Average Student Living Costs Per Week at Kingston University

One of my biggest fears of coming to university, like many other students, was money. As a home student, maintenance loans don’t always cover your living costs – and as international student, it can be difficult to figure out what everyday necessities will cost in comparison to back home.

Luckily, Kingston University has compiled a rough guide of any expected costs per week as a student; however, it’s important to remember that these are average living costs – some students will naturally spend more money than others based on their own personal wants and needs, whilst others might work to an even tighter budget than the one shown below.

Accommodation: £120 (micro en-suite) - £216 (premium en-suite)
If you’re staying in one of our KU halls of residence as an undergraduate, your weekly accommodation costs will typically fall under the above range; however, if you choose to move to a house with your friends during second or third year, this can change quite a bit depending on your location, your room size and any local amenities. Whilst this may seem pricey to some, remember that accommodation is likely going to be your largest living expense whilst studying – and that Kingston tends to be a good bit cheaper than other areas closer to central London!

Food: £40 - £130
This might seem like quite a large range for food – but I know from experience that every student both shops and eats differently, with some getting takeaways five times a week and others meticulously meal planning and budgeting to the penny! You’ll usually be able to tell yourself where you’d roughly fall on this scale – if you eat out regularly and only buy name brands, you might be near the higher end, whilst if you rarely eat out and don’t buy much more than cupboard staples, you’ll probably be at the lower end.

Utility bills (electricity/gas/water/wifi): Included in Hall Fee / roughly £20 - £40 if in house share of 4 students.
If you’re staying in one of our halls of residence, your utility bill will be covered in your accommodation cost - if you’re living in a house share, expect to pay somewhere in the region of £20 – £40 a week for your cut of major utilities.

Mobile phone: £5 - £15
If you’re on a SIM-only plan with a reasonable amount of data, texts and minutes from a major provider, these will tend to cost roughly £5-15 – however, if you’re on a contract for the newest iPhone with unlimited data, obviously factor in a little more.

Course costs (books/lab kit/printing/copying/field trips): £10 – £20
Your course costs will largely depend on the nature of your degree – some might have none, and others (such as art or field-trip heavy courses) might have a little more. Your course page on the KU website will usually give you an indication of how much you should expect to budget weekly for your particular course/modules.

Travel in London using a 7-day student Oyster card (zones 1-6): £52
Whilst Kingston runs a free inter-site bus between all campuses and halls of residence, some students may regularly commute from elsewhere in London. If so, a 7-day student Oyster card will likely be your cheapest option at £52 a week.

Entertainment (gym, sports, societies, film and music): £25 - £50
Although joining a society is relatively inexpensive at Kingston (usually only £5 a year), there may be additional costs with some sporting societies, such as purchasing your own equipment/kit or commuting to matches. Gym memberships, such as those from PureGym, Anytime Fitness or The Gym Group cost roughly £20 a month – or £5 a week.

Personal costs (laundry, clothes, shoes, toiletries): £20- £25

Total: £332 (lower-end) - £582.00 (higher-end).

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them down below. How much do you think you live on per week as a student at KU? I think I’m probably somewhere in the middle – although I really need to draw up a budget and keep better track! :biggrin: