Guide to the cost of living and studying in London

Costs
  
This guide is sponsored by the Prime Minister's Intitiative for International Education and aims to give students an idea about how much they are likely to need during their studies in London. It is important that students have made plans to fund their course before they arrive as it is extremely difficult to find funds once you are in the UK. However it is important to remember that the figures contained here are for guidance only and are based on average costs. The actual amount you will need while you are in London will vary greatly depending on your individual needs and lifestyle.

Please read the information below and then click here to work out how much you might need in London or click here for our personalised cost of living calculator. Unless stated otherwise all figures are based on surveys carried out in March 2007.


Tuition Fees
The amount you will pay for tuition each year varies from college to college and will also depend on the type of course; with scientific laboratory based and medical courses and being more expensive than other class based degrees. If you are settled in the UK or the EU then you should also check here to make sure that you're not entitled to pay the lower 'home student' fees.

The average costs per year of tuition at UK universities in 2005/2006 were are as follows:
 
 
 
travel  
study materials  
Clothes  
other costs  
dependents  
Individual cost calculator  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Classroom based courses
 Lab based Medical
 
£8,300
 £9,900 £20,800
 
To find out what the costs of tuition will be at your chosen University it is best to contact them directly. Your actual fees for one year of tuition may vary greatly from the estimates above. It is also likely that these figures will have risen for the 2007/08 academic year.


Accommodation

After paying your tuition fees, the biggest cost you are likely to face in London is the cost of somewhere to live. For more information about finding accommodation in London see our student information section or our halls directory.

The cost of somewhere to live in London will vary greatly depending on the quality and the location. Generally speaking the closer you are to the centre of London the more you will have to pay. You will also need to consider the type of accommodation you are looking for.

Halls of Residence
Many universities and colleges offer there own accommodation in halls of residence. You will need to contact the accommodation office at the institution you intend to study to find out if they can offer you a place to live. Halls are also offered by independent organisations, again these can be found in our halls directory. All prices quoted below are per person per week.

Our survey shows that average prices in halls of residence in 2007/08 will be as follows:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Self Catered Halls (with kitchens so you can prepare your own meals)
    Price range Average
  Single room £76 - 120 £100
  Shared room £61 - 86 £73
   
  Catered Halls (where meals are provided and included in the cost)
    Price range Average
  Single room £111 - 143 £126
  Shared room £88 - 118 £104
   
 

Most college or university halls of residence tend to be self catered. The more modern halls will tend to offer on-suite rooms (where you have your own private bathroom) and will tend to be at the higher end of the price range. Again halls in the centre of London will also tend to be more expensive. Catered halls are not that common these days and will usually offer breakfast and an evening meal included in the price. Some halls offer ultra modern facilities and are based in very expensive parts of London. We have not not included these in our survey so as to keep our average figures at a more realistic level.

Private Rented Accommodation
The alternative to staying in halls is to rent a room in a private house - either with other students or a family. Again prices can vary enormously depending on the quality and location of the property. The East and South East of London are generally the cheapest parts of London and prices usually rise the closer you get to the centre. The average weekly prices below are taken from the Univesity of London's survey of student accommodation

 Average weekly rents
 
 
 
 
  Central London (travel zone 1) £118
  Inner London (travel zone 2) £93
  Outer London (travel zone 3+) £84
   
 
You need to remember that when renting private accommodation you will often be responsible for paying bills - such as fuels costs - on top of your rent. These extra costs will usually add to between £20 and £30 per month. Access to the internet may be included in your rent at some halls of residence - otherwise you will pay around £15 per month for broadband access.
 
  Food and general maintenance
The cost of general day to day living in London can be difficult to judge as it is obviously effected by a students individual lifestyle. If you are in accommodation where you can cook regularly for yourself then you will probably be able to live far more cheaply than if you are having to buy all your meals at college or from restaurants and cafes.

