Student spending statistics UK 2023

The cost of living as a student is often tight and tens of thousands of students will begin thinking about their finances and how they’ll manage them this school year, including using bank accounts specifically designed for students. We pooled together statistics on the most expensive universities, where students are spending their budgets and how they afford their lifestyles.

Quick overview

• The average student living costs come to £1,078 per month in 2023, up 17% from £924 a month in 2022.
• The average amount students pay for rent in the UK is £439 a month, 41% of their total spend.
• Students spend £133 on groceries a month on average in 2023, up 15% from £116 in 2022.
• Students spend £79 on bills a month on average in 2023, up 23% from £64 in 2022.
• 9 in 10 students are worried about the cost of living.
• Only one-fifth (21%) of students reported feeling confident about knowing how to budget their money.
• Students are using almost double the amount from their student loans towards monthly expenses, going from £714 in 2022 to £1,427 in 2023.
• Edinburgh is the most expensive university city, and Bournemouth is the cheapest, when accounting for living costs and average income.
• There has been a 40% increase in the cost of a night out for students in 2023 compared to 2022.

What are the average student living costs per month?

Students in the UK spend an average of £1,078 a month. Rent is one of the most expensive payments for students, with an average monthly cost £439, which is 41% of their total spend. After rent, the biggest spend for students is groceries, with an average of £133 spent monthly, and bills, with an average of £79 spent monthly.

Compared to 2022, students are paying 5% more on rent, an increase of £21 a month. Spend on groceries and household bills has also increased since 2022, with students spending 15% more on their monthly food shop and 23% more on the necessary bills such as energy, water and internet.

Other important categories for student spending are going out costs and transport costs, with an average spend of £69 each a month. Students spend around £66 a month on takeaways and eating out and £48 a month on clothes and shopping.

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What are the most expensive UK cities for students?

Edinburgh is the most expensive city for students when considering the average monthly living costs and average monthly income. The top 5 are as follows:

1. Edinburgh
2. Glasgow
3. London
4. Coventry
5. Liverpool

What are the most affordable cities for students?

Bournemouth is the most affordable city for students when considering the average monthly living costs and average monthly income. The top 5 are as follows:

1. Bournemouth
2. Cardiff
3. Lincoln
4. Portsmouth
5. Newcastle

The student living index works out the average cost of being a student by dividing the average monthly living and accommodation costs by the average monthly income. The top 5 most expensive cities to be a student are Edinburgh (0.74), Glasgow (0.68), London (0.59), Coventry (0.58), and Liverpool (0.53). The top 5 most affordable cities to be a student are Bournemouth (0.31), Cardiff (0.32), Lincoln (0.34), Portsmouth (0.36) and Newcastle (0.37).

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What is the average student income?

The average student income per month from employment is £213.49 from both term-time and holiday or non-permanent work.

Student income sources have also changed, as students in 2023 rely more on their loans to help them afford things each month than in 2022. There has been almost a 100% increase in the loan amounts students are using for monthly living costs, going from £714 in 2022 to £1427.38 in 2023.

The cost of living crisis has also affected how students earn money. In 2022, no students surveyed reported using side hustles or bank loans to fund their monthly expenses, but in 2023, £9.70 of students’ monthly monetary contributions are through a side hustle, and over £30 are from bank loans, on average.

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Students studying in Bristol work the most monthly hours as they spend nearly 25 hours a month doing part-time work, and yet their income per month is only £242.57. Edinburgh students earn the most in terms of monthly income but only spend 22 hours doing monthly part-time work.

Students at Lancaster spend the least time doing part-time work, only 7.65 hours a month but still earn over £150 a month. Even though students at Lincoln worked more than students at Lancaster (11 hours a month doing part-time work), they still earn less than all the other universities, as their income is just under £130 a month.

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Student spending habits

Due to the cost of living crisis, many students have had to change their spending habits. There has been a 40% increase in the cost of a night out between 2020, when the average night out cost £22, and 2023, when it cost £31. Another big increase has been the cost of a takeaway, as students in 2020 spent an average of £10 on a takeaway, but this increased by 60% to £16 in 2023.

