RoomWroom
Student budgeting · 16 October 2026 · 2 min read · RoomWroom
Student accommodation costs: plan the month, not just the rent
The rent on a message is not the cost of living there. Write every monthly line, and the one-time lines, before you compare two places. This article does not give Dehradun prices. A figure we have not checked would be a guess.
Lines to put on one page
- Rent. The amount and the period. Ask if it changes in summer when you are away.
- Deposit. Paid once, returned later, sometimes with deductions. It is not rent.
- Food. Included meals, a separate mess, or cooking. A meal plan you will not eat is still a cost if you must pay it.
- Electricity, water, and gas. Included, capped, or billed on top. Heaters and coolers change the bill.
- Internet and laundry. Easy to forget until the first week.
- Transport to campus. Walk, shared ride, or something you pay for daily. Do not invent a minute count. Time the route yourself.
- Setup. Bedding, a lock, utensils, a small fan. Only if the room does not already have them.
How to compare two offers
Make two columns. Put a zero only where something is truly included. Leave a blank where the owner shrugged. A blank is not free. An independent room with a higher rent and no food can cost less than a cheap bed plus a mess you did not want. The other way around is just as common.
RoomWroom’s listing idea is to show rent on the listing, not to hide it in a chat. Browsing those listings is still Coming soon. Until then, the column method works on paper.
What not to do with this page
Do not treat it as a budget for Graphic Era students in rupees. Local rents move, and this site has not verified a market survey. Do not send RoomWroom a deposit. This website does not take rent.
Questions about what a deposit should cover are in the FAQ. The room-versus-PG choice is in PG vs independent room.