Students in our survey spent an average of just over £200 per month buying food and other day to day items such as toiletries. However remember that if you are on a course that requires you to be attending classes most days of the week then you will inevitably spend more as you are likely to end up paying for lunches and drinks at your college.
 
  Travel
 

By far the cheapest way of getting around London (other than walking) is to make sure you get a student Oyster card as soon as possible after your arrival. Oyster is the name for the pre-paid electronic travel card used by London Transport. Using the pre-paid cards will save you a lot of money compared to paying for travel on a daily basis and the student version of the card makes travel cheaper still by saving you 30% on the cost of weekly, monthly and annual travel cards. The cost of student travel passes (which will allow unlimited travel on buses, trains and trams within the relevant travel zone) are as follows:

 
weekly card
monthly card
annual card
Zones 1 & 2
£16.20
£62.30
£648
Zones 1 to 3
£19.10
£73.40
£764
Zones 1 to 4
£23.20
£89.10
£928
Zones 1 to 5
£27.80
£106.80
£1112
Zones 1 to 6
£30.10
£115.60
£1204

Travel cards are cheaper if you do not travel within Zone 1. For example a travel card that will permit travel within any other 2 zones will costs £10.40 per week, £40.00 per month or £416 per year. When calcualting how much your travel will be in London you will need to know in which travel zone both your accommodation and university are located. If you are on a course which does not require you to travel to your college every day it may be cheaper to purchase daily travel cards. If you avoid using the underground network (the Tube) then you can buy a bus only pass that will cover all of your travel for only £37.30 per month or £388 per year


Books and study expenses
Remember that during your studies you will at times need to buy books and other study related materials. How much you will spend will depend on the type of course you are studying and on the availability of course materials in your college/university library. In our survey there was huge variation in the amount of money spent on items such as books, photocopying and stationary - however the average spent was around £800 per year.


Clothes and equipment
For many students coming to study in the UK the climate will be very different from that which they are used to. It is likely that you will need to buy clothes when you are here to reflect this, particularly during the winter months. It is also unrealstic to imagine that you won't need to replace items due to general wear and tear during your stay here. As a result it is important that you remember to include money in your budget for clothing. Depending on where you are living you may also need to buy items such as bedding and towels. Also don't forget laundry costs. The average amount spent on these items was £600 per year.


Other costs
It is hard to cover every cost that you will face during your stay in London but hopefully this guide has given you an idea of the main things you need to consider.

One thing that students often overlook are social costs. If you're going to get the most out of your time in London then you will want to go out and see some of what the city has to offer. These general lifestyle costs can have a big impact on your budget. The cost of keeping in touch with people at home also needs to be considered - as phone calls can be expensive

You will also need to think about one off unexpected costs that arise while you are in London. Perhaps you will need to buy a laptop or replace the one you brought with you , or possibly other times will be lost or damaged.

Overall we would recommend that you include at least an extra £1,000 in your budget to cover social and unexpected expenditure; however £2,000 would be a more realistic figure.

Finally don't forget the cost of your flight home!


Dependents
The figures included in this guide so far have all assumed that you will be living and studying in London alone. Obviously if you are bringing a spouse and/or children with you the costs will increase dramatically.

Most universities and colleges do not provide accommodation for familes so you would have to find a suitable place in the private sector. The last Private Sector Rents Bulletin (2005) estimated the average cost of a one bedroomed appartment in London to be £237 per week with two bedrooms at £367 per week. It is also possible that you will have to pay Council Tax (local government tax) on top of this.

If you are bringing children with you then you need to consider who will be looking after them while you are studying. The cost of childcare in London is very expensive and most universities do not offer childcare facilities.

Overall, there are so many different possible circumstances for those with dependents that is is virtually impossible to come up with average cost figures. However, we would suggest that you budget a minimum of £6,000 per year on top of your own expenses for a spouse and £3,000 for each child.


Click here to calculate your individual cost of living in London