Are you serious about pursuing a degree in the UK? Make sure not to be one of those students who fall short of their budget due to miscalculations. Lucky you! We are here to help. Study in the UK and enjoy a seamless learning experience with our help.
Moving to a different country is harsh on the pocket, so, avoid any mishaps that might come between your dream education and you.
More importantly, students should know about the cost of living as it differs from place to place. Thus, enabling them to pick the perfect location as per their financial situation.
Let us first check out the top cities in the UK in terms of student education:
| CITY IN THE UK | QS RANKING FOR BEST STUDENT CITY |
| London | #1 |
| Edinburgh | #13 |
| Manchester | #27 |
| Glasgow | #33 |
| New Castle | #39 |
London is the most popular student destination in the UK known for its excellent world-ranked education. It has been the best student city consecutively for 5 years. The other cities come in the top 100 making themselves the next popular choice.
What Do We Mean by a Top Student City?
A city should provide its younger generation with the perfect environment that helps them dream big. Offering them the proper support and resources so that they can flourish is what makes a city the next top destination. Here are the factors:
- Quality of Universities – Top student cities often have universities/colleges that are renowned worldwide because of their academic excellence.
- Student Mix – This depicts the number of international students in the city or university. The higher the number, the better as it will allow you to network and learn in a diverse environment.
- Quality of Life – This includes factors that influence the quality of life, such as safety, healthcare, pollution, etc.
- Affordability – Affordability especially for international students is a big factor.
- Student Feedback – Student feedback is important to understand the aspects of the city and how well it treats its students. Students need a proper insight into the city that will be their home for the next few years.
Cost of Living City-Wise Breakdown in the UK
Cost of living is a crucial factor that impacts a student’s future. Tuition fees aside, the UK has cities that might be expensive for international students, for example, London. To study in London, you need around £1300-£1400 per month to sustain living costs there, in comparison to the £900-£1300 in the rest of the UK.
This is why it is important to choose the perfect location to avoid any future worries.
Here are the key components that you should look into before deciding on a place:
1. Rent
Rent is one of the major factors that a student should look into. If you plan to study in London, ensure you have a stable financial situation. If you’re looking for more affordable options, here’s a list of approximate rental costs:
| CITY | AVG MONTHLY RENT FOR A SINGLE-BEDROOM APARTMENT |
| London | 2,083.46 USD |
| Edinburgh | 1,141.29 USD |
| Manchester | 1,137.96 USD |
| Glasgow | 974.15 USD |
| Swansea | 939.20 USD |
| New Castle | 800.35 USD |
| Aberdeen | 708.88 USD |
| Durham | 464.24 USD |
2. Location & Accommodation
Location & Accommodation is the key to choosing the right place for yourself. While residing in the city might stretch your student budget, living farther out might be the answer. Properly weigh the pros and cons of higher rent yet closer to the campus than lower rent but with the cost of transportation.
Accommodation-wise cost classification:
| TYPE OF HOUSING | EXPENSE |
| Shared Housing | Low Cost ($) |
| Homestay | Moderate Cost ($$) |
| Managed Apartment | High Cost ($$$) |
| One-bedroom apartment | Very High Cost ($$$$) |
3. Cost of Food & Groceries
Having a rough idea of your monthly grocery budget can also ease your life in the UK and is a smart move. Keeping track of the smallest things can help keep the big things in place. Of course, these costs vary from person to person depending on the individual choices made.
Here’s a city-wise estimate of common grocery item prices:
|
Food |
London |
Edinburgh |
Manchester |
Glasgow |
Aberdeen |
Durham |
| Milk | 1.67 USD | 1.54 USD | 1.54 USD | 1.58 USD | 1.58 USD | 1.72 USD |
| Eggs | 4.08 USD | 3.90 USD | 3.92 USD | 3.76 USD | 3.12 USD | 3.44 USD |
| Rice | 2.65 USD | 1.72 USD | 2.29 USD | 2.05 USD | 2.05 USD | 1.93 USD |
| Chicken | 9.74 USD | 9.20 USD | 7.98 USD | 8.62 USD | 8.53 USD | 7.69 USD |
| Beef | 15.31 USD | 19.22 USD | 16.91 USD | 13.76 USD | 10.67 USD | 11.94 USD |
Your meal expenses also depend on how often you eat out or order from a restaurant.
Here is an overview of how much you’d be likely to spend in restaurants across the cities in the UK:
| CITY | AVG MEAL COST IN INEXPENSIVE RESTAURANTS |
| London | 25.62 USD |
| Edinburgh | 20.49 USD |
| Manchester | 19.21 USD |
| Glasgow | 19.21 USD |
| Swansea | 19.21 USD |
| Newcastle | 19.21 USD |
| Aberdeen | 19.21 USD |
| Durham | 15.37 USD |
Please note: This is just an estimate, the actual expense depends on where you eat and the quantity you consume.
4. Transport
If you choose to live slightly far away from your campus, you should always be aware of the transportation costs. If your everyday transport expense turns out to be fairly expensive, it could become a reason for your headache.
Public transport can become your way around the city but if it’s still too much, you can try campus transport services. Campus transport services provide student discounts that help you move without straining your budget.
Take a look at the transport fares in London to understand better:
| TRANSPORT | AVG COST |
| A one-way ticket for public transport | 2.90 GBP |
| Monthly public transport pass | 203.02 GBP |
| Taxi | 2.43 USD/km |
| Gasoline | 1.93 USD per liter |
5. Household Bills
Last but not least, the household expenses. This expense depends on the house that you choose to live in and also your lifestyle. On-campus dorms require a one-time utility payment as part of your accommodation contract. Whereas, if you are settling off-campus, it might require you to keep separate tabs for gas, electricity, etc. Make the right choice, keeping your budget in mind.
If you’ve come so far to see what the expenses might be like in the UK, we will take it as a sign that you want to study abroad. What better way to do that? Other than making it possible with our help? We, at RBS Intellect, aim to help students achieve their dreams.
So, if you are worried about the budget or need clarification on the location, talk it out with our study abroad experts at RBS Intellect! Contact us right away and avail our free consultancy session.