This article contains information on the total estimated student living costs in the UK- 2023
International undergraduate student tuition fees are around £8,000–£30,000 per year for full-time courses. Note that the higher range is for medical degrees at the best colleges. However, on average, international undergraduate fees are around £12,000 per year.
For postgraduate degrees, the average tuition fees for international students for full-time programs range from £10,000 to £13,000 per year. For laboratory and research-based programs, average annual fees stand at £14,000. For medical degrees, the average figure is £21,000. As far as living costs are concerned, these costs will vary greatly based on your lifestyle, spending habits, and budget. These costs are given by the month. You can calculate your estimated costs based on how long you will be in the UK.
We all know that student living can be a pricey business, but just how pricey is it?
Rather than taking wild guesses, we can tell you what your expected living costs are based on what thousands of other students are telling us. Below is a rough estimate of the monthly expenses per student living in the UK. These costs of living may vary based on an individual’s lifestyle.
- Rent: £440
- Food: £200
- Gas and electricity = £60
- Internet: £40
- Mobile phone: £30
- Laundry: £23
- Stationery and textbooks: £40
- Clothing: £70
- Bus fares are £45 for a 4-week travel card.
- Movie ticket: £9.
- Dinner at the restaurant is £15.
- Total: £972 per month.
It is probably no surprise that rent takes the biggest chunk out of the student budget. UK Visa and Immigration requires you to have a budget of £1,020 per month to study in London. This amount is in addition to the tuition fees. This is the minimum amount you need to show to get a visa to study in London. For other places in the UK, the amount will be less. If you study at colleges outside London, you will require a minimum of £820 per month, as requested by UK Visa and Immigration. The average rent for an apartment is £150 per week. The UK Visa and Immigration Service also estimates that, in addition to your rent, you will need approximately £104 every week for living costs. This amount will differ according to your lifestyle and depend on how much you socialize.
Living Expenses
Preparing and deciding what living expenses you will need to consider and how much they will cost you will depend on so many factors. For instance, if you want to live the lifestyle you have been doing with your parents back in your home country, this will probably be very expensive to do, so you might have to make compromises.
Below is a rough guide we have calculated, showing what it could cost you for the major items you will need when you are in the UK:
1. Food
If you buy your own food, try to budget about £25 to £30 per week to purchase food supplies. You can, of course, be smart and savvy about this and save much more.
2. Telephone (landline)
BT has a base rate of £10 per month for just line rental, so calls are charged on top of this, so that would be £2.50 per week.
3. Telephone (mobile)
The cost of mobile phones varies based on the provider and tariff you are on. Prepaid is generally cheaper to control costs, but if you make a lot of calls, a contract will start at £5 per week.
4. DSL or Internet
Most companies charge a fee of £5 per week for standard DSL in the UK.
5. Bills
If you live in a house or apartment, you will need to factor water, heating, and electricity into your budget. This can be anything from £10/week for all bills based on the time of year.
6. Travel
Maybe if you live away from the university, you will need to include travel expenses in your budget. This can be anything from £10 per week to more if you live in London.
7. Study materials
Books, notepads, paper, and printer cartridges are all things you will need, and you should budget about £7 per week for this.
8. Fun
It is not all study when you come to the UK; there will be time to have some fun, so you need to think about the cost of this. A cinema ticket in the UK costs around £8, a pint of beer costs £3, and a DVD rental costs around £3. These are all costs you will need to budget for, so set aside what you will need for fun.
Of course, this list is not comprehensive, but it will give you a starting point and an idea of what things will cost and the cost of living in the UK.
There are also some things you can do to lower your living expenses, and here are a few tips:
1. Student NUS Card
When you begin as a student in the UK, you will get an NUS card, which is a student ID card from the National Union of Students. With this card, you will be able to get discounts at many national stores, so always make sure you ask if you can get a discount.
2. Choose where you shop
If you are living in your own flat, house, or hall of residence with no catering, you will need to buy your own food. It is common knowledge that supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose are more expensive than Tesco and Asda. Save money and shop at Asda or Tesco. Be wise about your spending, and this helps you minimize costs.
3. Student NUS Card
Your international calling costs will probably be high, as you will want to call home often. If you have DSL, then you can take advantage of Skype to call around the world for little or nothing.
