How Much Does Off-Campus Housing Cost Near KU?

KU off-campus housing cost comes to about $733 a month for a bedroom in a by-the-bed student complex, the median starting rate across eight such complexes near the University of Kansas on Find My Place. The cheapest bed we found is $439 at Hawks Pointe, 0.9 miles from campus. Living alone starts around $789 for a studio or one-bedroom.

Key Takeaways

• $733 a month is the median starting price for a bed in Lawrence's student complexes (October 2026).
• Hawks Pointe, at 1421 W 7th St, has beds from $439 in a three-bedroom, the lowest near KU.
• Closest to class? HERE Kansas sits 0.4 miles away, with four-bedroom beds from $909.
• Studios and one-bedrooms start at $789 (Hawks Pointe), and Union Flats, rated 4.8 by residents, has one-bedrooms at $815.
• Splitting a regular two-bedroom can be cheapest of all: Union Flats lists one at $880, or $440 each.
• KU's own housing runs $7,242 a year for the cheapest residence hall double, plus a required dining plan.

Where These KU Rent Numbers Come From

We pulled every property on the Find My Place page for KU off-campus housing in October 2026 and checked each listing page for its distance and floor plans. Every complex sits between 0.4 and 2.9 miles from campus. All prices are base rent, because none of these properties has posted monthly fees yet.

Lawrence is mostly a by-the-bed market. At HERE Kansas, a one-bedroom is $1,739 but a four-bedroom is $909, which only works if each price is per person. Eight complexes follow that pattern, so we treat their prices as per bed. Four others (West Hills, Union Flats, Union at the Loop and Fairway Flats) charge more as the unit gets bigger, so those are whole-apartment prices.

KU Off-Campus Housing Cost for a Bed in a Student Complex

Expect $635 to $909 for a bed in a student complex near KU, with Hawks Pointe well below that range. These are the lowest per-bed rates we found:

• Hawks Pointe, 1421 W 7th St (0.9 mi): $439 in a 3x2, $469 in a 2x1, $509 in a 4x2.
• Helix 24, 4301 W 24th Pl (2.9 mi): $635 in a three-bedroom.
• The Landing Lawrence, 2511 W 31st St (2.5 mi): $730 in a four-bedroom.
• The Collective at Lawrence, 3345 Magnolia Cir (2.5 mi): $735 in a four-bedroom cottage. Residents rate it 4.2.
• The Quarters Lawrence, 4101 W 24th Pl (2.7 mi): $745 in a 4x4.
• Proxi Lawrence, 1401 W 23rd St (1.1 mi): $849 in a 4x4.
• HERE Kansas, 1111 Indiana St (0.4 mi): $909 in a four-bedroom.

Notice the pattern? The cheap beds cluster out around W 24th Place and W 31st Street, 2.5 to 2.9 miles south and southwest of campus. Pay roughly $175 more a month and HERE Kansas puts you a short walk from class. Hawks Pointe breaks the rule. It's under a mile away and still the cheapest bed in town.

The Rockland: cheap on paper, rough reviews

The Rockland, at 1301 W 24th St, lists two-bedroom beds at $640 (the site labels it per bedroom). Read the reviews first. Its five resident reviews average 1.9, and one describes moving into a unit with roaches, no working toilet and sparking outlets.

What a One-Bedroom or Shared Apartment Costs Near KU

A studio or one-bedroom of your own near KU starts at $789, and a regular two-bedroom split two ways can drop to $440 each. Here's the low end for students who'd rather rent a whole apartment:

• Union Flats & Townhomes, 2500 W 6th St (1.4 mi): one-bedroom $815, two-bedroom $880. Rated 4.8 by residents.
• West Hills Apartments, 1012 Emery Rd (0.5 mi): one-bedroom $925, two-bedroom $1,199 ($600 each).
• Union at the Loop, 3250 Michigan St (2.3 mi): lists from $950 for a one-bedroom.
• Fairway Flats, 1525 Birdie Wy (2.5 mi): one-bedroom from $1,655. This is the luxury end.

Our pick for value is Union Flats. A $440 share of its two-bedroom beats every per-bed complex except Hawks Pointe, and it has the best resident rating in the KU set. Hawks Pointe also rents studios and one-bedrooms from about $789 if you want to live alone cheaply.

KU Off-Campus Housing Cost vs Living on Campus

A typical off-campus bed costs more per year than KU's cheapest dorm room, but the cheapest off-campus beds undercut KU's residence halls and apartments. KU's 2026-2027 housing rates start at $7,242 for a two-person room in GSP Hall, and a dining plan is required on top of that. Jayhawker Towers, KU's apartment option, is $6,090 for a four-person unit with a shared bedroom.

Off-campus math looks like this. A full year at the $733 median bed comes to $8,796, with no meal plan. A year at Hawks Pointe's $439 rate is $5,268, cheaper than any KU residence hall or KU apartment. Only the scholarship halls, which start at $3,568 plus dining, come in lower. So the answer depends on which complex you pick. One more thing: KU's Stouffer Place apartments cost $13,564 a year for a two-person unit, so don't assume university apartments are the budget choice.

Costs Beyond Rent Near KU

Bus fare isn't one of them. KU's international office says students ride both KU on Wheels and Lawrence Transit for free with a KU ID (the K-10 Connector is the exception). That matters if you take a cheap bed out on W 24th Place.

Fees are the unknown. None of the complexes in this guide lists monthly fees on Find My Place yet, so ask each office about utilities, parking and amenity charges before you compare final numbers. FMP's own estimate for newer by-the-bed complexes near campus is $700 to $1,100 a month per bed.

Frequently Asked Questions About KU Off-Campus Housing Cost

How much is rent near the University of Kansas?

About $733 a month for a bed in a student complex, the median across eight complexes on Find My Place. Studios and one-bedrooms start around $789, and a shared two-bedroom can run $440 to $600 each.

What is the cheapest off-campus housing near KU?

Hawks Pointe, at $439 a month for a bed in a three-bedroom, 0.9 miles from campus. Splitting Union Flats' $880 two-bedroom comes close at $440 each.

Is it cheaper to live on or off campus at KU?

It depends on the building. KU's cheapest residence hall double is $7,242 a year plus a required dining plan, while a typical off-campus bed runs about $8,796 a year. Pick Hawks Pointe or Union Flats and off campus wins.

Which apartments are closest to KU?

HERE Kansas at 0.4 miles and West Hills Apartments at 0.5 miles. Hawks Pointe (0.9 miles) and Proxi Lawrence (1.1 miles) come next.

Do KU students pay for the bus?

No. A KU ID gets you on KU on Wheels and Lawrence Transit buses for free, except the K-10 Connector.