Hey! I'm from Kent and go to Lancaster, am a first year student here. I absolutely love it and it was definitely the best choice I have ever made!
Don't let the distance put you off- just think, there are loads of international students here- they are in a different country!!! So you will be absolutely fine
People come from all over England too, I have friends from near Lancaster, in Liverpool, Devon, Bournemouth, Kent, Yorkshire etc etc (Getting used to lots of new accents is a new experience haha!) as well as Serbia, Russia, China, America and loads of other places!
I only go home in the term breaks, I know some people visit home down South every few weekends but it gets stupidly expensive so I don't bother. When I book my train tickets in advance it's about £30/40 return depending on how quick I am (I've already bought my tickets home for the holiday we get in March)
Like someone has already said, don't take any notice of the wages, the north in general tends to be poorer aha. After my degree I'll be seeking jobs in London- that's where the money is!!
And without being elitist, Lancaster is a top 10 uni and just the prestige of being a student here is worth the long trip up!