How much does it cost for a student to live in the UK? that is one of the searched keywords on the internet today. We have done all the calculations and we are here to give you an accurate answer. It’s no news that studying in the UK is significantly cheaper than in the United States. Some people have even popularized the cliché that education is free in the UK.
Firstly, education isn’t free in the UK, and secondly, your estimations of how much you’ll be spending as a student in the UK are almost certainly wrong.
If you’re planning to move to the UK to study or you already live in the UK, you may want to get accurate estimates of how much it costs to live in the country as a student. This post will show you that, and how to school in the UK without getting into heavy debt.
Is UK very expensive for students?
We are not in your pocket or know how much you and your sponsor have. However, it’s not too expensive to study any course of your choice in the UK.
Though It is good to prepare yourself well to know if you meet up with your budget and expectations before concluding if you’ll study abroad or not. We have done all the necessary calculations and also listed all the things needed to study in the UK, check them out below.
How much does it cost for a student to live in the UK?
Studying in the UK is certainly cheaper than studying in the United States and you get the best value for your money. Most people opine that schools in the UK provide the highest quality of education for English students while costing less.
Even if you had to pay the same as you would as a student in the United States, it’s still more rewarding to study in the UK.
Fortunately, you don’t have to pay outrageous amounts. Here, I’ll show you some of the common costs you’ll need to cover as a student in the UK, and how to get by them.
- Feeding
It’s simply impossible to skip food for the five years or so that you’ll spend in a UK university. If you’re willing to graduate with a degree, you must dedicate a healthy amount of your budget to buying nutritious foods.
If you live in the campus hall, you may not have to worry about feeding, but that depends on your university. But since campus halls are usually money-hogs, you’re better off buying your food instead.
To afford nutritious food, you should set aside about £150 to £200 for feeding alone. This will take you through the month if you eat responsibly, but you must also make some compromises.
For example, you should try to cook your food as much as possible. Eating out may seem easier, but it’s uneasy on your budget and you’ll end up blowing through your budget in no time.
- Commutes
Again, you won’t have to worry about this if you simply choose to live in the campus hall, but there is a reason why most students choose to live in their private apartments after all, and it’s certainly related to saving money.
Since you’ll be traveling on the same route every day, it’s much cheaper to simply buy a season ticket that will last you through the whole term. You can also ask more experienced students about getting cheaper rates on your commutes.
Also, you can get a student discount on travel if you’re within the 16-25 age bracket. A student discount can get you up to 30% off on bus travel, saving even more money when coupled with the already cheap season ticket.
In all, you should be able to squeeze through a month by paying about £50 for travel. The longer you stay, the more you discover more money-saving tips for the cheapest experience.
- Entertainment
Being a student doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Netflix or go on a date. While you may not want to set a budget for entertainment at first, spending impulsively won’t help you save money, and you almost certainly will.
Instead of assuming you don’t need any form of entertainment as a student, you can save money by actually setting a budget for entertainment.
If you eventually squeeze through the month without touching the budget, you can carry it over to the next month, creating room for even more fun.
What’s the Recommended Budget for a Student in the UK?
When you take all of the above costs into consideration, you start to get a better view of how much it costs to live in the UK as a student. It’s also important to note that you’ll certainly have to spend more than I quoted above.
The recommended budget for a student studying in the UK ranges from £1200 to £1500, depending on the location of your school. Schooling in areas with a higher cost of living will usually cost you more than in areas with lower costs.
Before deciding on your monthly budget, however, you should ask other students how their monthly budget looks like. It’s almost certain that they’re also trying to cut costs and they can help you decide how much you should be spending per month as a student.
How to Offset the Cost of Living in the UK
If you’re already rich before becoming a student, maybe you don’t need to read anything here anyway. For the rest of us struggling to make ends meet, it helps to find ways to offset the cost of living as a university student in the UK.
Fortunately, there are several ways to do that without impacting your study routine significantly. You can get a side job for a start. Since the hourly pay for students in the UK ranges from $10 to $12, working the recommended 20 hours per week will make you an extra $200 at the very least.
You can also apply for scholarships that will partially cover some of your tuition fees. Unlike in the United States, scholarships don’t usually make all your education free, but that opens it up to a wider range of people.
Applying for lesser-known scholarships with fewer incentives can increase your chances of getting some help with your tuition fees, enabling you to cover other costs comfortably.
Conclusion
Living in the UK may be quite cheaper than in the US for a student, but without a budget, the difference will be minimal. Spending impulsively shouldn’t be one of your traits, as you’ll end up on nothing at the end of every month.
Instead, save on food and accommodation, get a job, and apply for many scholarships to make more money while saving on the necessities of university life.