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Average living costs per week

Hi,

I was just wondering what are the average living costs for a student per week? Excluding rent, just wanted to get a general idea of how much I might need per week.

(I'll be studying in Bristol if that helps at all)

Thanks.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

AverageExcellence

Which city/town? and it depends on how much you go out drinking/clubbing, food wise i would say if you bought fresh and cooked smart you could live on about 20-25 quid a week for food. If you go out twice a week add another 20 on that, though i was always 'that guy' who took a hipflask out down my pants to avoid paying to get pissed lol

Reply 2

Mathlover123

Original post by wareisally

It really depends on exactly where you are and it varies massivly, here in London its about 100-150 a week for me.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

pauly9090

I'm in Brighton, which is pretty expensive, and I pay a share of about £50 a month for utilities, which adds up £250 a month for the whole house (it's shared between five people).

For the whole house of five people: internet is £35 a month overall (love those Virgin Media student deals), gas and electric £150 a month, Water about £75. Like others have said, this varies a lot by area (except internet), but that's just a reference for what I pay!

Reply 4

SamuelSingleton

Original post by wareisally

We're lucky Bristol is actually really cheap :biggrin:

After the initial spend on books/stationary/equipment etc you're only looking on £5 a month if you need to print out loads

food and drink: this is the big budget and obviously depends on how much and what you like to eat. You could live comfortably in Bristol on £20-£25 p/week (if you wanted to go out, there are LOADS of cheap (~£5 places) to get food and a drink (think spoons etc) so eating out isn't all THAT expensive if it's the odd occasion + you can make use of student cards, if you're on o2 then o2 priority gives you amazing deals of 50% off in loads of restaurants etc

Drink is the big killer depending on how much you drink.. if we factor in say 1 bottle of vodka every 2 weeks that's' £20 per month. Don't drink in clubs!

Socialising? Again depends how much you wanna do, we'll factor in £10 to go to the cinema once a month

travel: We get a bus pas included in our rent for free, so if you're able to stick to this or walk instead of paying out for taxis that's free :smile:

toiletries: £5/£10 per month
Cleaning: £5 per month (pool this with your room mates)
laundry: about £2.50 per week so £10 a month

Miscellaneous: if we factor in a top budget of £40 a month for any miscellaneous items, so clothes, going out, travelling home, reserve budget etc then you're looking at £200 per MONTH or £50 a week, which is absolutely doable

Reply 5

wareisally

Original post by SamuelSingleton

We're lucky Bristol is actually really cheap :biggrin:

Thanks for such a detailed response, it really helped. I was starting to get a little nervous that Bristol was going to incredibly expensive (at least form what I have heard)

Reply 6

SamuelSingleton

Original post by wareisally

Thanks for such a detailed response, it really helped. I was starting to get a little nervous that Bristol was going to incredibly expensive (at least form what I have heard)

If you avoid the "touristy" areas then it's so cheap honestly!
for example if you enjoy going out, try the old town instead of the harbor side clubs, easily half price night and you meet more of the locals and students :smile:

Don't think I've ever spent more than maybe £15/20 on a week out (pre drinking of course) and I like to go out and explore a lot :redface:

As much as I support the independent shops, prices are much lower in supermarkets which are dotted around the city you're always in walking distance

plus it's such a vibrant city there are so many free things you can do if you get bored, you don't have to shed out loads of money just to enjoy the day

Reply 7

JustGeorgeJ

Original post by wareisally

Hello,

My usual spending limit per week was £80. However, I only used £70 most of the time. My shopping went from being £25 alone to only £11 when I started buying with a group. £70 did well for outings, food and what not.
This is what my sutdent finance allowed me after rent had gone so, it's upt to what you have left really.