is produced by the store and usually go for a cheaper price. You may prefer the taste of name brands, though things like soap, paper towels and storage containers. I personally use store brand soap, aluminum foil, and generic products to save money and recommend you do the same.
You Are Ready!
Now that you know a little more about housing, transportation, and food options for international students in the USA, you are ready to start planning your own arrival and making the most of your time here! Be sure to keep these tips in mind as you begin your journey so that you can make the most of your experience.
As an international student, you may need help with figuring out banking and payment methods as well as the technology that you will need for school.
Check out our step-by-step guides here:
- Setting Up Finances in The US for International Students – a step-by-step guide to getting started
- International Student Technology: A guide to everything from phones to internet access
Lastly, despite the camaraderie that you find with the students from the same country, it is suggested that you mingle with the local students, get to know the local culture, and understand and accept the cultural differences. This helps you widen your world point of view while at the same time developing lifelong relationships.
As an international student, it is important that you don’t do anything that violates your visa status. You are advised to keep checking the guidelines of immigration regulations on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (a government agency under the US Department of Homeland Security) to make sure you don’t violate them unknowingly as any violation is taken seriously and often leads to deportation. refer the website https://www.uscis.gov/ for more detailed information.
