Student housing: How price points impact housing availability
College students look for housing within their price range.
By: Zoe Lulinski
Freshman year of college is a big change for everyone. People are living on their own for the first time, figuring out how to manage their time between classes, and are meeting new people every day.
Zahabiyah Boty, a current sophomore at Madison, figured this out early. Right when she was starting to get the hang of her new classes and just a few months into her first semester at college, her friends were already finding housing for the upcoming year.
When she took the first step of looking for housing, the pressure to sign quickly and financial investments became an issue.
Finding an affordable place to live in Madison can be hard, especially with added stress from class assignments and dealing with this new college environment. Zahabiyah figured she had to find housing early in her first semester of college, however, she had little help on where to start.
“In Madison, you’re supposed to sign a lease quite early on […] they can be super daunting because you don’t know anyone […] sharing your lease is quite a big financial commitment,”said Zahabiyah.
When looking for housing in Madison, Zahabiyah wasn’t very picky. She compared her housing situation in Hong Kong, mentioning how small the houses were.
Since she was not looking for any specific amenities Zahabiyah capped her price range at $1,000 Nevertheless, the pressure to sign a lease increased when companies began to offer deals that made rent and security deposits cheaper.
“The current place I’m living [the OLiv], they were like: sign it by 5:00 p.m. today and we’ll give you a discount […] but you pay 12 times, but you only get the lease for 11 months”
Despite the stress of finding housing, Zahabiyah was excited to start a new job and live on her own for the first time. But everything adds up very quickly.
“I want to pay for rent, I want to pay for food. But I have not paid for a single one yet. I feel like everything really adds up, moving into your first house, even if it’s with other people, there are so many small things you have to buy,”said Zahabiyah.
When asked if she would be living at the Oliv again next year, Zahabiyah said it was too expensive and that she would be looking elsewhere.
Even if as a freshman, she didn’t have a plan when it came to finding housing, this year she knows what she wants.
“I think I would have preferred to live in a place that’s like $700 and maybe a bit dingier. I feel like the luxury housing, while it’s nice, I am a college student, and I don’t need that kind of treatment. We have so many facilities, but I don’t have time to use any of them,”said Zahabiyah.
OpenHouse, an app opening in May 2025, allows students and young adults to search for proper housing and use roommate filtering to find housing that works best for them. With features that allow users to filter options to fit their needs, people like Zahabiyah can find affordable housing in seconds.
Sources:
Zahabiyah Boty, UW-Madison Student, (608) 217-7765
Becker, A. (2024, November 7). The Hub, The James, oLiv developer eyes Saxony Apartments for luxury revamp. The Badger Herald. https://badgerherald.com/news/madison/2024/11/07/the-hub-the-james-olive-developer-eyes-saxony-apartments-for-luxury-revamp/
Hanley, E. (2024c, September 11). New study reveals students struggle with rent costs and housing close to campus. New Study Reveals Students Struggle With Rent Costs and Housing Close to Campus – the Daily Cardinal. https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/09/new-study-reveals-students-struggle-with-rent-costs-and-housing-close-to-campus
(n.d) Campus Area Housing University of Madison-Wisconsin. Off-Campus Housing Marketplace. https://campusareahousing.wisc.edu/listing
Madison campus and downtown apartments. (n.d.). madisoncampusanddowntownapartments.com. https://www.madisoncampusanddowntownapartments.com/