Dorm room essentials, priced per unit

A dorm list is mostly consumables bought in a hurry at whatever the campus shop charges. Knowing the per-unit price before you go is the whole difference between a semester of supplies and a semester of supplies at twice the price.

Quantities cover roughly one semester for one student. Prices are live medians across 536 tracked listings.

Item	How much	Typical price	You’d spend	Cheapest we track
Laundry detergent about three loads a week	40 load	$0.210/load	$8.40	$0.080/load — ARM & HAMMER Liquid Laundry Detergent, C…
Toilet paper about 8 rolls	24 100 sheets	$0.444/100 sheets	$10.66	$0.056/100 sheets — Amazon Basics 1000 Sheet 1-Ply Bath Tiss…
Paper towels about 3 rolls	6 100 sheets	$2.27/100 sheets	$13.62	$1.23/100 sheets — Bounty Essentials Select-A-Size Paper To…
Dish soap one large bottle	14 fl oz	$0.245/fl oz	$3.43	$0.064/fl oz — Ajax Ultra Liquid Dish Soap Vinegar and …
Coffee pods about four a week	60 pod	$0.635/pod	$38.10	$0.348/pod — Gourmet Coffee Medium Roast Flavored Var…
Protein bars the 8am-lecture supply	24 bar	$1.78/bar	$42.82	$0.712/bar — Nature Valley Protein Bars Variety Pack,…
Batteries lamp, mouse, alarm	8 battery	$0.891/battery	$7.12	$0.138/battery — Amazon Basics 300-Pack AAA Long-Lasting …
Smart plugs lamp and kettle on a timer	2 plug	$23.37/plug	$46.74	$9.35/plug — Minoston Matter Smart Plug Compatible wi…
Total for roughly one semester for one student			$171	$70.57 — 59% less

The “typical price” column is the median across every listing we track in that category, not an average of the cheap ones — so it is what you would actually pay without looking anything up. The gap between the two totals is what the looking-up is worth.

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