Campustown vs Urbana vs Savoy: Where UIUC Students Live and What Each Costs

Campustown vs Urbana is the real choice for most UIUC students, with Savoy a distant third. Campustown, the high-rise blocks around Green Street on the Champaign side, gets you a 4 to 17 minute walk to the Illini Union, with confirmed per-bed prices from about $575 to $1,200. Urbana has the cheapest beds near UIUC on Find My Place (from $445 on North Lincoln Avenue) if you'll ride the bus, and Savoy looks cheap until you check the last bus home.

Prices below are live Find My Place listings checked September 28, 2026, and walk times are OpenStreetMap routes to the Illini Union's Green Street entrance. To see everything first, browse all UIUC off-campus housing.

Key Takeaways

• Campustown is the default. HERE Champaign, The Dean and The Suites at Third all sit within a 9-minute walk of the Illini Union.
• $445 a bed. That's The Atrium on North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana, the lowest starting price near UIUC on Find My Place right now.
• Wright Street is the city line, so an apartment one block east of it is in Urbana, which has stricter landlord-tenant rules than Champaign.
• None of the 56 places on Find My Place's UIUC page are in Savoy, and Census data puts Savoy's median rent above Urbana's.
• Check the pricing basis on every listing (some Campustown buildings label per-bed prices as "per unit").

Campustown vs Urbana vs Savoy at a Glance

Campustown wins on walking time, Urbana wins on price per bed, and Savoy mostly makes sense if you already own a car.

• Campustown (Champaign): 4 to 17 minutes on foot to the Illini Union. Confirmed per-bed prices run from $575 at The Alcove to about $1,200 for a private 4x4 bedroom in a newer tower.
• Urbana, near campus: 11 to 15 minutes on foot. Purpose-built beds cost about what Campustown's do, so the savings here come from older apartments.
• Urbana, North Lincoln Avenue: 27 to 38 minutes on foot, 11 minutes on the 22 Illini bus. Starting prices run $445 to $675.
• Savoy: Savoy Walmart sits about 5.4 road miles from the Illini Union and a 36-minute ride on the 1 Yellow.

Campustown: The Shortest Walk and the Highest Rent Near UIUC

Campustown is for people who want to walk to class in ten minutes. It's the dense grid of towers along Green, John, Daniel and Fourth Streets, all west of Wright Street in Champaign. The FMP Champaign student housing page lists 42 places, and most of the newer ones are here.

The closest big building is The Dean Campustown at 708 S Sixth St, about a 4-minute walk. Its four-bedroom plans list from $1,115 and its studios run $1,800 to $2,290. A few blocks west, HERE Champaign at 308 E Green St (8 minutes, 5.0 rating across five reviews) lists 4x2 plans from $1,089 and 2x2s from $1,619.

Those HERE prices carry a "per unit" label on the site. They aren't. Rent drops as bedroom count rises, which only makes sense per bed, so a HERE 4x2 is about $1,089 each.

Cheaper Beds Inside Campustown

You don't have to pay tower prices to live in Campustown. The Alcove at 202 E John St, a 12-minute walk, lists a three-bedroom from $575 and a two-bedroom at $700 (again falling with bedroom count, so per bed). The Suites at Third on John Street lists a shared bedroom in a 2x2 from $799, nine minutes out, with a 4.2 rating.

A 5.0 building and a 2.7 building can sit on the same street. Pacifica on Green, at 28 E Green St, carries a 2.7 across five reviews. Read the UIUC student housing reviews before you tour, not after.

The Urbana Side: Cheaper Beds if You'll Ride the Bus

The Urbana side is where the cheapest beds near UIUC are, but only once you get past the first few blocks. The campus is split almost down the middle: the University of Illinois Alumni Association puts 52.7% of it in Champaign and 47.3% in Urbana, with Wright Street as the dividing line.

Near-Campus Urbana (Springfield and University Avenues)

Here's what surprised us: close-in Urbana isn't much cheaper than Campustown. Campus Circle Urbana at 1010 W University Ave, a 15-minute walk, lists private bedrooms from $919 in a 4x4 and $1,089 in a 2x2. That's Campustown money.

