Affordability in cities for higher education

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Goes without saying but obviously, London is not precisely very affordable. You can make it work but it's a struggle.

The North tends to be a bit cheaper than the South

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Hiya!

As a student at De Montfort University which is based in Leicester (the East Midlands) I find that the city is quite affordable and / or has cheaper alternatives. Leicester was actually voted in Natwest's 2021 rankings as one of the top 10 most affordable cities for students to live in the UK and Leicester also came out on top according to UniAcco.

https://www.whatuni.com/advice/research-and-prep/cost-of-living-in-leicester/123545/#:~:text=In%20Natwest's%202021%20rankings%2C%20Leicester,cheaper%20than%20London%20on%20average.

https://unifresher.co.uk/cities/national/the-cheapest-cities-in-the-uk-for-students/

https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2018/august/leicester-one-of-the-most-affordable-student-cities-in-the-uk.aspx#:~:text=And%20the%20home%20of%20De,part%2Dtime%20work%20and%20socialising.

Leicester also has great services and features which are free and some I even use often. An example being the free electronic bus service which loops the city centre (known as Hop!), the Leicester Museums and Galleries is free entry for all and there are also plenty of green spaces to explore. Quite often places in town will have designated student nights, majority of shops, even independent ones which are unique to Leicester offer student discount and there are quite a few free events that take part in Leicester.

At the end of the day though research is essential so perhaps try and start somewhere and look at more friendly websites or even social media as at least you can start from somewhere! Before I became an official student at DMU I looked at social media sites to find what's in the city, anything free and where students go for an affordable night out etc

I hope this helps
-Maddie, second year Health and well-being in society student at De Montfort University

Some of the cheaper cities I’ve experienced are Belfast, Cardiff and Lancaster to name a few. Wales and NI are going to be the cheaper locations overall, but also cities in the north of England and Scotland are a bit cheaper too. But since it’s hard to choose by location due to unis I would say even if you look at cities in the south of England like Bath and Oxford, if you budget well then they can still be affordable to students. There are always cheaper places to discover within the cities and if you get a part time job whilst studying too then it’s manageable.

That helped a lot! Do you think Manchester is affordable? I have heard from many websites that it is, yet I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you guys.

I’m glad! Manchester is a cheaper city by England standards, however, I personally think it’s definitely not as cheap as one may expect since it is still a major northern city which is increasingly popular and not exempt from the cost of living crisis. That being said, it’s still much cheaper than London and has good connections across the north and south. Really it depends what people define as affordable, but it’s a big student city already so I think it’s a strong option for the balance between getting a big city experience but with lower costs!

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Hi there,

Cardiff is regularly ranked as the cheapest student city in the UK. Cardiff University's main campus is located 10 minutes away from the city centre. The average rent (without bills) is £350 to £500 at the moment and the city is generally well connected across the UK with affordable coach companies, I find that Cardiff is a very affordable and friendly city - let me know if you have any specific questions, let me know!

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Hi there,

Cardiff is regularly ranked as the cheapest student city in the UK. Cardiff University's main campus is located 10 minutes away from the city centre. The average rent (without bills) is £350 to £500 at the moment and the city is generally well connected across the UK with affordable coach companies, I find that Cardiff is a very affordable and friendly city - let me know if you have any specific questions, let me know!

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Hi there,

Cardiff is regularly ranked as the cheapest student city in the UK. Cardiff University's main campus is located 10 minutes away from the city centre. The average rent (without bills) is £350 to £500 at the moment and the city is generally well connected across the UK with affordable coach companies, I find that Cardiff is a very affordable and friendly city - let me know if you have any specific questions, let me know!

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Hey guys! I was wondering if anybody could suggest some cities which are affordable for students, provided they don't spend too much on city life and shopping, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to hear from you all rather than confuse myself with tons of websites overwhelming me with their data.

Thanks! I have heard a lot similar about Cardiff.