Besides the fact that tuition varies from school to school, accommodations, meals, and travel are all controllable factors. When I first came to the U.S. about four years ago, I had a very detailed breakdown of my first two months, and the average cost per day was about $16.

Now a fixed monthly cost.

Rent 400 (landlord covers utilities and internet)

Cell phone 40

Car insurance 36

Driving to and from work every day accumulates less than 30 minutes, and the cost of gas is 85.

(the annual wear and tear on the car would be impossible to account for here)

Going to the supermarket to buy groceries about 6 times a month, and the average cost of food and drink is at 370 (I cook for myself every day, morning, noon and night). Incidentally, this doesn't include, for example, being forced to go to the bar for a beer and a soccer game at the same time today, Friday, after work. That's a lot of money to spend on food and drink if you're lazy and have a simple meal at a restaurant every now and then.

At least in my case, such "normal" living expenses are less than $1,000 per month, which is not at all luxurious or even enjoyable. But it's more than enough to meet the demands of daily life and work.

If you're looking at the average international student, you're definitely not spending $100 a day, as I've mentioned above.