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Students have also had to be a lot more careful with their spending in 2023, and they cut back on a lot more than students did in 2022. 62% of students say they have had to stop buying so much online to stay within their budget. This is a 32% increase from 2022, where only 47% of students felt like they had to reduce their online spending.

Over half (51%) of students have also had to cut back on nights out to remain in their budget in 2023, whilst in 2022, only 35% of students felt like they had to reduce their nights out to help their budget.

Interestingly, fewer students in 2023 felt like they had to reduce the amount of heating they use compared to 2022, with just 15% feeling this way in 2023 compared to 23% in 2022.

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How do students feel about managing their money?

Two-thirds (34%) of students try to budget their finances and spending but struggle to stick to it, and only 1 in 5 students (21%) have reported feeling confident in their abilities to budget and manage their money. 5% of students overspend out of fear of missing out, and just 2% don’t think about budgeting or managing their money.

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• Student spending statistics: 2021 research

  Quick overview

  • The average student living costs come up to £810 per month.
  • The average amount students pay for rent in the UK is £148 per week, or £641 a month.
  • Household bills (£40) in 2022 have increased by £3 compared to 2020 (£37).
  • Students at University of Greenwich pay the highest rent, £238 per week on average.
  • 58% of students prefer to buy their groceries from Tesco compared to other supermarkets.
  • 6 in 10 students (59%) would not buy an item that has been tested on animals.

  Student living costs

  Average student living costs 2022

  Unsurprisingly, rent (£641 per month) is the largest expense for students and makes up 62% of the average student’s total expenses. Groceries (£101 per month) is the second biggest expense – a budget far from extravagant.

  The next largest expenses are social events (£47), household bills (£40) and transport (£34). While one-off purchases, such as clothing (£34) and mobile phones (£15), are treated as luxury items.

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  Expense	Percentage
  Rent	641
  Clothes & Shopping	34
  Transport	34
  Groceries	101
  Household bills	40
  Takeaways	41
  Holidays	14
  Course Materials	17
  Going Out	47
  Mobile Phone	15
  Miscellaneous	18
  Gifts & Charity	13
  Health & Well Being	15

  Average student living costs by university

  Glasgow Caledonian University tops the list with the highest average amount students pay in living costs at £822 a month, excluding rent. Followed by SOAS University (£710). The list of top 10 also includes St Mary’s, Arts University Bournemouth, Aston, Kingston, East London, Bath Spa, Birbeck and Heriot-Watt.

  See the breakdown below of over 100 universities, with the categories like transport, health & wellbeing, clothing & shopping.

  • Graph

  University	Total (£)
  Glasgow Caledonian	822
  SOAS	710
  St Mary's	670
  Arts University Bournemouth	663
  Aston	659
  Kingston	640
  East London	630
  Bath Spa	627
  Birkbeck	611
  Heriot-Watt	585
  Cambridge	576
  London South Bank	563
  Trinity St David	563
  Aberystwyth	558
  Staffordshire	550
  Birmingham City	548
  Open University	531
  Essex	522
  Canterbury Christ Church	512
  Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	510
  Coventry	507
  Edinburgh Napier	504
  Leeds	492
  Sheffield Hallam	483
  Hertfordshire	482
  Worcester	479
  Middlesex	462
  Oxford	459
  Edge Hill	447
  Southampton Solent	446
  Chichester	445
  Newcastle	445
  Ravensbourne	441
  Royal Veterinary College	439
  Ulster	439
  Glasgow	437
  Westminster	433
  Brighton	429
  Northumbria	427
  Oxford Brookes	427
  Anglia Ruskin	419
  Dundee	419
  Aberdeen	418
  Wolverhampton	418
  West of England, Bristol	413
  Chester	412
  Cardiff	410
  UCLan	405
  St George's	401
  Sunderland	397
  Winchester	394
  York	394
  University for the Creative Arts	386
  East Anglia	381
  Liverpool Hope	381
  Stirling	375
  Surrey	374
  UCL	373
  Reading	372
  Birmingham	369
  Teesside	364
  De Montfort	362
  King's College London	359
  Durham	357
  Keele	357
  Gloucestershire	354
  Cumbria	350
  Bolton	349
  Bristol	346
  Edinburgh	344
  Southampton	341
  Sheffield	335
  Manchester Met	333
  Manchester	332
  Bournemouth	331
  Swansea	327
  Nottingham	319
  Queen Mary	318
  Bath	317
  Warwick	317
  Nottingham Trent	309
  Liverpool John Moores	305
  Royal Holloway	305
  Kent	304
  Hull	290
  Brunel	289
  Derby	287
  Plymouth	287
  Liverpool	280
  Portsmouth	280
  Salford	277
  Exeter	273
  Leicester	272
  Lancaster	271
  Strathclyde	270
  West of Scotland	269
  Falmouth	261
  Leeds Arts	260
  Loughborough	247
  Imperial College London	245
  York St John	239
  Lincoln	236
  City, UoL	211
  Highlands and Islands	208
  Queen's Belfast	182
  Huddersfield	165

