Okay, but if you didn't go to college those 4 years, you'd have a full-time job to pay for those things. For most people, 4 years of college implies 4 years of not working, or 4 years of low paying part time jobs.
A lot of people cover those costs with student loan money, so they're relevant to a conversation about student loans.
Agreed, but IMO they're not relevant to a more general "cost of college is less than 2 Teslas" conversation, which is why there are two different treatments that are reasonable.
A lot of people cover those costs with student loan money, so they're relevant to a conversation about student loans.