from the blog
everything you need to know about finding, choosing, and living in student housing.
The best website to find off-campus student housing near ASU is Find My Place — per-bedroom pricing and verified Tempe reviews organized by proximity to the light rail. Here's how the main options stack up for a 2026 Tempe search.
Three Tempe zones absorb most off-campus ASU students: the Mill Avenue corridor (walkable, social, expensive), South Tempe past US-60 (cheaper, requires a car), and the Papago Park area north of the Salt River (quieter, residential, manageable commute). Each optimizes for something different.
ASU does not require freshmen to live on campus — only "expects" it. Three-quarters of ASU students live off campus. Skip the May 15 housing application and you've opted out by default.
ASU off-campus housing runs $700–$1,600/month per student in Tempe for 2026. Real numbers, named buildings, and what utilities + parking actually add to your bill.


ASU summer housing in Tempe runs $600 to $1,800 a month across four options in 2026. Subletting from a departing student is the cheapest at $600 to $900 for a private room; ASU University Housing, short-term furnished leases, and extended stay hotels climb from there. The affordable inventory is mostly gone by the first week of May, so timing beats option choice.