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Accommodation |
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| Cost of living in the UK and London |
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| Living in the UK – particularly London – is expensive compared to many places in the World. The cost of living will of course depend on the individual situation (and tastes!) of each student, but you still need to be prepared financially. Just because you’ve been working hard to save many thousands of your own currency, doesn’t mean it will be quite as many pounds! |
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| Generally, you should prepare yourself (and save accordingly) for costs while in London including Accommodation, Food, Dining and Drinking, Transport and Entertainment |
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| UK Cost of Transportation |
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Weekly Zone 1-6 Travelcard £41 |
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Monthly Zone 1-2 Travelcard £86 |
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Train trip to Edinburgh £110 (standard single) |
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Train trip to Cambridge / Brighton £17 - £20 (single) |
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Avg mid-sized car rental for a weekend £70 |
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Return budget flight to Spain £120 - £150 (budget carrier) |
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Eurostar return ticket to Paris £125 (standard class) |
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Return flight to Ireland £50 - £60 (budget carrier) |
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| UK Cost of Entertainment |
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Movie £7-£10 |
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West End Theatre £25+ |
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Club/Pub Entry £5 - £20 |
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Live music/concerts £10+ |
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Chart CDs £8 - £12 |
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New release DVD rental £3.50 |
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| Initial Costs |
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| There are also some initial costs that will whittle your wallet down fairly quickly if you don’t plan accordingly, especially when it comes to setting up longer-term accommodation. Generally you should budget for the following: |
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Transport, flat and job hunting can take a lot of trekking across the city on Tubes and buses. Make sure you have some cash for public transport or to purchase an Oyster card, see Getting around the UK. |
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Mobile phone: If you’ve brought your mobile phone from home you still may need to buy a SIM card or pay to have your phone ‘unlocked’ from your previous carrier. Avoid phone contracts if possible and opt for pre-pay calling. Be sure to put aside some cash to buy pre-paid top-ups; not being able to call back a potential employer because you have no credit is not a good look! |
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Internet access: You’ll probably be using the Internet for job hunting, searching for accommodation and staying in touch with family and friends back home. Internet cafes charge from £1 an hour, but allow plenty of cash for this as you’d be surprised how many hours you can rack up in these places. |
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Clothing: Hopefully you packed suitable clothes for the season you’re arriving in the UK and if you found room in your suitcase or backpack, suitable clothing for job interviews in your line of work. But, if sneakers won out over suits, make sure you have some pounds in your budget for interview and work-wear. |
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Eating and drinking: Your first few weeks are sure to be a blur of eating, drinking and socialising. Eating out in London isn’t cheap so try not to have breakfast, lunch and dinner (and those crisps with your pint) while out and about as it will be more economical to buy groceries and prepare your own meals. |
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| What to Bring |
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| That will depend on the type of accommodation that you have chosen so please check above what will be provided. Generally the more independent the accommodation the more you have to bring with you. Some students feel that they need to bring a lot of things with them, some decide to buy the essentials here and save luggage space for other things. You may want to take with you: towels, bed linen (sometimes provided), toiletries, pyjamas, etc. Please note that any electrical goods will require an adaptor or as the electric plugs are specific to UK only. Oh, and did we mention that you should bring an umbrella? |
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| More Details on the Costs |
| As a service to our students, and potential students, TASMAC has compiled a list of the costs you might expect to incur as a student living in the UK. These figures come from Student Life UK http://www.ukstudentlife.com which we encourage you to visit. |
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| One-Off Costs |
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| As well as your course costs (Tuition Fees) there are other one-off costs (this means costs which you only have to pay once, not regularly) which you may have to pay if you are travelling to the UK. Make a note of the ones which apply to you and estimate the total cost of these. |
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Cost |
| Visa application fee |
(for visa nationals; multiple entry visa more expensive) |
| Travel insurance |
(depends on length of your stay) |
| Medical insurance |
(note: free public healthcare if you study for over 6 months) |
| Post/baggage to/from the UK |
(depends on how much you want to take and bring back) |
| Registration with police |
about £35 (only if required to register) |
| Travel: to/from airport in your country |
(depends on distance from your hometown to the airport) |
| Return flight to the UK |
(depends on distance from your home country to the UK) |
| Travel: from/to airport in UK |
(depends on distance from airport to your town in the UK) |
| Television license |
about £130 for colour TV license (in 2007) |
| Television |
£50 for second-hand portable colour TV |
| Mobile phone |
between £50 and £100 (pay-as-you-go phone) |
| English exam |
about £100 (if not included in course cost) |
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| You will probably have to pay a deposit when you move in to your accommodation. This is usually the same amount as about 4 weeks of rent (see below for a guide to accommodation costs). It should be returned to you at the end of your stay unless you have damaged the property in some way. |
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| Regular Costs |
| The following table shows estimated basic weekly living costs for a student (in £). Numbers are only approximate; there can be very big differences according to where you live and your lifestyle.