  Which university has the most expensive accomodation?

  The University of Greenwich is the most expensive university for accommodation, with the rent averaging £238 per week. Followed by the University of Edinburgh at an average of £222 weekly. London School of Economics (£200 weekly), Warwick (£197 weekly) and Imperial College London (£190 weekly) makes the top 5 most expensive universities for rent in the UK.

  On the other hand, Staffordshire University is considerably cheap, with an average weekly rent of £80. Followed by London Metropolitan (£108 weekly) and Brunel University (£110 weekly).

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  University	Average amount on rent per week (£)
  University of Greenwich	238
  University of Edinburgh	222
  London School of Economics	200
  Glasgow Caledonian University	196
  University of Warwick	197
  Imperial College London	190
  BPP	185
  City, University of London	185
  East London University	185

  Student shopping

  Where do students go for their grocery shopping?

  Tesco (58%) is the most popular grocery place among students, followed by Aldi (37%) and Lidl (37%), Sainsbury’s (35%) and Asda (30%). Interestingly, 3% of students say they never buy groceries.

  In 2022, students are slightly spending more on groceries (£101 to £100 last year) compared to last year in spite of shopping cheaper.

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  Shop	Where students buy groceries (%)
  Tesco	58
  Aldi	37
  Lidl	37
  Sainsbury's	35
  Asda	30
  Co-op	20
  Morrisons	17
  Iceland	12
  Uber Eats	9
  Independent newsagents	7
  Marks & Spencer	7
  Waitrose	5
  Deliveroo	5
  SPAR	4
  Local butcher	3
  Local Green Grocer	3
  Londis	2
  OneStop	2
  Other	3
  Never shop for groceries	3

  How students fund themselves

  71% of students worry about making ends meet, but luckily, over two-thirds (68%) are getting some extra funds from their parents. Most students get their income from the maintenance loan and part-time jobs. The majority of students will find themselves using a combination of sources, as the maintenance loan often does not cover all student living costs.

  • Sources of income
  • Table

  Source of income	Percentage of students
  Student loan	74%
  Part-time jobs	74%
  Parents	68%
  Savings and investments	50%
  Grants and funding	44%
  Bank overdrafts	38%
  Surveys	31%
  Friends	17%
  Credit cards	15%
  Working for themselves	6%
  Gambling	6%
  Adult work	4%
  Payday loans	3%
  Drug trials	2%
  Cryptocurrency	2%

  Main reasons students would not buy an item

  The financial burden is not the only reason that students wouldn’t buy something, with just less than two-thirds (59%) of students would not buy an item that has been tested on animals. 54% would not buy when the workers face poor working conditions, with half (49%) of students not wanting to buy an item that is unsustainably produced.

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  Why students would not buy an item	Percentage
  Animal tested	59
  Poor working conditions of staff	54
  Unsustainable production	49
  Underpaying staff	44
  Not all packaging was recyclable	26

• Previous research: Student Spending 2020

  Quick overview

  • As of 2020, UK students spend an average of £418 per month on rent. For students living in London, this is £648 per month.
  • 58% of students reported that their mental health had suffered as a result of a low budget.
  • Students at the London School of Economics pay the highest rent, at £203 a week on average.
  • The average student receives £131.31 per month from their parents, and 74% of all students have found an extra job to help cover their bills.
  • Only 1 in every 10 students felt they were getting value for their money during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Student living costs

  Average student living costs 2020

  Unsurprisingly, rent is the largest expense for students and makes up 53% of the average student’s total expenses. The second biggest expense is groceries, which comes in at £100 per month – a budget far from extravagant.

