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How much would I need to budget for housing as an MPH student at UC Berkeley?

04 Oct 2026 · Answered by Sweety Shah · 2 min read
Quick Answer verified

As an MPH student at UC Berkeley, you can expect to pay around INR 16.88 lakh to 20.75 lakh for housing during your program. Add tuition of INR 32.04 lakh to 36.6 lakh and insurance costs, and your total program cost comes to roughly INR 59.2 lakh to 73.72 lakh.

Sweety Shah
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If you are budgeting for an MPH at UC Berkeley, you should set aside around INR 16.88 lakh to 20.75 lakh for housing across your program. This is on top of your tuition, which falls between INR 32.04 lakh and 36.6 lakh depending on whether you finish in one year or take the full three years. Your overall cost of attendance, once insurance, transport and other living expenses are added in, comes to roughly INR 59.2 lakh to 73.72 lakh.

MPH Cost Breakdown at UC Berkeley

Fee componentAmount (1 to 3 years)
TuitionINR 32.04 lakh to 36.6 lakh
Hostel/HousingINR 16.88 lakh to 20.75 lakh
InsuranceINR 5.91 lakh to 6.18 lakh
TransportationINR 71.23 thousand to 3.53 lakh
OthersINR 3.66 lakh to 6.65 lakh
Total feeINR 59.2 lakh to 73.72 lakh

What Else Affects Your Living Costs

Your actual housing spend will depend on whether you choose on campus accommodation or a shared apartment nearby, and how long your MPH takes to complete, since the program can run anywhere from one to three years. Insurance and personal expenses add a further amount on top of housing, so it helps to plan your budget around the higher end of each range rather than the lower end.

My Advice

I would encourage you to treat the upper end of the housing range as your working budget rather than the lower end, since Bay Area rents can shift during your program. Start comparing on campus housing options and nearby shared accommodation early, and build insurance and transport into your monthly budget from day one so there are no surprises once you land in Berkeley.

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