Cal Poly SLO Off-Campus Housing Cost: Rents by Area (2026)

Cal Poly SLO off campus housing cost runs about $2,100 a month for a one-bedroom and about $3,000 for a two-bedroom near campus, based on 61 floor plans across 24 properties on Find My Place in November 2026. A room in a student complex costs far less, from $599 for a shared room to $2,205 for a private one. Moving farther from campus doesn't lower the price much in San Luis Obispo, so pick an area for the commute, not to save money.

Key Takeaways

• One-bedrooms: $1,850 to $2,595 a month, median $2,100 (9 listings).
• Two-bedroom units are the most common whole-unit listing near Cal Poly. Sixteen are posted, from $1,650 to $3,400, with a median of $2,995.
• Splitting a whole unit is usually cheaper per person than the private rooms at Mustang I Townhome or Chorro at SLO.
• "Farther out is cheaper" doesn't hold here. A three-bedroom near Laguna Lake lists at $4,000, more than the $3,700 one on Grand Avenue.
• Every listing in FMP's Cal Poly data is marked as a lease of 12 months or longer, while Cal Poly's 2026-27 dorm contract runs about nine months.
• Prices come from the FMP page for cal poly slo off campus housing, pulled November 7, 2026. They're base rent only (no fees are listed yet).

Cal Poly SLO Off-Campus Housing Cost at a Glance

A room near Cal Poly costs $599 to $2,205 a month, and a whole apartment costs $1,650 to $5,800 depending on size. Those ranges come from the 61 floor plans on the page, minus two listings whose pricing basis is unclear (more on those below).

• Shared room in a student complex: $599 (The SLO Student Living Apartments) to $1,185 (Mustang I Townhome).
• Private room in a student complex: $799 to $2,205 a month. That's a huge spread for what is basically the same product.
• One-bedroom apartment: $1,850 at 1807 Abbott Street up to $2,595 at Connect SLO.
• Two-bedroom: $1,650 to $3,400. Half of them land between $2,500 and $3,000.
• Three-bedroom house or unit: $3,700 to $5,800 (only four are listed right now).

For context, Cal Poly's own 2026-27 cost of attendance estimates $14,880 for off-campus housing over the school year, before $7,410 in meals. If you rent at the median, that number is too low.

Rents by Area Near Cal Poly

Grand Avenue has the priciest houses, Foothill Boulevard has the cheapest rooms, and the two listings across town aren't bargains. Distances below come straight from each FMP listing page.

Grand Avenue (0.5 to 0.7 miles): Whole Units From $1,950

Grand Avenue has the most whole-unit listings and the widest range. 614 Grand Ave lists a one-bedroom at $1,950. At 738 Grand Avenue, one-bedrooms run $2,100 to $2,195 and two-bedrooms $2,500 to $3,000. 607 Grand Apartments asks $2,500 for a two-bedroom.

The houses are where it gets steep. 735 and 745 Grand list a two-bedroom at $2,995 and a three-bedroom at $3,700. 432 Grand Avenue wants $4,700 for three bedrooms, and 476 Grand Ave wants $5,800. Split three ways, that's roughly $1,233, $1,567 or $1,933 each. Also half a mile out, the Fredericks and Hathway building lists a one-bedroom for $2,100.

Foothill Boulevard, Chorro Street and Nearby Streets (0.7 to 1.1 miles): The Cheapest Rooms

This corridor has the lowest per-person prices in the set. The SLO Student Living Apartments at 1050 Foothill lists shared rooms at $599 and private rooms from $799 to $999. Nothing else on the page comes close.

The other room-rate complexes on this stretch cost about double. Chorro at SLO (22 Chorro St) prices private rooms in four-bedroom units at $1,638 to $1,703. Palomar at SLO asks $1,655 to $1,680.

For whole apartments, this stretch has the cheapest two-bedroom in the set: Montalban, at $1,650 and 0.9 miles out. College Gardens on North Chorro lists a one-bedroom at $2,200 and two-bedrooms at $2,300 to $2,400. 555 Westmont has a one-bedroom for $1,950.

Stenner Street, California Boulevard and Mustang Drive (0.5 to 0.7 miles)

Two-bedrooms rule this pocket. 35 Stenner St lists five two-bed, two-bath units from $2,995 to $3,400. 183 Stenner Street undercuts it at $2,200. San Luis Village Apartments on California Boulevard, half a mile out, asks $2,000 for a one-bedroom and $2,900 for a two.

