Reading among most expensive UK locations to be a student - see the cheapest

The study by tutoring experts Superprof examined every university town and city across the UK, using data from Numbeo to find where students can live at the lowest cost.

The analysis was based on cost-of-living factors such as the average price of weekly student accommodation, as well as the weekly cost of alcohol, fast-food, coffee and taxi fares.  

Most affordable locations to be a student

The price of a pint was factored in to the cost of living for students. Picture: PA

The study revealed Wolverhampton as the most affordable city to be a student, with an average weekly spend of £120.90.

Wolverhampton offers the cheapest student accommodation at £81 per week, in addition to the fourth-cheapest weekly alcohol costs and the third-cheapest taxi fare at £11 per five-mile journey. 

Derby came in second with the average weekly cost of £133.80 for students. Derby offers the second-lowest student accommodation costs in the UK, at £90 a week – only £9 more than Wolverhampton – and the second most affordable coffee prices, with an average weekly spend of £4.88. 

In third place, Aberdeen has an average weekly spend of £134.90. It matches the Welsh city of Bangor for the cheapest weekly spend on alcohol, with an average pint of beer costing just £3.

The Scottish city can also offer the cheapest cost of fast-food, joint with Gloucester and Bangor, at £10 a week.

Top 10 cheapest places to be a student in the UK

This list shows the average weekly rent and the cost of a five-mile round taxi trip, along with the weekly average beer, coffee and fast food spend, finishing up with a weekly total.

Wolverhampton: Rent £81; taxi £10.72; beer £12.88; coffee £5.30; fast food £11; total £120.90

Derby: Rent £90; taxi £12.92; beer £14; coffee £4.88; fast food £11.98; total £133.80

Aberdeen: Rent £94; taxi £13.56; beer £12; coffee £5.38; fast food £10; total £134.90

Stoke-on-Trent: Rent £101; taxi £10.24; beer £13.20; coffee £5.50; fast food £12; total £141.90

Newcastle upon Tyne: Rent £103; taxi £10.92; beer £14.80; coffee £5.66; fast food £12; total £146.40

Gloucester: Rent £108; taxi £16.04; beer £12.40; coffee £5.92; fast food £10; total £152.40

Plymouth: Rent £109; taxi £13.32; beer £16; coffee £5.40; fast food £11; total £154.70

Liverpool: Rent £110; taxi £10.04; beer £16; coffee £5.80; fast food £13; total £154.80

Lancaster: Rent £116; taxi £11.08; beer £13.80; coffee £4.84; fast food £10.50; total £156.20

Bangor: Rent £115; taxi £14.72; beer £12; coffee £6; fast food £10; total £157.70

Most expensive locations to be a student

Taxi cars were factored in to the the cost of living for students. Picture: PA

In contrast, London was unsurprisingly revealed to be the priciest city to live as a student, with an average weekly cost of £284.10, more than double the cost of being a student in Wolverhampton.

London had the highest cost for both the average weekly rent for a student shared flat, £224, and the average price for a five-mile taxi journey at £18.

Bournemouth is the second most expensive place to be a student. The coastal town has the second-highest taxi fare for an average five-mile journey, costing £15, only three pounds less than London.

It also has the second-highest cost of student accommodation in the UK, averaging at £176 a week. 

The analysis revealed Reading in third, costing an average of £215.40 a week. Reading had the third most expensive average rent in the UK at £169 a week, in addition to the eighth-highest taxi fare for a five-mile journey, costing £14. 

Top 10 most expensive places to be a student in the UK

This list shows the average weekly rent and the cost of a five-mile round taxi trip, along with the weekly average beer, coffee and fast food spend, finishing up with a weekly total.

London: Rent £224; taxi £17.85; beer £23.80; coffee £6.48; fast food £12; total £284.10

Bournemouth: Rent £176; taxi £15.24; beer £16; coffee £5.72; fast food £12; total £225

Reading: Rent £169; taxi £13.76; beer £16; coffee £5.60; fast food £11; total £215.40

Bristol: Rent £166; taxi £13.24; beer £16; coffee £6.60; fast food £10; total £211.80

Chichester: Rent £158; taxi £14.90; beer £20; coffee £5.80; fast food £12; total £210.70

Oxford: Rent £160; taxi £14.42; beer £18; coffee £5.84; fast food £11; total £209.30

Edinburgh: Rent £159; taxi £14.36; beer £18; coffee £5.78; fast food £12; total £209.10

Manchester: Rent £159; taxi £12.06; beer £16.16; coffee £5.98; fast food £12; total £205.20

Bath: Rent £155; taxi £13.76; beer £18; coffee £5.72; fast food £12; total £204.50

Brighton: Rent £155; taxi £13.76; beer £18; coffee £5.72; fast food £12; total £197.10

Speaking about the findings, a spokesperson for Superprof, said: “Undoubtedly, students are always looking to save money whilst living on a budget, so it is fantastic to see so many affordable areas in the UK where people at university can have a good time without having to break the bank.

“With cost-of-living currently on the rise, it is now more important than ever for students to know how to manage their money effectively. This ranking offers a valuable guide for prospective students into whereabouts in the UK their loan will stretch the furthest.”