It is extremely difficult to predict the living costs of British students – some will live at home, have all their meals cooked for them and all their bills paid and spend little on travel costs, whilst others (the majority) will have to budget for rent and food and train fares on a regular basis. How can it be predicted what an individual student will spend on alcohol, or books, or clothes? In reality, it can’t.
However, the law of averages says that students living in London and the South East need to find around £12,000 per year for their day-to-day life, whilst elsewhere in the UK the sum may be around £9,000.
There are various things that can help you with living costs. A lot of restaurants and clubs will run deals or specific student nights, and joining the National Union of Students (NUS) will provide you with a student card that will get you discounts in a wide variety of high street shops (although unfortunately not in supermarkets).