From endless outdoor recreation to stunning views of snow-covered mountains and glassy lakes, Bend has long been known for its active lifestyle and nature scene. Locals and visitors alike flock here because it's a spectacular place to live. It's no secret, however, that it can also be an incredibly difficult place to afford. Across living dynamics — from dual income families to single adults and everywhere in between — many are met with the financial burdens of living in this high-demand, growing city. Bend's cost of living is 11% higher than the national average, according to statistics from the Economic Research Institute, and 5% higher than the state average.
Oregon State University-Cascades, which began as a small operation in the Cascades Hall of Central Oregon Community College in 2001, has grown into a formidable space of its own over the last decade, with more than 24 acres of developed land and a mapped-out total of 128 acres. As of fall 2023, it has attracted the enrollment of 1,313 students, a 3.3% increase in students from the year prior and a 10.3% increase in first-year students.
As Bend becomes more and more of a "college town," there's a burgeoning demographic of young adults looking for living arrangements suitable for the unique phase of college life. These individuals must not only find a way to meet the financial demands of living in Bend, but manage to do so while pursuing the rigorous requirements of higher education.
Students of any year are offered the choice to live on campus, with the requirement that freshmen do so. Like most colleges, some decide to stay in the dorms after their first year, while others eagerly seek off campus living arrangements.
Isabella Crews, age 22, knew she didn't want to live in the dorms upon completing her freshman year. Crews finished her undergrad last year and was accepted into the newly added Doctor of Physical Therapy program for the 2024-25 school year. Crews felt lucky she had a family friend to rent from at a much more reasonable price than she could find elsewhere. However, after a year, she began to want a place she could call her own.
"It was really stressful, just trying to find something that was not completely run down but also still an affordable price. I feel like those options are very few and far between," said Crews.
The hunt turned up results that scarcely dipped below $1,600 a month. While she was able to find a studio apartment, she ended up sharing the cost with her partner: two living in a space intended for one.
"I've been having to work, like, almost 50 hours a week in the summer just so that I can afford to live and pay for school and pay off my loans," said Crews. At one point, Crews held three different jobs on top of maintaining an academic and social life.
That reality mirrors that of numerous students across the United States. More acutely, however, she and other Bend college students reflect on the particular difficulties of the housing market here.
Crews was a full time student working between 20-30 hours a week for the entirety of her undergraduate degree. Now, as part of the graduate program, Crews is enrolled in 24 credits. And while she says she wishes she could finally fully commit to her academics, she adds, "It's just not feasible for me to not have a job." With one analysis estimating that it requires a $72,000 salary to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Bend, the squeeze is real for students like Crews.
Students Look to Campus
A new six-story apartment complex, located at 515 Century and erected directly adjacent to OSU-Cascades, is believed by many to be dorm or student-affiliated housing, though it is not. While prices are unlisted for the construction still underway, it is reasonable to assume cost will be competitive with nearby housing such as the Hixon or The Nest, which both have standard studios priced at $1,700 per month. As buildings like these continue to be constructed on the west side and throughout Bend, students looking for off-campus housing are left wondering if one will ever be within their financial grasp.
Crews, the grad student, points out how many of these complexes struggle to acquire renters given high asking prices. Instead, she argues, they could direct their attention to students, many of whom could potentially offset a cost decrease by being loyal renters for three or more years.
While living off-campus can be desirable, it typically comes with a higher price tag. Because of the pricey rental market — or merely out of preference — numerous students look to dorms as the alternative. In December of 2016, OSU-Cascades saw the completion of one interconnected three-and-four-story residence hall, which can house up to 314 students. In the 2023 school year, 278 of these occupancies had been filled. This year, that number has grown to 289.
According to Oregon State University-Cascades' website, the school has seen a first-year student enrollment increase for nine consecutive years and an undergraduate growth increase since 2011. It projects reaching an enrollment of 2,200 students (with some estimates closer to 2,400 students) by 2030.
“I’ve been having to work, like, almost 50 hours a week in the summer just so that I can afford to live and pay for school and pay off my loans." - Isabella Crews
For many, on-campus living offers the most benefits for the best price. Logan Uecker, age 19, lived in the dorms in 2023 during his freshman year and continued rooming on campus this school year. Uecker says cost is one of the leading reasons he wishes to utilize the dorms as long as possible. In addition to things like utility and WiFi service, Uecker's per-term payment allows him access to other campus-living benefits, such as access to laundry, a gym and kitchenettes.
While one can't put a definitive price tag on commuting, Uecker says it's another leading reason why he views living on campus to be the right fit for him.
"A lot of people live on the other side of Pilot Butte. That's one of the more cost-effective areas for students," said Uecker. "But," Uecker added, "it starts to get cold, and then it starts to snow [and] you'll wake up a lot of mornings, and there's not a good way to get across town."
Using the most common annual room cost estimate for student housing for the academic year, the rental price comes down to roughly $1,133. Comparatively, the median rent for the city of Bend tends to be between $1,500-1,800 across commonly used rental websites such as apartments.com, bestplaces.net and RentCafe. Even with the added cost of a required dining plan, competitiveness between living on and off campus remains high.
The Future of On-Campus Housing
Having received funding for the Innovation District, which is currently undergoing land remediation, OSU-Cascades now seeks $42 million from the Oregon Legislature in order to prepare for development on the next sector of the Long Range Development Plan, aimed in part at addressing student housing needs. This second student housing project is set to begin spring of 2027 and be completed in the summer of 2028. (Editor's note: the figure requested from the Legislature has been updated to $42 million; the print edition stated $24 million. That was the figure requested during the 2024 session.)
Emma Robbins, now a junior at OSU-Cascades, has lived in the campus residence hall since freshman year. Robbins became a live-in resident advisor and will continue to be one this year.
"Every single year, we get more residents interested. Just in the three years that I've been here, the amount of people interested in coming here, and because of the fact that we require freshmen to live on campus in their first year... we definitely need that second res hall," said Robbins.
Campus planners forecast that additional on-campus housing will be needed for 150 more students by 2028. If OSU-Cascades can secure funding for this upcoming phase and complete it on the timeline they have stated, those looking to opt in to student housing at OSU-Cascades will likely be faced with increased difficulty or competition for two years. (Editor's note: the print edition stated 2026, not 2028.)
Meanwhile, Central Oregon Community College offers housing for a maximum of 320 beds but has been forced to waitlist people in the past as a result of full occupancy. According to the COCC website, 2023 enrollment of credit-seeking students increased 11.1% and the residence hall reached 96% fulfillment. Students are welcome to stay in either residence hall if they are part of the degree partnership program. However, as the number of students requiring housing increases, the number of available rooms remains fixed.
Concerning residency at OSU-Cascades, Robbins said, "we haven't had... that situation yet where we've had to turn people away, but I just know we're going to get to that point." Associate Director of Housing Andrew Frei added that the school has some ideas for adaptation, including transformation of double rooms into triples. However, Frei recognizes the importance of meeting students' medical and other needs, meaning that the maximum capacity of beds should be taken with a grain of salt. (Editor's note: Frei's title has been updated from the print edition. Additionally, the rooms to be transformed will be doubles made into triples, not singles into triples as the print edition stated.)
For many, Bend is the ideal place to live and learn; it's just a matter if one can make it happen financially.
Robbins sums up students' collective hopes quite simply, "I just think it would be cool having more housing available for the people that are interested in coming to Bend and learning here because of what we have to offer," she said.