The deals are in older apartments. Bailey Student Apartments lists a one-bedroom at 911 W Springfield Ave, 11 minutes from the Illini Union, for $875. Its prices climb with bedroom count (a three-bedroom at 1010 W Springfield lists at $1,500), which points to whole-apartment pricing. Confirm that with the landlord, because if it holds, that three-bedroom works out to $500 each.

North Lincoln Avenue: The Cheapest Beds Near UIUC

North Lincoln Avenue, between University Avenue and Killarney Street, is where the budget beds are. The Atrium (1306 N Lincoln) lists a group-of-four special at $445. Capstone Quarters (1901 N Lincoln) lists four-bedrooms from $465, ONYX Apartments from $635, and The Linc from $675. All four drop in price as bedrooms go up, so read them as per bed.

The trade is distance. ONYX is a 27-minute walk and Capstone Quarters is 37. You'll ride the 22 Illini instead, which on MTD's weekday schedule gets from Lincoln and Killarney to the Illini Union in about 11 minutes, with a bus every 10 minutes. UIUC students ride by showing an i-card, per MTD's fare page.

Urbana Gives Renters More Rights

Signing east of Wright Street gets you stronger tenant protections. Under Chapter 12.5 of the Urbana city code, landlords must give 24 hours' notice before entering and can't charge more than a 5% late fee unless they prove higher actual costs. That ordinance only covers rentals inside Urbana city limits, so it doesn't protect you in Campustown or Savoy. Our UIUC leasing timeline covers when to sign.

Savoy: Quiet, Car-Dependent and Not Much Cheaper

Savoy only works for UIUC students who drive. It's a village of about 9,100 people south of Champaign, mostly homeowners: the Census Bureau's QuickFacts for Savoy puts owner-occupied housing at 59.3%. None of the 56 places on Find My Place's UIUC page are there.

It isn't a bargain, either. Census median gross rent for 2020 to 2024 is $1,003 in Savoy, $972 in Urbana and $1,123 in Champaign. Those cover all renters, not student beds, but Savoy doesn't beat Urbana.

The Savoy Bus Problem

Savoy's bus is the Yellow. MTD's 1 Yellow weekday timetable shows a bus about every 30 minutes, taking 36 minutes from Savoy Walmart to the Transit Plaza on Wright Street.

Nights and Sundays are rough. The last weekday evening bus reaches Savoy around 11:30 p.m., and the late-night Yellow stops at Lot E-14 instead of continuing south. On Sundays, the last trip gets to Savoy at 5:48 p.m. Bring a car.

How to Choose: The FMP Last-Bus Test

We call it the FMP Last-Bus Test: before you sign anywhere past walking range, look up the last bus home on a Sunday night. If it leaves before you'd want to, that address costs you more than the rent says.

Campustown passes by default. North Lincoln Avenue passes easily: MTD's Sunday-night 220 Illini runs to Lincoln and Killarney until about 3 a.m. Savoy's last Sunday bus arrives at 5:48 p.m. That's a fail unless you drive. Then compare finalists on the Best Overall ranking for UIUC, and browse the full Urbana student housing list if you're leaning east.

Frequently Asked Questions About Where UIUC Students Live

Is Urbana cheaper than Champaign for UIUC students?

Usually, yes. Census median gross rent is $972 in Urbana versus $1,123 in Champaign, and the two lowest starting prices near UIUC on Find My Place ($445 at The Atrium, $465 at Capstone Quarters) are both on North Lincoln Avenue. Close-in Urbana buildings like Campus Circle cost about the same as Campustown, though.

How long is the bus from Savoy to campus?

About 36 minutes. That's the weekday daytime run on the 1 Yellow from Savoy Walmart to the Transit Plaza, with a bus roughly every 30 minutes. Sunday service to Savoy ends before 6 p.m.

Can freshmen live in Campustown?

Not in a regular apartment. UIUC requires first-year students to live in University Certified Housing, which includes some private buildings like Illini Tower and Bromley Hall. A standard Campustown lease has to wait until sophomore year.

Where do UIUC grad students live?

East of Wright Street, mostly. Find My Place's UIUC page describes the Urbana side as quieter and grad-heavy, with older, cheaper apartments near Lincoln Avenue. Want to walk without the Green Street noise? Start on Springfield Avenue.