Cost of Living for Students in UK: An Essential Guide

Your cost of living in the UK will vary depending on a number of different circumstances. For example, where you’re located in the UK, your accommodation type, whether you need to catch public transport, your groceries (for example, do you plan on eating out a lot, or are meals provided with your accommodation), and your entertainment and hobby expenses. 

As a general guide, an international student coming to the UK without dependents can expect to pay around £1300-£1400 per month in London or £900-£1300 in the rest of the UK to cover living expenses, not including your course costs. 

What is the average cost of living for students in the UK?

The first is the cost of accommodation or rent. You will need to consider how much you will be paying if you live in student halls, where bills are included, versus what you will be paying if you rent a room in private accommodation, where bills - such as water, electricity, gas, and WiFi - are not included. As an estimate, you can expect to pay £848 per month in London and £664 in the rest of the UK per month for a room in a non-catered student hall, meaning food is not provided. For a room in shared accommodation without bills, you can expect to pay £750 in London and £554 in the rest of the UK in rent. Household bills will cost around £140 per month in London and £80 in the rest of the UK. 

The next cost to consider is public transport. It is estimated that you will spend around £54 per month in the rest of the UK, and £110 in London - based on the cost of a monthly Student Oyster card. Note that full time students from all over the UK receive a 30% discount off standard London Underground and bus fares with a Student Oyster Card if they have a National Railcard. Head to the Transport for London website for details.

With groceries, you can expect to pay about £155 per month in London, and £116 in the rest of the UK per month. However, groceries can be an easy way to save money on your student budget. For example, shopping at low-cost supermarkets like Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl, buying in bulk, and shopping at store closing times, when certain items are sold at a reduced price. Cooking at home, rather than eating out at restaurants, will help you save on entertainment expenses, so you will have extra budget to spend on fun stuff.

Speaking of which, let’s get onto the cost of entertainment and hobbies. This includes dining out, going to cafés and bars, gym memberships and tickets to landmarks around your new home, such as galleries and museums. In London, you can expect to spend around £170 each month, and around £100 in the rest of the UK. However, your entertainment and hobby expenses happen to be some of the easiest you can find student discounts for. Services like UNiDAYS and Student Beans can be a great way of finding exclusive discounts for students, and many retailers around the UK and online will also offer student deals - make sure you have your student ID with you so that you can access these. Venues such as cinemas, theatres and hairdressers may also offer student discounts.

What financial assistance is available for students in the UK?

To help financially support you on your international student journey, many UK universities and colleges, as well as private organisations and the UK government, offer scholarships. Some of these will help cover your living expenses, meaning you have more freedom in your budget to make the most of your student life! Let’s discuss scholarships in more detail now.