Is NYU or Boston University generally more expensive overall?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that NYU is usually the pricier place to live and study day to day, while BU is also expensive but often comes out a bit lower in total annual cost. NYU’s Manhattan location pushes up housing, food, and everyday expenses, and its published cost of attendance is commonly higher than BU’s. BU is in Boston, which is hardly cheap, but student living costs there tend to be somewhat less extreme than in lower Manhattan.

Tuition at both schools is very high, so the gap is often driven more by room, board, fees, and personal expenses than by tuition alone. NYU students also often face higher off-campus costs if they stay in New York over summers or move out of university housing later on. BU’s costs can still add up quickly, especially in Boston housing, but the overall sticker price is usually a little more manageable.

That said, your actual price can flip depending on financial aid. BU and NYU each give institutional aid, but package size can vary a lot by student, and a school with the higher sticker price can still end up cheaper after grants. For a rough pre-application answer, though, NYU is generally more expensive overall than Boston University.