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Written by James Tippett
The average living cost in the UK is £1,400 per month. Various factors impact this, including your university and where you live, the type of accommodation you’re in and your lifestyle.
As a postgraduate student, your expenses will include tuition fees, accommodation, food, transportation, and the occasional (or frequent) coffee to fuel those late-night study sessions. While tuition fees are a significant chunk of your budget, living costs can vary widely depending on where you choose to study.
In this guide, I’ll show you some average living costs for UK university cities as well as average rent prices for the same cities. I understand that finances and budgeting are something that worries every student at some stage, so let’s look at this together to help prepare yourself.
The most important factors shaping your living costs during a Masters will be related to your lifestyle and circumstances. What kind of accommodation will you be living in? Do you go out often? How often will you need to travel away from your university?
We can’t predict these, but we can give you some sense of representative student living costs in different UK university cities. You can use this information to broadly compare options for postgraduate study. It could also help you decide whether living near your university will be more expensive than commuting from home (or opting for a distance learning Masters).
The following table is based on crowdsourced data for what we think are typical student living costs in different cities (there’s more detail on how we’ve calculated these below).
City | Monthly Cost | City | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen | £1,157 | Hull | £1,015 |
Aberystwyth | £1,000 | Inverness | £1,226 |
Bath | £1,611 | Lancaster | £974 |
Belfast | £1,142 | Leeds | £1,326 |
Birmingham | £1,279 | Leicester | £1,097 |
Bolton | £758 | Lincoln | £956 |
Bournemouth | £1,736 | Liverpool | £1,320 |
Bradford | £941 | London | £2,368 |
Brighton | £1,596 | Luton | £1,150 |
Bristol | £1,504 | Manchester | £1,454 |
Buckingham | £915 | Middlesbrough | £929 |
Cambridge | £1,666 | Newcastle | £1,171 |
Canterbury | £1,300 | Northampton | £1,166 |
Cardiff | £1,282 | Norwich | £1,293 |
Carlisle | £1,000 | Nottingham | £1,163 |
Chelmsford | £1,400 | Oxford | £1,641 |
Cheltenham | £1,189 | Plymouth | £1,200 |
Chester | £1,216 | Portsmouth | £1,229 |
Colchester | £1,078 | Preston | £1,109 |
Coventry | £1,187 | Reading | £1,455 |
Derby | £1,103 | Sheffield | £1,231 |
Dundee | £1,065 | Southampton | £1,376 |
Durham | £1,270 | St Andrews | £1,257 |
Edinburgh | £1,553 | Sunderland | £1,043 |
Exeter | £1,316 | Swansea | £1,085 |
Glasgow | £1,407 | Wolverhampton | £1,131 |
Guildford | £1,469 | Worcester | £914 |
Huddersfield | £949 | York | £1,313 |
You could have a few different housing options available for your Masters, including postgraduate-specific halls as well as general student dormitories and various types of privately rented accommodation. Our guide to choosing postgraduate accommodation provides more information.
The information is based on crowdsourced data submitted to Numbeo and calculated using their cost of living estimator.
We’ve based our examples on an individual student sharing in a three-bedroom city centre property, purchasing a monthly travel pass and going out approximately once a week with other optional expenses (eating out, coffee, clothing purchases, etc) kept to a minimum.
Needless to say, this information is only meant as a very general guide. Most universities have their own pages dedicated to student living costs in their city, so it’s worth looking those up.
If you’re not living at home during your Masters, the biggest financial outlay (other than your tuition fees) will be on accommodation. You’ll want to know that you’re getting good value for money – and that your property meets your needs as a postgraduate.
The big choice you’ll have to make is between university-owned accommodation and the private rental market. We’ve covered the main differences between them below.
Many UK universities offer halls of residence specifically for postgraduates. The cost of this will normally be around £125-175 a week (expect higher in London). Although postgraduate university accommodation is usually more expensive than the private equivalent, remember that bills are normally included in the price.
The cost of university-owned accommodation typically depends on how many people you’re sharing the flat or studio with and whether you have an en-suite bathroom, as well as whether the accommodation is catered or self-catered.
Demand for postgraduate accommodation often outstrips supply, so you should apply as soon as possible and have a plan B in case you don’t manage to secure housing through your university.
If university accommodation isn’t available (or desirable) you’ll need to rent privately. The cost for this will vary dramatically between different cities and even within them.
Even though private accommodation may sometimes be cheaper than university housing, bear in mind that the rent won’t usually include any bills. You should also take care to make sure that you’re renting from a reputable landlord. Some universities maintain a list of approved, reliable landlords and agencies, so it’s a good idea to talk to them about that.
In the table below we’ve included average rents for someone sharing a three-bedroom, city centre property, based on crowdsourced data from Numbeo.
City | Monthly Cost | City | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen | £383 | Hull | £420 |
Aberystwyth | £333 | Inverness | £533 |
Bath | £808 | Lancaster | £330 |
Belfast | £466 | Leeds | £590 |
Birmingham | £590 | Leicester | £422 |
Bolton | £416 | Lincoln | £391 |
Bournemouth | £1,041 | Liverpool | £590 |
Bradford | £233 | London | £1,424 |
Brighton | £791 | Luton | £483 |
Bristol | £744 | Manchester | £665 |
Buckingham | £833 | Middlesbrough | £250 |
Cambridge | £862 | Newcastle | £471 |
Canterbury | £542 | Northampton | £450 |
Cardiff | £597 | Norwich | £577 |
Carlisle | £267 | Nottingham | £472 |
Chelmsford | £677 | Oxford | £860 |
Cheltenham | £550 | Plymouth | £566 |
Chester | £520 | Portsmouth | £514 |
Colchester | £407 | Preston | £461 |
Coventry | £483 | Reading | £727 |
Derby | £383 | Sheffield | £511 |
Dundee | £360 | Southampton | £666 |
Durham | £637 | St Andrews | £658 |
Edinburgh | £751 | Sunderland | £333 |
Exeter | £633 | Swansea | £386 |
Glasgow | £647 | Wolverhampton | £466 |
Guildford | £666 | Worcester | £338 |
Huddersfield | £303 | York | £650 |
Keep in mind, these are averages, and actual rents can vary based on location and property condition.
Your personal expenses will depend on your lifestyle. For instance, if you're a fan of dining out or frequenting the local pub, your budget will need to accommodate that. However, if you're more of a homebody who enjoys cooking, you might save a bit more.
Struggling to get through the month financially? Masters graduate Kristine gives her strategies for cutting costs as a student to help you make ends meet.
It's great that you're considering postgraduate study, but concerns about finances are absolutely normal and completely valid. While it can feel intimidating, it's absolutely doable with the right tools.
When I was a student, budgeting apps like Plum and Emma didn't exist, but I really wish I did. Plum, in particular, is an amazing tool that will help you save money without even realising it. Connect your current account to Plum and you can set 'rules', such as round-ups (or 'pound-ups' if you're feeling particularly up for it) that round any purchases you make up to the nearest pound and put that money automatically into a savings pot. These are great for putting little bits of money aside to help for any unexpected expenses.
I absolutely recommend checking out tools like this. It's easy to put yourself down for not saving as much money as you'd like, but these apps make things a lot more straightforward. Don't believe me? Give one a try, and see for yourself.
Yes, many universities and organizations offer scholarships and grants. It's advisable to check with your chosen university's funding office for available opportunities.
University accommodation can be more expensive but often includes bills. Private rentals might be cheaper, but you'll need to budget for utilities separately.
Living costs vary by city. For example, London averages around £2,196 per month, while cities like Hull average £690.
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