Feature Story

Emily Taflan
Pullman Cost of Living

Empty Pockets in Pullman

Cars fill the streets. Pedestrians run through intersections. Luggage. Bedding. Books. School is starting.

Washington State University is practically synonymous with Pullman, WA because it represents a majority of the town’s population when school is in session.

Most businesses’ revenues come from students, but do the students suffer from high prices and little competition?

According to the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association, cost of living in Pullman, WA is 7 percent higher than the national average.

Alexandra A. Bond, a 19-year-old sophomore attending WSU, said she thinks the cost of living in Pullman is high. She said she spends about $500 a month just on rent, utilities and food.

“I’d rather live in a box outside of Safeway and dumpster-dive for my dinners every night,” Bond said. “I think the cost of living in Pullman should be a main concern for students.”

“My rent is pretty cheap,” Cody J. Williams, a 21-year-old junior attending WSU, said. “Before I moved into the house I’m in, I was paying $415 a month just for rent in a one bedroom apartment off campus.”

Williams said he thought the cost of living in Pullman was high, but that it could be a lot higher. He said he was surprised the cost of living was higher than the national average, because Pullman is a college town and students do not have as much money to spend.

“You learn to live like a college student and don’t buy the top brand toilet paper,” Bond said. “Shopping trips are cut down, but there’s really no place to shop in Pullman.”

Williams said he goes to Moscow, ID whenever he really needs anything. He said everything is located in the same general location, the tax is less, and things are cheaper. Gas prices have not affected his trips to Moscow because it is only eight miles from his house, and in any other town, this is a relatively short distance to a shopping center.

Both Bond and Williams said they receive financial aid from their parents.

Bond said most of her money is withdrawn from her personal savings account, but if she needs more her parents contribute.

Williams said, “I’ve never really felt like I’ve had a monetary problem because I’ve always had the bank of Brian and Debbie to back me up.” He said he tries not to purchase many unnecessary items because his parents are providing so much for his education.

Bond said, that as a college student, her one weakness, and the item she considers an extraneous buy, is coffee. She said she spends around $20 a week at Zoë Coffeehouse and Deli on coffee.

“If your parents pay for everything, you may not have the real picture,” Bond said. It is important to make a budget every month now, to prepare for life after college.

While Bond and Williams differ in opinion about the severity of Pullman’s cost of living, both students said they are attending college to ensure financial security for the future and the cost of living associated with it.
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