This College Town's Restaurants Are Too Expensive For The Average Student

College students don't have an A-plus reputation when it comes to their diets. Between classes, student clubs, part-time jobs, and the chaos of figuring out adulthood, quality dining becomes a secondary concern. It's either the cafeteria or cheap instant ramen, getting exercise in with a midnight walk for gas station snacks. This endless pursuit of creativity and rigorous academia has brought with it many a blackout rage gallon (BORG) or spiked brownie. If it can't fit in an air fryer or mini-fridge, then it's out of bounds. And it's hard to blame these students when some college towns don't even have food within their budget.

Princeton, New Jersey, is a college town known for its food scene, but restaurant prices exceed what the average student can afford. Pursuing higher education in a beautiful historic area comes with its perks, but those perks have a price. Livingcost marks the average restaurant dinner for two at $78.30, or around $40 per person. On Tripadvisor, most Princeton restaurants with the "mid-range" tag have entrees that are $20 to $40 alone. Many working adults might hesitate to splurge on a meal that expensive outside of special occasions, but if you know anything about Princeton, such prices really aren't surprising.

Princeton, New Jersey, is home to Princeton University, an Ivy League institution and one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The cost of living and food in the city is higher than what the average college student could afford, and it's because Princeton University and its legacy are far from average. Students here are more likely to come from wealth. As reported by The New York Times, the majority of them come from families representing the top 20% of earners, and the median salary of graduates at age 34 is $90,700. A lot of these students can probably afford a $40 dinner every once in a while.

Obviously, it's not just students who live in Princeton. Plenty of working professionals have made this area their home, as it's a safe and well-educated city with public libraries and museums. According to World Population Review, New Jersey has a median household income of just over $89,000, which gives restaurants the opportunity to charge customers higher prices for quality dining. With that said, college students in less urban areas can expect cheaper options. There's usually a hidden gem somewhere that serves delicious food for a good deal — it might just take more searching to find it. Even an old-school New Jersey diner took home a James Beard Award.