Average Cost of Food per Month for a College Student

Report Highlights. The average cost of food per month for a college student is $685.

College students spend on average $410 a month eating off-campus.
Meals cooked at home average $276 a month when the cost of eating off-campus is included.
A campus meal plan averages $570 a month.
A vegan diet cooked exclusively at home averages $295 a month.
College students spend over $78 billion on food and groceries, which has increased nearly $9.6 billion in the past year.

4 Meal Plan Types
Meal Plan	Monthly Cost
Thrifty Meal Plan	$285
Low-cost Meal Plan	$295
Moderate-cost Meal Plan	$366
Liberal Meal Plan	$456

Average Cost of College Student Meal Plans

The USDA outlines a monthly meal plan at 4 different levels of cost. In order of expense, there is the thrifty meal plan, the low-cost meal plan, the moderate-cost meal plan, and the liberal meal plan.

These meal plans do not include the cost of eating off-campus or enrolling in a college meal plan.
The average of all 4 meal plans is $351 a month.
Since there are 84 meals in a 30-day month, each meal averages out to $4.17.

Monthly Cost of Groceries for College Students by State

The cost of an average monthly grocery bill can vary by hundreds of dollars from state to state.

The average cost of groceries for an individual nationwide is $370 per month; the average cost of groceries for a college student is $250.
The average monthly grocery bill for college students in each state was estimated using the $120 difference between national average grocery costs for individuals and college students.
Hawaii had the most expensive grocery bills for college students, at $379 per month.
Texas had the cheapest grocery bills for college students, at $200 per month.

Monthly Cost of Groceries for College Students State Table
State	Cost per Month
Hawaii	$379
Alaska	$323
Rhode Island	$301
Vermont	$298
Massachusetts	$288
Maine	$285
Connecticut	$281
New Hampshire	$279
California	$270
New Jersey	$270
Washington	$270
Idaho	$266
New York	$266
Oregon	$266
Florida	$265
Colorado	$262
Minnesota	$258
Delaware	$255
Nevada	$254
Maryland	$251
Alabama	$245
South Dakota	$244
Pennsylvania	$242
Kansas	$241
Wisconsin	$241
North Dakota	$239
Iowa	$238
Montana	$238
New Mexico	$238
Virginia	$238
North Carolina	$235
Wyoming	$235
Nebraska	$234
Illinois	$233
Tennessee	$231
Louisiana	$228
Arizona	$227
Georgia	$227
Utah	$227
Missouri	$225
Michigan	$224
Ohio	$224
South Carolina	$224
Oklahoma	$221
Mississippi	$218
West Virginia	$214
Arkansas	$211
Indiana	$208
Kentucky	$207
Texas	$200

Monthly Cost of Eating Off-Campus for College Students

Eating off-campus is the largest monthly food expense for college students without a campus meal plan. Combining the average cost of eating off-campus with the remaining cost to cook meals at home, a college student with no campus meal plan pays roughly the same amount as a college student with a campus meal plan.

College students spend $410 a month on average^*eating off-campus.
When eating off campus, college students can take advantage of student discounts, such as 10% off discounts at fast-food restaurants.
The average American orders take out 3 times per month and eats at a restaurant 4 to 5 times per month.
The average American spends approximately $329 eating out each month.
College students spend an average of $102 a week eating off-campus.

^*This is a stand-alone average that does not take into account the amount of money students spend grocery shopping.

Campus Meal Plan Cost Comparison

Freshmen living on campus are sometimes required to have a campus meal plan their first year in college. In response to budget cuts and pushback on the cost of tuition, colleges may raise the price of meal plans to offset their loss in revenue.

A campus meal plan averages $570 a month.
Semester meal plans generally include a set number of meals and an allowance for food purchases outside the dining halls.
The allowance may have names such as “Flex bucks” or “Meal plan points”.
Colleges generally have comparable meal plans with each other but do not share the same exact number of meals.

Campus Meal Plan Examples
College	Monthly Meal Plan Cost
Florida Atlantic University	$467
Texas A&M University	$426
Oklahoma University	$662
Stanford University	$814
University of Alaska Fairbanks	$639

Average Cost of Meal Delivery Kits

Meal kits provide an alternative to traditional campus meal plans and grocery shopping for college students. A meal kit is a viable option for students who are not used to cooking for themselves because it offers instructions and pre-assembled ingredients.

For most delivery services, there is a minimum and a maximum number of meal kits a person can order per week.
Most delivery kit plans are for 3 to 4 times a week.
Grocery stores such as Publix and Fresh Market offer meal kits in person.
Amazon meal delivery kits require a subscription to Amazon Prime and Amazon Fresh.
Meal delivery services may offer student discounts on the first boxes or ongoing 10% off discounts for students.

Student Monthly Cost per Brand For 2 Servings of 3 Meals Per Week
Brand	Cost
HelloFresh	$288
Publix	$224
Sunbasket	$432
Dinnerly	$240
Fresh Market	$238
EveryPlate	$168
Amazon Kitchen	$216

Average Cost of a Vegan Meal Plan

Newer studies suggest that plant-based diets may be cheaper than meat-based diets. The monthly cost of vegan meal plans falls into the less expensive brackets of the USDA’s suggested meal budgets.

Campus meal plans often come with alternative vegan options served in the dining hall.
On average, a vegetarian diet may save a college student 16%.
In a 30-day month, a college student would save $40 off their grocery bill with a plant-based diet.

Monthly Cost of Alcohol

In the fall of 2012, roughly 80% of the 21.6 million students nationwide admitted to drinking alcohol at some point during the school semester. Because of its prevalence in the college lifestyle, students may be interested in evaluating the overall cost of alcohol.

On average, students spend $58 a month on alcohol.
Including alcohol, the monthly grocery bill for a college student would be $298.
Binge drinking twice a week may cost a college student $96 or more a month on alcohol.
The grocery bill for a binge-drinking college student would be upwards of $346 a month.

Monthly Cost of Coffee

92% of college students consumed caffeine over the past year. The cheapest way to save on coffee for a college student would be to make it at home.

The cost of a cup of plain coffee from a store averages $2.50.
If a college student bought a cup of coffee daily, they would spend $75 a month on average.
Most Americans spend $20 or less each month buying cups of coffee from cafes or coffee shops.
If coffee were made exclusively at home, it would average $7.80 a month.
Most Americans spend between $11 and $30 each month to make coffee at home.