Utah · Dorms · Off-Campus

University of Utah Off-Campus Housing Guide (2026)

A commuter campus in a real city — which means Utah students compete for ordinary Salt Lake apartments rather than a ring of purpose-built student blocks, and the free UTA pass covers light rail and commuter rail alike.

Where students live

Utah does not have a dense student strip the way most flagships do. The Avenues, immediately west of campus, is the closest thing to one and holds the cheapest per-bed option in the city. Foothill, south of campus, is where the shuttle-served buildings sit. Sugar House is a proper neighbourhood a few miles out with the best mix of ordinary apartments, and downtown is expensive but sits directly on TRAX, which is free for you.

Because there is no live-on requirement and most students commute, the market here is a normal city rental market rather than a student one. Only a handful of properties price by the bed — most quote whole-unit rents, and several publish no rates at all on their own websites, which is why some figures below come from listing aggregators rather than the landlord. Treat those as indicative and confirm directly.

Apartments & rentals students actually use

CommunityDistanceUnits & ratesFurnished?Website
University Gardens
The Avenues
Minutes from campus2BR shared from $599/bed; 2BR and 3BR private from $899/bedFully furnishedu-gardens.com
Montaire
Foothill, near Parleys Canyon
Shuttle-servedStudio from $899, 2BR from $1,099, 1BR from $1,399Not statedlivemontaireslc.com
Ivory University House
East of campus, Mario Capecchi Dr
10-min walkStudios $1,350-$1,530; 346-1,042 sq ftNot statedivoryuniversityhouse.com
343 Apartments
East Central, 343 S 400 E
Near downtownStudio to 2BR, $1,365-$1,955 per unitNot statedAggregator listings only
The Citizen
Downtown, 515 S 400 E
On TRAXStudio to 2BR, $1,400-$2,150 per unitNot statedAggregator listings only
Foothill Place
Foothill / Sugar House border
Short drive1BR $1,449-$1,699 (695-775 sq ft); 2BR $1,689-$2,069 (991-1,150 sq ft)UnfurnishedListed via marketapts.com
Sugar Flats
Sugar House, McClelland St
A few miles southStudio to 2BR, $1,449-$1,979 per unitNot statedAggregator listings only
Moda Bonneville
Downtown, 260 S 500 E
On TRAXStudio, 1BR, 2BR; rates not publishedNot statedthe-bonneville.com

Compiled from property sites and public listings, August 2026. Rates move every lease season and several properties here publish nothing at all — verify with the property before you sign.

Getting to campus without a car

This is the best transit deal of any school on the site. The UTA Ed Pass is free to every enrolled student and covers buses, express buses, every TRAX light-rail line, the S-Line streetcar, UTA On-Demand and FrontRunner commuter rail — regional trains, not just city service. You tap your UCard. Ski buses and paratransit are the only exclusions. There is also a free campus shuttle and an evening URide service, and the TRAX Red Line has four stops in the campus area.

How it compares to a dorm

A small double at Heritage Commons is $6,966 for the year, but the mandatory dining plan starts at $4,918, so the real floor is closer to $11,900. A shared two-bedroom at University Gardens is $599 a month — about $7,200 over twelve months, with your own kitchen and no dining plan. Utah is one of the few campuses where the off-campus option is straightforwardly cheaper.
Different bed, different sheets. Campus is Twin XL except the Lassonde pods and the four-person single suites, which are Full. Off campus, expect Full or Queen everywhere. If you are moving out of Lassonde you may already own the right sheets; if you are moving out of a Twin XL room, you do not.

What you’ll need

Both furnished and unfurnished rentals are common here — check your lease, then use the matching filter on the checklist.

Apartment checklist   Apartment shop

Staying on campus instead? Head back to the Utah dorm dimensions and Utah packing list.