North London
Hampstead
The decision to leave home and go to university is a big step. It can feel overwhelming, especially if you are coming from a small town or abroad and don’t have a clue about the cost of student living in London. It can, however, be equally exciting and fun, as London is truly one of the best cities to live and study in.
As a broad estimate, students in London should budget around £1400-£2,800 per month for all living expenses including accommodation, travel, food, laundry, study costs, and other personal expenses. This will vary depending on your lifestyle and requirements, so it's important to do your own additional research and planning.
This guide will explain everything that you need to know about the cost of student living in London in 2022. We'll focus on Central London (Zones 1-2) in particular, as this is where most universities can be found. And cover important topics such as the cost of accommodation, travel, and food, and give tips about going out, events and entertainment.
Central London will give you the opportunity to meet new people, enjoy a diverse culture, explore eclectic venues and shops and will be a time you will always remember. With our guide in your pocket, you will be ready to face this vibrant capital!
Rent is more than likely going to be your biggest expense when studying in London.
As a student, there are two main choices you will face in terms of your accommodation: university halls of residence or renting private student accommodation. Most of London’s universities will provide their students with the option to live with other students, but you can also decide to live independently. Renting university halls is great for meeting new people, but if you prefer independence and a quieter living environment, renting privately might be more suitable for you.
The cost of private student accommodation can vary depending on whether you're renting in Central London or further out (London Zones 1-2 and 3-6 respectively) and how far your building is from a means of transport such as a tube station. One of the perks of living in Central London areas such as Bloomsbury, Euston, Earls Court, and West Kensington is that you'll be a stone's throw away from university, study spaces, and things to do.
As a general rule of thumb, you are looking at £500-£1,000 per month for a room in a house or flatshare, around £1000+ for a studio flat, and £1,500+ for a one-bedroom flat. Most of the time these prices do not include bills and you need to consider additional payments for internet, gas, electricity, and water. As a full-time student, you are exempt from paying council tax, but if you live in a house-share with non-students, different rules apply.
💡 Tip: Rent prices in London are often stated as “per week”, shortened to “pw”, rather than per month. To avoid disappointment when browsing options and attending student accommodation viewings, make sure you check if the price you are viewing is “pw” or “pm”, and also if the bills are included in the rent. On average, there are 4.3 weeks per month so don't make the mistake of assuming the monthly rent is x4 the weekly rent. It's actually a bit more. The cost of bills will depend on how much heating and water you use, they tend to be lower in the summer and higher in the winter.
The total could range between £590-£3,210 per month.
London students can enjoy big discounts when travelling across the city.
London offers many types of transport. The most obvious one is TfL (short for Transport for London), which includes the underground (also known as the tube), buses, overground trains, trams (in Croydon) and the DLR (Docklands Light Railway).
As a student, you can save 30% on Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes with an 18+ Student Oyster photocard. You can also use this Oyster card to pay as you go but beware that if you do, you won't receive the 30% discount. Head to the TfL website to find out more.
The other popular option for many London students is cycling and you can either get your own bike (costs vary from £80 for a used bike to £200+ for a new bike) or rent a TfL bike, also known as a Santander Cycles (or sometimes as Boris bike) Hiring a Santander Cycle costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes, within a 24 hour period. For journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes. You must return the cycle within 24 hours or you may be charged.
💡 Tip: Download Citymapper and select “London” as your city to be alerted about any transport closures or maintenance…You can thank us later!
Having a monthly food shop budget could be a lifesaver when it comes to counting the pennies whilst studying in London.
Food costs will account for a significant part of your budget. We estimate that students will spend £50-£300 per month on food, depending on whether you live in catered or self-catered halls, or whether you live in private student accommodation. The cost also depends on your personal and dietary preferences. Some supermarkets, such as Co-op offer student discounts, so make sure you always have your student card on hand and ask if a discount is offered. It’s also worth signing up for an official student card with the National Union of Students (NUS).
💡 Tip: There are also great new initiatives that can help you keep the cost of food down such as OLIO, where you can request food for free, or Too Good to Go, where you can buy discounted food from your favourite places, such as Costa or Pret.
💰 Estimated Food Shop Costs: £50-£300 per month.
London has some of the best restaurants in the world, making eating out and ordering in a big temptation.
Delivery apps such as Uber Eats or Bolt, eating out has never been easier. With your favourite dishes delivered to your door within the hour, more and more students are opting for this option. It’s estimated that students in London spend around £50-£100 per month on takeaways, but this depends on location and your preferences. If you decide to eat out, a meal at an inexpensive restaurant will cost you around £15-£20, a meal at McDonald's or similar fast-food restaurants will cost you about £6 and a three-course meal at a mid-range restaurant will cost you about £55. In addition to daily essentials like milk, water, and some munchies. A regular cappuccino will also cost you around £2.83.
💡 Tip: Most take-out apps will give you a discount when you first use the app or provide you with a referral code to invite your friends. Using these can save you a lot of money every term!
💰 Estimated Takeaway Costs: £50-100 per month
Socialising with new found friends can add up in your monthly budget.
London has some of the country’s most vibrant and unique bars, restaurants and nightclubs, and exploring them will depend on how you wish to spend your leisure time. It’s worth noting that the average cost of a pint of beer in London is £5.72, a cocktail £12 and a five-mile taxi fare around £26 – making it the priciest place to party in the UK.
💡 Tip: If you're looking to save some money on going out, most universities have their own student bars or cafes on campus, and prices tend to be slightly lower than going out in Central London.
💰 Estimated Going Out Costs: £25-40 per night x the number of times you go out in a month.
You might need to splash some cash on added extras for your course and studies.
Apart from your course fees, studying at university also means covering the cost of other course materials. This will be very different for someone studying art design for example, where there are a lot of costs such as canvases or paint, to someone studying literature, where the main cost will be books.
Regardless of the direction of your courses, you should consider the following:
Don’t forget that most universities might have a store where they will provide materials needed for specific courses, but there are many other alternatives that you can look into.
💡 Tip: Look at the possibility of renting your textbooks instead of buying them brand new or buy them second-hand from a reseller such as Abebooks. You can also join groups on social media for buying and selling course materials.
The cost of living in London comes down to your lifestyle.
And there we have it, a breakdown of the cost of living in London as a student in 2022. It’s worth reiterating that this is just a rough guide and estimate. The actual cost of student living completely depends on you, your lifestyle and your budget. We do, however, hope that this guide serves you well as you start to plan your new student life in London.
At Student.Studios2Let, we manage and rent private student accommodation in London. We make renting in London easy with fully-furnished and all-inclusive studio apartments for students (including bills & Wifi). If you need any extra information or advice on finding affordable private student accommodation in London, please get in touch. We’ll be glad to help.
