Thanks loony for bringing up the topic.
To provide a better understanding of living expenses in U.S. major cities, I did some research and here it is -
Cost of Living Index for Selected U.S. Cities
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html
Without full financial support from my family, I managed to control my budget. I would recommend that you may examine each component of the investment by the following order -
1. Tuition (after scholarship) appro. 50%-70%
2. The length of the program
3. The cost of living appro. 30%-35%
4. Travel
Cheers,
bailey