How Much Does Off-Campus Housing Cost Near Cal State Fullerton?

Cal State Fullerton off-campus housing cost comes to about $1,300 a person each month if you split a two-bedroom, based on a median starting rent of $2,635 at the 51 buildings listing two-bedrooms near CSUF on Find My Place. Want your own place? Then you're looking at $2,043, the median starting price for a one-bedroom. The real bargains are houses (four friends can get under $1,000 each, sometimes well under).

Key Takeaways

• $1,318 each: that's the median two-bedroom ($2,635) split down the middle.
• One-bedrooms: median starting rent $2,043. Studios, $1,913.
• Walking distance doesn't cost much extra. Within about a mile of campus, the median two-bedroom starts at $2,599.
• The lowest one-bedroom we found was $1,495 at 351 N Ford Ave, but it's 2.7 miles out.
• House shares are the real bargain (1330 N Blue Gum St: four bedrooms, $2,500 total).
• On campus, a residence hall double is $14,985 for 2026-27, plus a required meal plan of at least $4,787.

Where These Cal State Fullerton Rent Numbers Come From

Every number here comes from the listings on the Find My Place page for off-campus housing near Cal State Fullerton. We took the lowest listed rent for each unit size at each building, then found the median. Senior communities and two listings with obviously mixed-up floor plans were left out.

One thing to know up front. Almost everything near CSUF is a regular apartment priced by the unit, not by the bed. Rent goes up as bedrooms go up, which is how whole-unit pricing behaves. So any "per person" figure below is our division, assuming every bedroom is filled.

Cal State Fullerton Off-Campus Housing Cost for a Shared Apartment

Near campus, a two-bedroom split two ways lands somewhere between $1,250 and $1,650 a head. These are the closest buildings and what they're asking this fall:

• Nutwood East Apartments, 2456 E Nutwood Ave (0.4 mi). One bathroom, but $2,491 total, so $1,246 each. Cheapest two-bedroom this close.
• The Streams, 1261 Deerpark Dr (0.4 mi): $2,599 to $2,659 for a 2-bed/2-bath. Rated 5.0 by residents.
• Tribeca Apartments on Yorba Linda Blvd is a full mile out, but its two-bedrooms start at $2,299, the lowest in this group.
• Greenhouse, 1220 Deerpark Dr (0.5 mi): residents love it (another 5.0), but $3,099 means about $1,550 apiece.
• The Lake, 2800 Madison Ave (0.3 mi): $3,120 to $3,280. The closest building on the list, and you pay for it.

Our take? The Streams is the sweet spot. You walk about as far as you would from The Lake, and you keep an extra $500 or so every month.

What a One-Bedroom or Studio Costs Near CSUF

Going solo within a mile of campus? Expect $1,750 to $2,100. Studios aren't much cheaper than one-bedrooms here, so compare both.

• Tribeca Apartments: studios at $1,749 to $1,795, the lowest near campus.
• Nutwood East: one-bedrooms at $1,763 to $1,813.
• UCA, 2404 E Nutwood Ave (0.5 mi): one-bedrooms at $1,799 to $1,900.
• Sturbridge Village Apartments, 3020 Yorba Linda Blvd (0.8 mi): studios at $1,913, one-bedrooms from $1,925.

Willing to drive? 351 N Ford Ave lists a one-bedroom at $1,495, the cheapest solo option on the CSUF page. It's 2.7 miles out, about 10 minutes by car.

The Cheapest Way to Live Off Campus at Cal State Fullerton: Split a House

Houses beat apartments on price per person, often by hundreds of dollars. The catch is that you need three or four people ready to sign together, and most of these sit a short drive from campus.

• 1330 N Blue Gum St, Anaheim: a 4-bed/2-bath for $2,500. That's $625 each, about an 8-minute drive to CSUF.
• 926 W La Jolla St, Placentia (1.9 mi): a 4-bed/4-bath at $3,895, around $974 each, and nobody shares a bathroom.
• 1218 N Hale Ave, Fullerton: a 3-bed/2-bath at $3,950, about $1,317 each. It's a 16-minute walk to campus, so you're paying apartment prices for a yard.

Quick gut check on that $2,500 Blue Gum listing. It's low for Orange County, so confirm what's included and see the place in person before you send money.

Downtown Fullerton Apartments Cost More

Expect to pay around $800 more for a downtown one-bedroom than for one on Nutwood Avenue. Downtown is 2.6 miles away, too. 770 South Harbor asks $2,596 and up (it has a pool and gym; residents give it 4.2). Over on W Santa Fe Ave, Malden Station by Windsor starts at $2,625. That premium buys you bars and restaurants, not a shorter drive.

Cal State Fullerton Off-Campus Housing Cost vs Living on Campus

Short answer: sharing off campus beats the dorms, mostly because of food. Per CSUF's 2026-27 housing rates, a double in the residence halls is $14,985 for the school year. Then there's the meal plan (required, $4,787 minimum), which pushes you to $19,772. Even a campus apartment double with the smallest block plan ($2,439) comes to $17,424.

Now the off-campus math. Twelve months at the $1,318 median share is $15,816. That's about $4,000 less, it covers the summer, and you choose your own groceries.

Living alone is a different story. A year in a median one-bedroom? $24,516. Ouch.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cal State Fullerton Off-Campus Housing Cost

What is the cheapest off-campus housing near Cal State Fullerton?

1330 N Blue Gum St in Anaheim, at $625 each if four of you fill the $2,500 house. Solo, the floor is 351 N Ford Ave's $1,495 one-bedroom. Near campus, Tribeca's $1,749 studio is the lowest.

How much should I budget a month to live off campus at CSUF?

$1,300 a month in rent is the starting point if you share a two-bedroom, and $2,000 or more if you live alone. Add your share of utilities and internet on top. Most listings show base rent only and haven't posted their monthly fees yet, so ask before you sign.

Is it cheaper to live on or off campus at Cal State Fullerton?

Off campus, if you have a roommate. A CSUF residence hall double plus the cheapest required meal plan totals $19,772 for 2026-27. A year of rent at the median two-bedroom share is $15,816.

Which apartments can I walk to CSUF from?

The Lake, The Streams, Nutwood East, UCA and Greenhouse are all 0.3 to 0.5 miles from campus, roughly a 12- to 15-minute walk. Most of them sit on Nutwood Avenue, Deerpark Drive or Madison Avenue.

Do Fullerton landlords charge per bed or per unit?

Per unit, almost always. The apartments near CSUF are conventional complexes with one rent for the whole apartment. You and your roommates split it however you agree.