  The next largest expenses are social events, transport and household bills, while one-off purchases, such as clothing and mobile phones, are treated as luxury items.

  • Average monthly living costs 2020
  • Table

  Expense	Cost per month
  Rent	£418
  Groceries	£100
  Going out	£46
  Transport	£43
  Household bills	£37
  Takeaways	£33
  Clothes & shopping	£29
  Holidays	£22
  Mobile phone	£16
  Course materials	£16
  Health & wellbeing	£13
  Gifts & charity	£12
  Other	£10
  Total	£795

  Average student livings costs by university

  Other than rent, is London also the most expensive place for other living costs? The maintenance loan in 2020 was £572, which means that students are already on a very strict budget.

  Half of the universities in the top 10 universities with the highest living costs are based either entirely or have at least 1 campus located in London. Despite this, students at the University of Buckingham have the highest living costs before rent, at £827 per month. See the breakdown below.

  • Average monthly living costs by university
  • Table

  Row Labels	Food	Socialising	Transport	Bills	Clothes	Course materials	Other	Total (£)
  University of Buckingham	£193	£150	£133	£133	£33	£53	£129	£827
  University of Law	£195	£20	£75	£135	£25	£260	£100	£810
  Royal Academy of Music	£300	£83	£200	£37	£38	£57	£54	£769
  University of Westminster	£176	£50	£136	£22	£41	£35	£226	£686
  Canterbury Christ Church	£216	£48	£89	£86	£35	£28	£139	£639
  University of Hertfordshire	£171	£80	£200	£34	£43	£14	£85	£624
  The Open University	£191	£43	£82	£105	£41	£16	£105	£584
  University of Derby	£208	£19	£56	£145	£40	£20	£97	£584
  University of Greenwich	£151	£59	£128	£55	£58	£34	£87	£571
  University of Glasgow	£156	£59	£52	£57	£31	£18	£151	£522

  Student accommodation costs

  University accommodation costs by region

  With over half of their budget being spent on rent, accommodation costs can put a big dent in a student’s budget. University accommodation costs vary based on region, as shown below.

  It comes as no surprise that the greatest average accommodation cost is for London universities, where accommodation costs an average £933 per month. This is followed by universities in the South West, South East and Scotland. Accommodation costs over £800 per month in these regions. Over a 3-year course, living in the cheapest region (Wales) will save you £7,452 compared to the most expensive region (London).

  • Average yearly rent by region
  • Table

  Region	Accommodation cost
  London	£933
  South West	£848
  Yorshire and the Humber	£737
  Scotland	£825
  West Midlands	£726
  North East	£756
  East Midlands	£781
  South East	£814
  North West	£737
  East of England	£777
  Wales	£742

  The universities with the highest accommodation fees

  When choosing a university, the cost of attending can be a big factor. Students of the London School of Economics pay the most rent of all UK students. Students here fork out £10,556 per year or £203 per week on average. Of the top 10 most expensive universities for rent, 8 are located in London.

  This is of course affected by the accommodation type, as some students live in student halls, while others live in apartments or rooms not provided by student housing.

  • The most expensive universities for rent
  • Table

  Row Labels	Average weekly rent	Average yearly rent
  The London School of Economics	£203	£10,556
  Birkbeck, University of London	£185	£9,620
  University of West London	£183	£9,516
  University of Gloucestershire	£180	£9,360
  University of the Arts London	£177	£9,204
  King's College London	£174	£9,048
  University College London	£173	£8,996
  Goldsmiths University	£173	£8,996
  City, University of London	£172	£8,944
  Oxford University	£169	£8,788

  How students fund themselves

  71% of students worry about making ends meet, but luckily, a few (68%) are getting some extra funds from their parents. Most students get their income from the maintenance loan and part-time jobs. The majority of students will find themselves using a combination of sources, as the maintenance loan often doesn’t cover all student living costs.

