<p>Pasbal - do you live in a dorm that does not require the meal plan? When I ran the numbers last year for my daughter to live on-campus with the meal plan vs. living off-campus at a student community that includes all utilities (up to $150 per month and they do sometimes have overages, the highest one so far was in August for $20 per roommate), provides transportation to and from campus (though she does not use that since she has a car) and buying her own groceries it came up cheaper to live off-campus. That said, without her extenuating circumstances, she might have benefitted from living on campus when it came to socializing. She tends to go to campus for classes, go to her sorority for events and then spend the rest of her time off campus at her apartment. But some of that could be because she likes her roommates, too. :)</p>