Need some real-life budgeting examples from students just like you? I’ve got you covered!!
This post is all about student budget examples.
One thing is for sure… Being a college student teaches you about your money habits REAL quick. Creating a student budget is no joke… it’s hard because you’ve got so many new expenses but you’ve probably got a pretty limited amount of money coming in.
When I was a college student, I loooved looking at other students’ real life student budgets because I found it helped me to set a realistic budget for myself.
I graduated just a few months ago and now that I’m well on my way to paying off my student loans, I thought this would be a great time to compile some REAL student budget examples for you.
I asked my audience of college of 1000+ college students to fill out an anonymous budgeting survey asking them questions about their budget… and I’ve picked out 6 real-life examples from all over the world to share with you!!
Please note that all the names in this post are fake names as I collected this data anonymously.
This post is all about student budget examples.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Our full disclosure policy is pretty boring, but you can read it here.
REAL STUDENT BUDGET EXAMPLES:
Are you a student just learning how to budget?
These are the student budget worksheets that I used all throughout college to set my monthly budgets and track my spending. Join the hundreds of students that have downloaded them to use!!
If you’re more of an excel person, here’s the spreadsheet I use to track my spending. It’s seriously so helpful!
Okay, now let’s get into the budgeting examples.
Student budget example #1: Nadia from Toronto, Canada
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | No |
| When did you graduate? | 2023 |
| Where did you go to school? | Toronto |
| Approximately how much did your tuition cost per year? | $9000 CAD |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | No – I paid it all |
| As a student, how much did you make per year? | Approx. $15,000 CAD (varied by year) |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost per month? | $860 CAD |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | Yes |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | $250 CAD |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | $120 CAD |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | $250 |
| Did you own a car as a student? | Yes |
| On average, how much per month did you put in your savings? | $50-200 depending on the month, but more in the summers when I was working full time |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | $3000 CAD |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | Learn zero-based budgeting! It will save your life |
Student budget example #2: Hannah from Arkansas, USA
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | Yes |
| Where do you go to school? | University of Arkansas |
| Approximately how much did your tuition cost per year? | $14,000 USD |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | Yes – they paid partially |
| As a student, how much do you make per year? | $5000 USD |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost? | $3000 per semester for the dorm |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | Partially |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | $150 USD |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | $0 |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | $150 |
| Did you own a car as a student? | Yes |
| On average, how much per month did you put in your savings? | $50 per month |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | $10,000 USD |
| Are there any other expenses you have that you feel are important to mention? If so, list them here. | Sorority dues |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | Save as much as you can!!! |
Student budget example #3: Melinda from Canada
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | No |
| When did you graduate? | 2023 |
| Where did you go to school? | Canada |
| Approximately how much did your tuition cost per year? | $7500 CAD |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | No – I paid it all |
| As a student, how much did you make per year? | $20,000 CAD |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost per month? | I don’t pay rent |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | No |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | Approx $200/month CAD |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | $285 CAD |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | $70 CAD |
| Did you own a car as a student? | Yes |
| On average, how much per month did you put in your savings? | $500/month CAD |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | $63,000 CAD |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | As much as possible, make your own meals at home. I budget my meals for a week for only $50 CAD. Cut off from buying unnecessary things like clothes (if you still have decent clothes), make up, or if you can, carpool with your friends. |
Student budget example #4: Maha from Pakistan
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | Yes |
| When will you graduate? | 2024 |
| Where do you go to school? | Pakistan |
| Approximately how much did your tuition cost per year? | 30,000 PKR |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | Yes – they paid in full |
| As a student, how much did you make per year? | 0 |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost per month? | I live at home |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | No |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | 30,000-40,000 PKR |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | 15,000-20,000 PKR |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | 20,000-25,000 PKR |
| Did you own a car as a student? | No |
| On average, how much per month did you put in your savings? | None |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | None |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | Lol I’ll need that advice |
Student budget example #5: Sofia from Hungary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | Yes |
| When will you graduate? | 2025 |
| Where do you go to school? | Hungary |
| Approximately how much does your tuition cost per year? | N/A |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | Yes – they paid partially |
| As a student, how much did you make per year? | 43,700 HUF |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost per month? | N/A |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | No |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | 100,000 HUF |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | N/A |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | 5500 HUF |
| Did you own a car as a student? | No |
| On average, how much per month did you put in your savings? | None |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | None |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | Lol I’ll need that advice |
Student budget example #6: Maria from the Philippines
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are you currently a student? | Yes |
| Where do you go to school? | Cebu Philippines |
| Approximately how much did your tuition cost per year? | 40,000 pesos |
| Did your parents/family members help you pay for school? | Yes – they paid in full |
| As a student, how much did you make per year? | 20,000 pesos |
| During your last full year of school, how much did rent cost per month? | I live at home |
| Did you pay for your own rent? | No |
| On average, how much did you spend on groceries per month (not including eating out)? | 500 pesos |
| On average, how much did you spend on utilities per month? | 8000 pesos |
| On average, how much did you spend on transportation per month? | 6000 pesos |
| Do you own a car as a student? | Yes |
| On average, how much per month do you put in your savings? | 5000+ pesos |
| How much student debt do you currently have? | 6000 pesos |
| Are there any other expenses you have that you feel are important to mention? | School equipment costs extra |
| If you could give one piece of advice to students trying to budget, what would it be? | Much better to save money by eating at home and always budget your money if you plan to buy something |
Which of these student budget examples looks most like yours?
This post was all about student budget examples.
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