  • Sources of income
  • Table

  Source of income	Percentage of students
  Student loan	74%
  Part-time jobs	74%
  Parents	68%
  Savings and investments	50%
  Grants and funding	44%
  Bank overdrafts	38%
  Surveys	31%
  Friends	17%
  Credit cards	15%
  Working for themselves	6%
  Gambling	6%
  Adult work	4%
  Payday loans	3%
  Drug trials	2%
  Cryptocurrency	2%

  Student shopping

  What students are shopping for online

  The graph below shows the products that students purchase online in 1 month. Unsurprisingly, clothes and accessories were the most popular items for students to purchase online. The next most popular items were tech and mobile devices, which almost a third (32%) of students bought online in a month.

  • What students are shopping for online
  • Table

  Products	Percentage of people
  Clothes and accessories	64%
  Tech and mobile	32%
  Study supplies and stationary	31%
  Health and beauty	30%
  Going out	28%

  Reasons students wouldn’t buy something

  The financial burden is not the only reason that students wouldn’t buy something; the ethics and sustainability of their purchases is also very important. Two-thirds (66%) of students refused to buy a product if it had been tested on animals. Over half (55%) of students also wouldn’t buy a product if they knew the staff making it were working in poor conditions.

  • Reasons why students wouldn't buy something
  • Table

  Reasons why students wouldn't buy certain products	Percentage who agreed
  Testing on animals	66%
  Poor working conditions for staff	55%
  Unsustainable production	49%
  Underpaying staff	45%
  Not all packaging was recyclable	33%

• Previous research: 2018 student spending statistics

  With over 2 million people studying in UK higher education institutions, student shopping and student banking are huge markets. If you’re a student, it’s worth looking out for exclusive student discounts offered for both everyday necessities and higher-priced items to make sure you are always getting the best deal. We put on our investigation shorts to have a look at where exactly the student’s money goes.

  The average UK student’s monthly spending

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  Expense	Cost per month
  Rent	£406
  Food	£108
  Social	£64
  Travel	£47
  Bills	£37
  Clothes	£34
  Books	£20
  Mobile phone	£18
  Drugs	£5
  Other	£31
  TOTAL	£770

  While rent makes up the vast majority of a student’s monthly budget (53%), students are still spending a significant portion of their budget on everyday commodities like food, social events and travel. These costs make up almost 30% of the average spend. A smaller proportion of their budget is dedicated to funding luxury purchases, like clothing and mobile phones.

  Compared to 2017, rent costs have increased by £12 on average, however, students are still spending £51 less overall. This could be attributed to students’ extra savvy attitudes when it comes to shopping around for utilities, food and clothing.

  Online shopping habits

  A survey of 3,167 students that asked about their online shopping habits in 2018 revealed that 98% of students shop online.

  • Graph
  • Table

  Number of times online shopping	Percentage of positive responses
  Several times a week	11.9%
  Once a week	33.5%
  Once a month	35.6%
  Several times a year	14.5%
  Once a year or less	2.5%
  Never	2.1%

  Over 80% of students reported online shopping once a month or more, with almost a half reporting they shop once a week or more.

  Online shopping is primarily used for buying clothes and accessories, while less than a third of online shopping was dedicated to going out. In fact, 68% of students reported that their social life suffers as a result of their low budget.

  Specific findings

  • 50% of 18-22-year-olds are likely to shop online once a week, compared to a lower 33% of 16-17-year-olds.
  • 46% of male students shop online once a week, compared to 44% of female students.
  • Females have a 23% increase on males when shopping online for clothes and accessories.
  • Males have a 22% increase on females when shopping online for tech and mobile purchases.

  The specific findings show there are discrepancies between online shopping for different age groups and genders. It may surprise you to find that 2% more male respondents reported to shopping online once a week than female respondents.

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806

Written by

Liz Edwards

Editor-in-chief

Liz Edwards has been a consumer writer and editor for more than 20 years. She led award-winning teams at the campaigning publisher Which?, and has covered a range of consumer rights and personal finance topics including pensions, credit, banking and insurance. Liz has appeared frequently in national media such as The Sun, Metro, HuffPost and The Independent. She loves to cut through waffle to give consumers the real lowdown. And she loves puns. See full bio

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