Ohio State apartments with a pool and gym: what the amenity bump costs

Ohio State apartments with a pool and gym tend to cost more than a basic walk-up, and the real question is whether you'll use the amenities enough to justify the difference. We pulled together current Columbus listings where a pool and fitness center are part of the picture, along with a few other furnished options near campus to compare against.

It's early November, which means spring subleases are everywhere. Students who are graduating, studying abroad or moving home in December are trying to hand off their rooms for January, and that's often the cheapest way into a building you couldn't otherwise afford on a full-year lease.

Begin your search at Off-Campus Universe, where you can browse current listings near Columbus.

Victorian Village is a 2 bed, 1 bath apartment at $1,650/month, listed as 5 to 10 minutes by car from campus. It's unfurnished, on a year lease with timing listed as "9/1/2026". Its listing fields don't name a pool or a gym, so ask the lister which amenities come with it before you compare it with the amenity buildings in this post.

Apartment unit for rent is an unfurnished 3 bed, 2 bath sublease from the owner at $2,044/month, at Olentangy Village and listed as 5 to 10 minutes by car from campus. The description we hold talks about a private patio, garden access and a deposit-free special with December free, but it doesn't list the pool or gym, so ask the owner which community amenities come with the unit. The date is listed as 12/11/2026.

RAMBLER Studio is another current listing, a furnished studio sublease on West Lane Avenue at $1,900/month, listed as under 5 minutes by car from campus. The listing says the unit has a private bathroom, a kitchen and an in-unit washer and dryer, and that rent doesn't include utilities. Lease timing is listed as January to July 2027.

SPRING 2027 SUBLEASE – BLUME ON 16TH! is a furnished room in a shared unit at Blume on 16th, listed at $1,400/month and under 5 minutes by car from campus. The listing says the apartment is a 4 bed, 4 bath unit with an in-unit washer and dryer. It's a sublease for January-May 2027, which fits a spring semester exactly.

The Rambler is a second listing at the same West Lane Avenue address, a furnished studio at $1,880/month, listed as 5 to 10 minutes by car from campus, with utilities extra according to the listing. Its dates are listed as 12/20/20 - 7/31/2027, which looks like a typo in the start year, so confirm the move-in date with the lister before you plan around it.

What the amenity bump really looks like

Buildings with a pool, gym, study lounges and a roof deck charge for them one way or another. Sometimes it's baked into the rent, sometimes it's a separate amenity or community fee, and sometimes it shows up as higher utility charges for shared spaces. When you compare a big amenity building with an older apartment a few blocks further out, line up the full monthly cost, not just the base rent.

Then be honest about how you'll use it. If you already pay for a gym membership or use the campus recreation facilities, a building gym may be a nice extra rather than a reason to pay more. An outdoor pool in Columbus is a few-months-a-year perk. Indoor pools, hot tubs and study rooms get more use through the winter, so ask which of those a building actually has.

Furnished studios and rooms in shared units also price differently. A studio gives you the whole space but you carry the full rent and utilities yourself. A room in a 4 bed unit splits the shared costs, though you'll share the kitchen and living area. Both show up in the listings above, so you can see the trade-off in real numbers.

Location still matters more than any amenity. A building under 5 minutes by car from campus can save you time every single day, while a pool you use twice a month saves you nothing. Before you sign, map out your usual week (classes, work, groceries) and see which place makes that week easier. Then decide how much the extras are worth to you on top of that.

Ohio State apartments with a pool and gym: what students mention

Students looking for Ohio State apartments with a pool and gym aren't alone, and the local housing groups show it. In student posts in local Facebook housing groups collected on 2 Nov 2026, the median rent quoted per person was $998. That's just the middle of the amounts students typed, across every kind of unit, not a market rate.

Pools and gyms came up often in those student posts, alongside semester timing, being close to campus, subleases and takeovers, in-unit laundry and studios. Students also brought up High Street, and the phrases indoor jacuzzi and roof deck showed up several times, which tells you which extras people are paying attention to.

Blume was the building named most, in nine student posts. Those posts mentioned a pool, gym, roof deck, jacuzzi and hot tub, a washer and dryer, furnished units, private baths, study rooms and wi-fi. Those are amenities mentioned in student posts, not features we've confirmed. In those student posts, the rents quoted for Blume were $1,350 and $1,400. There were also two listings posted on Off-Campus Universe for Blume when the posts were collected, one of which appears above.

If you're weighing a spring takeover in a building like that, ask the person leaving which amenities they actually used and whether any were closed for repairs this year. A current resident will usually give you a straighter answer than a brochure.

How to decide if a pool and gym are worth it

• Ask for the total monthly cost, including any amenity fee, utility package and parking, so you can compare buildings fairly.

• Check whether the pool is indoor or outdoor and what months it's open, since that changes how much use you'll get in Columbus.

• Ask the lister for gym hours and whether a sublessee gets the same fob or app access as the original tenant.

• If you're taking over a lease for spring, confirm with the leasing office that the transfer is approved before you send any money.

Ready to find your place? Browse all listings at Off-Campus Universe.

This article is provided by an independent housing resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Ohio State University.