Mustang I Townhome at 1 Mustang Drive, also half a mile out, is the priciest per person. Private rooms run $1,960 to $2,205, and a shared room is $1,185.

Laguna Lake and Duncan Road (2.7 to 3.6 miles): No Discount for Distance

Living across town doesn't reliably save you money. A three-bedroom at 1750 Prefumo Canyon Rd, near Laguna Lake and 3.6 miles from campus, lists at $4,000. That's more than the $3,700 three-bedroom on Grand. Connect SLO on Duncan Road (2.7 miles) has the most expensive one-bedroom in the set at $2,595, plus a two-bedroom at $3,195. And yes, you'd still pay for parking or gas on top.

What about downtown? None of the 24 properties in this set sits in the downtown core, so this breakdown has no downtown number.

Per-Room Pricing vs Splitting a Whole Unit

Splitting a whole apartment is usually the cheaper way to live near Cal Poly. Two people splitting the median $2,995 two-bedroom pay about $1,498 each. That's $462 a month less than the cheapest private room at Mustang I, and about $140 less than Chorro at SLO.

The cheap exception is 1050 Foothill, where a private room at $799 beats almost any split. (Small rooms, though. Some floor plans there list 122 to 185 square feet.)

Two listings don't say how they're priced. Icon SLO on Taft Street lists four-bedroom, two-bath floor plans from $1,550 to $1,650. Summit SLO lists a four-bedroom from $1,399. Both are tagged "Whole Unit," but every plan has the same bedroom count, so the data can't show whether that's per bed or for the whole place. Ask the leasing office before you put either one in your budget.

Is Off-Campus Housing Cheaper Than Living at Cal Poly?

Sometimes per month, but rarely per year. Cal Poly's 2026-27 housing fees put a residence hall double at $13,284. That contract runs from August 18, 2026 to May 23, 2027.

Every off-campus listing in FMP's Cal Poly data is marked as a lease of 12 months or longer. So $1,498 a month (half of a median two-bedroom) comes to about $17,970 a year. That's $4,686 more than the dorm double, mostly because you're also paying for summer. The SLO Student Living private room works out to $9,588 for 12 months, and the shared room comes to $7,188. Those two are the only off-campus options that clearly cost less than a dorm.

Costs on Top of Rent Near Cal Poly

The listed price isn't your full monthly bill. Every listing page here says "Prices shown are base rent." None of these properties has posted its monthly fees yet. Budget another $50 to $120 a month for utilities, per FMP's Cal Poly page.

Lease start dates also cost money. If your lease starts in June and you go home for the summer, you're paying for an empty room. Some listings start in mid-June and others in mid-August, so on a $2,100 one-bedroom, that difference is roughly two months of rent. Our Cal Poly lease timeline lists the start dates.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cal Poly SLO Off-Campus Housing Cost

How much is rent near Cal Poly per month?

$2,100 is the median one-bedroom on FMP's Cal Poly page, and $2,995 is the median two-bedroom. Rooms in student complexes run $599 to $2,205 per person.

What's the cheapest area to rent near Cal Poly?

Foothill Boulevard, at least for rooms. The SLO Student Living Apartments at 1050 Foothill lists private rooms from $799 and shared rooms at $599, the lowest prices in the Cal Poly set.

Is Laguna Lake cheaper than living near campus?

Not based on current listings. The Laguna Lake-area three-bedroom on Prefumo Canyon Road asks $4,000, which is $300 more than a three-bedroom on Grand Avenue that's 0.7 miles from campus.

How much should I budget per year for off-campus housing at Cal Poly?

About $18,000 if you split a typical two-bedroom on a 12-month lease, plus utilities. Cal Poly's own estimate is $14,880 for the school year. That only works if you land a cheap room or sublet for the summer.

Do SLO rent prices include utilities?

Don't assume so. The listings show base rent only, and FMP's Cal Poly page suggests budgeting an extra $50 to $120 a month for utilities.

Compare Every Cal Poly Rental by Price

Full disclosure: these are our listings, and prices change as landlords post 2027-28 rates, so confirm the number in writing before you sign. You can see every San Luis Obispo rental on one page and compare prices side by side.