University students are known for being strapped for cash.
With only 28% of UK full-time students working part-time and many others too busy to take on a job, a student’s limited funds must be spent wisely in order to make sure that loan stretches as far as possible.
Naturally, one of the biggest factors which affects student expenditure is where in the country they study.
A new infographic by Marbles.com compares the living costs of the 50 best-ranked universities in the country, as decided by The Complete University Guide‘s 2017 list.
Using data from Numbeo, the world’s largest database for costs of living, the infographic considers student necessities such as weekly rent, travel, and even the price of a kebab in order to determine where in the country students get the most bang for their buck. Unsurprisingly, no London-based universities made the top 30.
Scroll on to see the 30 most affordable student hubs in the UK, as based on typical student expenditure.
30. Bath
Weekly rent: £139
Travel pass: £63
Despite only managing to reach 30th place, the historic university town has the cheapest average cost for a meal for two out of all 50 destinations. At £40, Bath was considered to have the best value in this category.
29. University of East Anglia, Norwich
Weekly rent: £124
Taxi fare (per km): £1.60
UEA consistently remains an affordable place to study, only dropping one place since last year’s rankings.
28. Durham
Weekly rent: £157.39
Pint: £3
Durham, in northeast England, has fallen a whole 17 places since last year’s rankings.
27. Essex
Weekly rent: £130.84
Gym membership: £7.08
Not only is Essex one of a mere five cities with gym memberships costing single figures, but it is also home to the joint second cheapest kebab in the survey, weighing in at £4.30.
26. Edinburgh
Weekly rent: £102.18 (#1 in survey)
Travel pass: £54
Home to the joint most expensive pint outside of London, the average beer in Edinburgh will set you back £4.
25. Harper Adams, Shropshire
Weekly rent: £127.49
Gym membership: £11.67
Having not previously placed in the Complete University Guide’s Top 50 previously, Harper Adams places a respectable 25th.
24. St. Andrews
Weekly rent: £155
Taxi fare per km: £140
St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland has risen an impressive 12 places compared to last year’s listings.
23. Nottingham
Weekly rent: £147.40
Gym membership: £15.58
Nottingham has the most expensive taxi fares in the top 30 list, coming in at £3 per kilometre. The most expensive taxis across all 50 cities were in Oxford, costing £5 per km.
22. Dundee
Weekly rent: £132.42
Travel pass: £47 (#7 in the survey)
Scotland’s reputation for not-so-cheap pints in the rankings continues, with a pint of the cold stuff setting you back £3.40 in Dundee.
21. Leeds
Weekly rent: £132.60
Taxi fare per km: £1.12 (#4 in survey)
With the second cheapest kebab at £4.30, and the fourth cheapest taxis, students in Leeds are set up for an affordable night out.
20. Southampton
Weekly rent: £158.58
Pint: £3.10
Southampton has moved up an impressive 13 places compared to last year’s rankings.
19. Swansea
Weekly rent: £120.91
Pint: £3.65
A student’s travel pass in Swansea, Wales, costs £79, which is the third most expensive in the list outside of London.
18. Manchester
Weekly rent: £133
Cinema ticket: £8.50
A meal out for two in Manchester will set you back a not-so-student-friendly £50 on average.
17. Sheffield
Weekly rent: £132.06
Gym membership: £29
Sheffield has the joint-second cheapest taxi fares on the list, costing just 93p per kilometre.
16. Birmingham
Weekly rent: £151.23
Gym membership: £15.99
Birmingham has dropped a whole 11 places since last year’s rankings.
15. Glasgow
Weekly rent: £131.36
Cinema ticket: £9.50
Glasgow has the third cheapest gyms in the top 30, with the average membership costing students £8.33.
14. Liverpool
Weekly rent: £160.60
Travel pass: £59
With a pint in Liverpool costing you just £2.90, the city ranks second on the list for affordable beer.
13. Loughborough
Weekly rent: £165.11
Gym membership: £10.41
Loughborough’s student travel passes were the best deal in the rankings, costing a student only £29 for unlimited travel benefits.
12. Warwick
Weekly rent: £119
Cinema ticket: £8
Warwick has jumped up 13 places compared to 2016’s survey, which didn’t see the university town make the top 25.
11. Keele
Weekly rent: £116.34
Taxi fare per km: £2.90
Last year’s first place winners, Keele, have dropped a whole 10 places in 2017.
10. Aston University, Birmingham
Weekly rent: £132.29
Gym membership: £19.91
Compared to the other Birmingham university which ranked 16th, Aston students spend £18.94 less per week on rent. This adds up to a staggering £984 saving in a year.
9. Stirling
Weekly rent: £115.73
Pint: £3.40
A travel pass costs Stirling students £30, which is only £1 more than the best value pass on the list.
8. Coventry
Weekly rent: £135.83
Taxi fare per km: £2.80
A student gym membership in Coventry will cost you a respectable £10.83, falling into the top 15% of cities based on cheap fitness facilities.
7. Lancaster
Weekly rent: £139
Cinema ticket: £8.50
Lancaster is home to the cheapest pint surveyed, costing a modest £2.80.
6. Newcastle
Weekly rent: £117.93
Kebab: £4.20
Newcastle has jumped up a staggering 11 places since last year’s rankings, leapfrogging over local rival Durham who has since dropped down to 28th.
5. Leicester
Weekly rent: £133.79
Pint: £3.10
Leicester’s travel passes were ranked the cheapest and best value, costing only £29 on average.
4. Queen’s, Belfast
Weekly rent: £113
Cinema: £7
Previous second place position-holders, Queen’s, Belfast has dropped two places despite having the cheapest taxi fares on the list at 78p per kilometre.
3. Cardiff
Weekly rent: £144.19
Cinema: £6.50 (#1 in the survey)
Cardiff beat all other Welsh universities on affordability by a landslide, with the second best Welsh candidate Swansea only managing to make it to 19th place.
2. Strathclyde, Glasgow
Weekly rent: £117.30
Gym membership: £7.58
Strathclyde have climbed a whole five places since last year’s survey, proving that it is becoming an increasingly affordable student hub.
1. Lincoln
Weekly rent: £118.80 (#7 in rankings)
Travel pass: £30 (#2 in rankings)
Gym membership: £12.50 (#12 in rankings)
Cinema ticket: £8 (#3 in rankings)
Taxi fare per km: 93p (#2 in rankings)
Despite not ranking in last year’s Complete University Guide Top 50, Lincoln boasts the best discounts and affordable living costs across the various fields that Marbles.com examined. With cheap travel, food, and leisure, Lincoln students get the most bang for their student loan buck.
Het bericht The 30 cheapest university cities for students in the UK verscheen eerst op Business Insider.