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KCL- cost of living

Hey guys, im coming into my first year at KCL and was trying to gauge wot KCL-ers thought abt the rough annual cost of living there was like....

Is it as financially tough as ive heard it is?

Reply 1

igora soma

I'm an international student and preparing to pay about 20 000 pounds, but that is also because I have a high tuition fee. You could try to create a budget sheet, some universities provide estimated costs.. check the KCL site and see if you can find one.

Reply 2

Sijia

10

I was sent this paper that had my tuition fee as well as estimated expenses for the school-year, not the 12-month year.

But for the months you're in school, it's about $10,000...so approx. 5000 pounds?

Reply 3

katyrouth

4

I spend (very) roughly £6000 a year, and I'm pretty free and easy with money.

The best thing may be to work out how much money you have, and then budget to that, rather than worrying about how much you "need." It is possible to survive on very little.

Reply 4

dazmanultra

1

About £100 a week for living expenses and then around £100 a week for accommodation would be a good budget. You won't be living the high life, but you'll be comfortable and able to have a good time.

Tuition fees on top of that etc (obviously top-up fees you don't pay for whilst you're at university any more). :smile:

Reply 5

Sags_3

1

I just got my payment schedule from the student loans company today.
Im going to get a total of £2115 of loan and grant for the period upto christmas, so taking away the £1640 for Great dover st apts, im left with £30 a week living costs. EEEEKKK!!!!!

Reply 6

dazmanultra

1

Do you have any money saved up?

A lot of people work during the summer to put a grand or two in the bank account to get them through the year... this avoids having to get a job during term time. Alternatively, you can get a job in the union or something... it's easy, flexible and generally quite sociable.

You can always go into your student overdraft, and then pay it back each summer. :redface:

Reply 7

katyrouth

4

dazmanultra

Alternatively, you can get a job in the union or something... it's easy, flexible and generally quite sociable.

Yay! Come work in the union...we're lovely!

Reply 8

cottonmouth

11

Sags_3

I just got my payment schedule from the student loans company today.
Im going to get a total of £2115 of loan and grant for the period upto christmas, so taking away the £1640 for Great dover st apts, im left with £30 a week living costs. EEEEKKK!!!!!

EEK! That would be impossible, especially as you are self-catered.

I've worked out that without parental help, i'd have about £90 a week, what with loan and savings. And i don't think i'd survive on that, so i am considering working as a rent boy/escort to rich elder men and women in the meantime.....

Reply 9

Sags_3

1

Well i did work over the summer so have around £1000 but i dont want to spend that! I want to save it up to get a nice new flute hehe! And ive managed to get my dad help out a little giving £20 a week extra.
Im not sure how much i need: this is what i think i need per week:
lunches on campus £15
Groceries £20
Alcohol £10
Travel £5

= £50? anythin missing?

Reply 10

loser88

12

Well my rent is £100 week, so about £430 per calendar month, with about £15 bills a week etc. (I'm in private accomodation),
I've allowed £25 for travel a week, so £100 a month, though I think an Oyster card will work out cheaper- it does however need a big bulk payment at the beginning of the term which could be tricky as I need my loan to live.
£20 a month for contact lenses and solutions,
Phone/internet is £30 a month,
I've allowed £60 a week for textbooks and stationary etc. this is too high but it's better safe than sorry especially at the beginning,
Food shopping (3 meals a day either at home or out) so £100 a week (again too much but there is background with my father and he is tightwad so I have to exaggerate slightly in order to afford everything!!
Other Tesco things like tights and toothpaste will be occasional months at about £40,
Cleaning products will be £15 a month but half and half with my flatmate so only really paying for half of the year, and it won't be that every month.
I've also allowed £600 a year for Geography Fieldtrips just in case!!

So weekly costs will be about £314, monthly about £1259 and yearly about £15,117. I will use my full loan of £4,630, my wages from my job (about) £2,600, contributions from my Mum of £6,000 a year and from my father of £1,980 (you see how tight). That is a yearly total of £15,210- you can see how tight this will be for me to live let alone any sort of life so I will have to save on food etc. (hopefully ok- I'm V tall and eat LOADS!!!! :biggrin:

) This problem is exacerbated by start up costs such as a laptop and a bed which no one wants to buy me and I have no money to buy it- I have to pay rent ot live at home and there are NO jobs ANYWHERE ALL SUMMER where I live....bugger..... :frown:

EDIT: I will be living in my flat all year hence why higher than some.

Reply 11

letsgobilliejoe

Sags_3

Well i did work over the summer so have around £1000 but i dont want to spend that! I want to save it up to get a nice new flute hehe! And ive managed to get my dad help out a little giving £20 a week extra.
Im not sure how much i need: this is what i think i need per week:
lunches on campus £15
Groceries £20
Alcohol £10
Travel £5

= £50? anythin missing?

Laundry is a big omission. Oh, and don't lunch on campus. Add that money to your food money and make a packed lunch with sarnies, fruit, juice, water etc - you'll save a packet.

Reply 12

joeybee

11

Erm my bdget i think is something like this:

Travel is £650 a year (student travelcare zones 1-2)
Food - £25 a week
Laundry - £4 a week
Accommodation - Well GDS is 4500 or so isn't it, and the first term breaks down to about 1800.
Going out/leisure - £10 week (maybe more if i go to a gig or something)
Clothes - Will be difficult, but about 20 a month at most, basically i'll limit myself to the necessities, my nursing shoes will cost a bomb, and if i get to join the boat club, the kit is REALLY expensive, so i suppose at the start of the year i'll be paying out a lot.

But i get a 3030 pound loan, a 3800 bursary and i have nearly 5000 pounds saved up. M boyfriend owes me 800 pounds.
So i think i will be able to live comfortably. Plus i am hoping to earn around £40 a week from a 6 hour shift at a residential/nursing home.

Reply 13

bobfred

I'm aiming to live on £90 per week excluding rent (my maintenance loan covers accommodation for the year with about £30 left over) since this is how much I will be earning per week. I'm also going to work in the holidays and have around £3000 saved up, so next year I might have the option to decline a maintenance loan depending on my finances. If everything goes wrong and I gamble all my money away, I'll talk to HSBC and get an interest free overdraft.

KCL- cost of living

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