Note that course costs and other one-off costs are not included in these tables.
Remember the exchange rate between your currency and the pound may change while you are staying in the UK. |
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Cheap (£6,000 per year):These costs may be relevant if you live close to your school outside London or south-east England, or if you live in student accommodation at a university. It may be difficult to live comfortably in London on this budget |
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Average (£9,000 per year):These costs may be relevant if you are a language student in London, living in cheap accommodation in a reasonably central location (within zone 3), and using a 'youth' weekly travel pass (for zones 1,2 and 3). It may also represent the costs of a student with a more expensive lifestyle at a school outside London or south-east England |
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Expensive (£12,000 per year):These costs may be relevant if you live in basic accommodation in a more expensive area in central London or south east England |
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Cost for 1 week |
Cost for 1 year |
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Cheap |
Average |
Expensive |
Cheap |
Average |
Expensive |
| Accommodation (1) |
£50 |
£75 |
£100 |
£2,500 |
£3,750 |
£5,000 |
| Food (2) |
£30 |
£40 |
£50 |
£1,500 |
£2,000 |
£2,500 |
| Travel (3) |
£5 |
£15 |
£25 |
£250 |
£750 |
£1,250 |
| Entertainment (4) |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
£500 |
£1,000 |
£1,500 |
| Other (5) |
£15 |
£25 |
£35 |
£750 |
£1,250 |
£1,750 |
| Total |
£120 |
£180 |
£240 |
£6,000 |
£9,000 |
£12,000 |
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Accommodation: Rent; more if meals provided as part of rent. Includes gas/electricity |
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Food: Normal living; less if meals provided as part of rent |
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Travel: Local travel on bus/underground |
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Entertainment: Cinema/eating out/sport |
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Other: Books/telephone calls/clothing/insurance/personal hygiene |
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| General living expenses may be about 25% greater in London than elsewhere
Note that costs may also be high in parts of south east England and areas close to London
As an approximate guide, for a couple living together add 50% to the cost of a person living on their own
For example, if the single person's annual cost is £8,000, the cost of living as a couple may be £12,000
As an approximate guide, for each child living with you add 25% of the cost of a person living on their own
For example, if the single person's cost is £8,000, the cost of a couple with two children might be £16,000 (£8,000 for the single person + 50% of £8,000 for the partner + 2 times 25% of £8,000 for the children) |
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| Income |
If you are a full-time student, your visa may allow you to work part-time (up to 20 hours per week). Many part-time jobs are paid close to the minimum wage, which from October 2006 is £5.35 per hour if you are over 22 years of age. This will leave you with an income of about £100 per week, but you may be paid less if income tax is being deducted (usually this money can be claimed back later, or you can arrange to pay just the correct amount of tax). From October 2006 the minimum wage if you are aged 18-21 is £4.45 per hour. |
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You may be able to earn some interest on money which you bring to the UK, depending on what sort of account you open and the interest rates which are offered. For each 1% interest which you earn on each £1,000, you will receive £10 in interest over a period of 1 year. |
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| RBS Student Living Index |
Each year the Royal Bank of Scotland conducts a financial survey of undergraduate students at various university towns across the UK. The table below shows results of the 2007 survey (based on an average sample size of about 100 students per location). |
