While preparing to study in the UK, it is important to consider the living costs beyond the tuition fees. Living expenses include your food, accommodation (rent and other bills), books and equipment, clothes & entertainment. The cost of living varies between different regions of the UK; London, for example, is more expensive than average and costs may also be high in other major UK cities. As against, other cities such as Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham are relatively much cheaper. But, with part time jobs on offer, irrespective of which city you stay in, at the end of the month students land up spending a similar amount as long as they balance their spending and part time earnings.
Just as if you were at home, you need to be sensible about what you really need and what you can actually afford.
Students have multiple options of accommodation in the UK
Halls of Residence / Hostels: Halls of residences are usually provided through the university and can be full board (Including meals) or self catering where students get to share a kitchen and cook their own food. They usually costs anything between GBP 70 to 150 a week depending on amenities and the city.The costs usually include all utility bills and internet in most cases.
Paying Guest : Students can have an independent room with a host family and share the common facilities of the house. This is a good way of immersing into the British Culture and having a home away from home. PG accommodation can range anything between GBP 50 to 75 a week including all utility bills.
Private Flat Share: One of the most common modes of accommodation, student can share a flat or a house by taking it on a lease through a rent agreement. It is important to study the agreement before signing the same. Students will be expected to pay one months rent as a refundable deposit. Further, all utility bills like water, electricity and gas are then shared amongst the students. Rent can vary from city to city and location, but on an average a flat share can cost anything between GBP 50 / Week to GBP 100 / Week.
Below is a detailed average break up for accommodation in London based on the location.
Flat-Share Rental per month
Zone-wise cost of Accommodation
East London
£200 - £350 (single),
Zone 1
£250 - £500 per person
West London
£250 - £330 (single),
Zone 2
£230 - £350
South London
£200 - £350 (single),
Zone 3
£200 - £280
North London
£300-£400 (single),
Zone 4
£160 - £250
Cost of Food & Drink
Average weekly grocery bill if cooking at home
£25 – 35
Average pub meal
£6 - £10
Average restaurant meal
£8 - £15
Pint of beer
£1.50- £3
Average bottle of wine
£4 - £15
Average meal for two in mid-priced restaurant
£20-£30
Cost of Transportation
London Weekly Zone 1-6 Travel card
Allows to travel on Bus & Underground Metro in all zones.
£41/Further details on www.tfl.gov.uk
London Monthly Zone 1-2 Travel card.
Allows to travel on Bus & Underground Metro.
£86
Internal Weekly Travelling in cities like Nottingham & Manchester by Bus
There are also some initial costs which students incur when they arrive apart from the regular monthly cost.
Accommodation when you arrive: If you haven’t already organized accommodation for when you first arrive make sure you have enough money for hostel or hotel accommodation (from £11 upwards per night) or to give to mates who let you doss. One of the highly recommended website for accommodation search is www.gumtree.com.
Bond and first month’s rent: This will be your most significant outlay. When leasing a flat or room in a flat-share bond can be up to 4 weeks rent and on top of that you will probably have to pay up to a month’s rent in advance. This could be as much as £400 to £700 including a months rent in advance and the deposit depending on the price of your rent.
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! Check stores like Carphone Warehouse, Tmobile & Virgin for cheap deals for students.
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. Internet connection at home could be affordable if shared by house mates. Check with BT Internet Services and a lot of other internet service providers for best deals.
Eating and drinking: Your first few weeks are sure to be a blur of eating, drinking and socializing. Eating out in UK 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.
Utilize your student or youth travel card: You are entitled to many discounts if you have a student or International youth travel card. This includes discounted entry to museums, cinemas and clubs. There are also special deals and discounts associated with Oyster cards (see Getting around the UK), so keep it handy at all times.
Buy from Charity Shops: Walk down any High Street in London and you’ll be hard pressed not to see at least a handful of Charity Shops (op shops, or second hand shops). Make these your first port of call for any crockery, utensils or home wares for your pad. Most stock decent clothing and shoes too, so if you don’t have a suit for that all important job interview, you can pick up a bargain.
Keep your eyes peeled for specials: At home you may have cringed when your mate whipped out a ‘buy one get one free’ voucher, but when you’ve only a few pounds left in your wallet you’ll be cheering for specials. Check the back of your cinema ticket for discounts at nearby restaurants, take advantage of early-bird dining offers at restaurants you normally wouldn’t be able to afford and make note of happy hour times at every pub you pass.
Leave things till the last minute: If you’re working casually and can pack your bags at a moment’s notice there are some great last minute travel deals to be had. Check lastminute.com for flights, accommodation and package deals.
Book ahead of time: In slight contradiction to the above point, you can also save loads of cash by booking your travels well in advance! If you know the best time for you to take off work or when your mates are free to travel, book your flights/trains and accommodation early, this is often when you will get the biggest bargains.
Watch out for swaps and freebies: The only thing better than something cheap is something for free! There are some kind souls in London who give away stuff they no longer need to struggling working travelers, you just need to be able to go and pick it up. From mattresses and couches to computers and tellies, there’s plenty up for grabs.
Join the local library: Once you’re settled in a suburb one of the first things you should do is join your local library. Many have free computers and Internet access and cheap (£1 - £3) CDs and DVDs for hire, not to mention guide books to borrow for all of your adventures abroad!
All international students on full-time UK courses that last more than six months can take advantage of the UK's National Health Service, including free consultation with doctors and free hospital care for you and your family. For further details on this log onto to www.nhs.uk or www.britishcouncil.org.in
The International Student Calculator has been developed by UNIAID and focuses on raising awareness of the cost of living in the UK. It allows international students to plan their own budget incorporating both limits on their time as well as funds. The site includes case studies based on real students, as well as top tips to help international students in their planning. You can access the service through the following weblink www.studentcalculator.org.uk
