In 1960, a two bedroom and two bathroom house, on average, cost 12,000 dollars. Now, a two bedroom and two bathroom house can cost anywhere from 250,000 to 650,000 dollars, which is at least 20 times more than in 1960. But homes aren’t the only things that are costing more; tuition has also risen exponentially, with tuition at the University of Utah in 1960 costing 330 dollars for in-state students, and now the instate cost for students has risen to 30,000 dollars before aid, with the cost after aid being 12,000 dollars (which is still a massive increase from 60 years ago). The rising costs of housing and education means that many people are having a tougher time affording housing and higher education.
Tuition and housing are expenses that affect one another. For example, if the cost of living rises around a college, it becomes harder for students to find a place to live, and school becomes even more expensive. A local resident and parent, who would like to stay anonymous, said that, even though the costs of living are rising, they haven’t risen as much as they have in other places but that it’s still unsustainable, and hopefully, in the future, the prices of both housing and tuition will become more affordable.
In 2025 specifically, the average house price went up by 2.5%, which is a lot lower than the rate of how much the housing prices surged during the pandemic and after, with housing prices rising 64% from 2020 to 2022. In 2025 also, the average public school tuition went up 2.2%, and several colleges’ tuition also went up, with the University of Utah’s tuition going up 2.1% and Utah State’s tuition going up 2.6% from last year. While these increases are small, they still affect people. Constant increases in both housing prices and tuition costs make life more difficult, and when asked about these price increases, a Skyline parent (who would like to remain anonymous) said that, although the prices are going up, Utah is still a lot cheaper than other places.
Utah isn’t blind to this issue; the government is constantly passing bills that aim to help with the rising home prices, like H.B. 37, which requires state officials to have a state housing plan done by December, and H.B. 360, which allows the state government to use funds to free up the housing market to drop. With these constant steps made by the people and the government, hopefully good housing and education can be affordable to everyone.