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| Rank |
(A) Living costs |
(B) Earnings |
(C) Difference = A - B |
(D) Ratio = A / B |
| 1 |
Leicester |
£135.67 |
London |
£146.11 |
Leicester |
£55.07 |
Leeds |
1.46 |
| 2 |
Durham |
£168.55 |
Brighton |
£129.66 |
Leeds |
£58.45 |
Brighton |
1.59 |
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Lancaster |
£172.64 |
Leeds |
£128.00 |
Dundee |
£70.43 |
Dundee |
1.62 |
| 4 |
Glasgow |
£173.51 |
Dundee |
£113.02 |
Liverpool |
£71.00 |
London |
1.65 |
| 5 |
Liverpool |
£178.38 |
Birmingham |
£109.76 |
Brighton |
£76.93 |
Liverpool |
1.66 |
| 6 |
York |
£178.84 |
Liverpool |
£107.37 |
Glasgow |
£78.31 |
Leicester |
1.68 |
| 7 |
Coventry |
£180.40 |
Bristol |
£105.79 |
Birmingham |
£84.70 |
Birmingham |
1.77 |
| 8 |
Newcastle |
£180.97 |
Cambridge |
£100.50 |
Newcastle |
£85.46 |
Glasgow |
1.82 |
| 9 |
Dundee |
£183.44 |
Manchester |
£97.91 |
Coventry |
£85.73 |
Bristol |
1.85 |
| 10 |
Sheffield |
£185.89 |
Sheffield |
£97.74 |
Durham |
£87.34 |
Newcastle |
1.89 |
| 11 |
Leeds |
£186.45 |
St. Andrews |
£97.28 |
Sheffield |
£88.15 |
Sheffield |
1.90 |
| 12 |
Cardiff |
£190.08 |
Aberdeen |
£96.56 |
Bristol |
£89.84 |
Coventry |
1.91 |
| 13 |
Belfast |
£192.58 |
Newcastle |
£95.51 |
Cambridge |
£92.54 |
Cambridge |
1.92 |
| 14 |
Cambridge |
£193.04 |
Glasgow |
£95.20 |
London |
£95.14 |
St. Andrews |
1.99 |
| 15 |
St. Andrews |
£193.49 |
Coventry |
£94.67 |
St. Andrews |
£96.21 |
Manchester |
2.03 |
| 16 |
Birmingham |
£194.45 |
Oxford |
£93.46 |
York |
£98.08 |
Cardiff |
2.07 |
| 17 |
Bristol |
£195.63 |
Canterbury |
£92.88 |
Cardiff |
£98.35 |
Durham |
2.08 |
| 18 |
Canterbury |
£197.39 |
Cardiff |
£91.73 |
Manchester |
£100.86 |
Aberdeen |
2.08 |
| 19 |
Manchester |
£198.77 |
Belfast |
£91.00 |
Belfast |
£101.58 |
Belfast |
2.12 |
| 20 |
Aberdeen |
£200.51 |
Bath |
£90.32 |
Lancaster |
£101.90 |
Canterbury |
2.13 |
| 21 |
Edinburgh |
£201.27 |
Edinburgh |
£88.11 |
Aberdeen |
£103.95 |
York |
2.21 |
| 22 |
Bath |
£205.17 |
Durham |
£81.21 |
Canterbury |
£104.50 |
Bath |
2.27 |
| 23 |
Brighton |
£206.60 |
York |
£80.76 |
Edinburgh |
£113.16 |
Edinburgh |
2.28 |
| 24 |
Southampton |
£208.15 |
Leicester |
£80.59 |
Bath |
£114.85 |
Oxford |
2.35 |
| 25 |
Nottingham |
£211.15 |
Southampton |
£79.79 |
Oxford |
£126.63 |
Lancaster |
2.44 |
| 26 |
Oxford |
£220.09 |
Nottingham |
£78.42 |
Southampton |
£128.37 |
Southampton |
2.61 |
| 27 |
London |
£241.25 |
Lancaster |
£70.73 |
Nottingham |
£132.74 |
Nottingham |
2.69 |
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[average] |
£191.65 |
[average] |
£98.32 |
[average] |
£94.08 |
[average] |
1.95 |
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Living costs are weekly averages during term-time and include accommodation (rent, gas/electricity/water utility bills, telephone bills, laundry), shopping (food, clothes, alcohol, cigarettes), personal study costs (books and course materials, photocopying and library costs), entertainment (going out, eating out, CDs, DVDs) and transport. They do not include course tuition fees. |
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Weekly average earnings during term-time, based on those students who have part-time jobs (about 40% of the students in the survey). The numbers depend on hourly wage rates and the number of hours worked. The average working time was 15.6 hours per week, and the average wage was about £6.30 per hour. |
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This column shows the difference between living costs and earnings during term-time (a lower amount is better). Note that during holiday periods students may earn more if they work longer hours, and home students may have lower accommodation costs if they stay with their families and do not pay rent. |
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This ratio (living costs / earnings) is used to produce the Student Living Index league tables (a lower ratio is better, in the sense that it indicates lower living costs or higher earnings). |
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