The city of Bath is the most expensive place for students to live, according to new research released by UNiDAYS, with ‘student essentials’ found to be over twice the price of items elsewhere.
Students looking for the cheapest place to study need to head to central Scotland, according to the research.
Stirling tops the list of the cheapest university towns in the UK and Ireland, with the total cost of 12 student essentials coming in at just £67.03, just over half the price of the same items in Bath and London.
UNiDAYS, the Student Affinity Network, polled students to find the items they consider essential to having a great time at university.
Those items were:
- Chicken korma and pint of beer at a local Indian restaurant;
- Cheesy chips and chicken nuggets at a local takeaway;
- Takeaway margarita pizza;
- Three-mile Uber/Private hire taxi journey;
- Flat white;
- Vodka and coke;
- Midweek club entry;
- Yoga/meditation class;
- Gym membership (monthly cost);
- Pint of Foster’s;
- Cinema ticket;
- Eyebrow wax/tint
UNiDAYS then compared the cost of these items in towns and cities across the UK and Ireland to create a cost of living league table.
In Swansea, the total price for these items comes to just £68.43, while Southampton (£69.09), Sheffield (£69.59) and Hull (£69.74) also offer good value for students.
But students in Bath pay £130.21 for the same 12 items, making the city the most expensive student base in the country, followed by London (£124.04) and Brighton (£117.95).
Dublin, the home of Trinity College and University College, is the fourth highest in terms of cost, while Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh all make the top ten most expensive.
Mai Fenton, Vice President of Marketing at UNiDAYS, said: “The difference in the cost of student essentials in towns across the UK and Ireland is shocking.
“Students in Bath, London and Brighton face paying much higher costs for eating out, socialising and keeping fit at the gym.
“At UNiDAYS, we understand that being a student can be costly, so we offer deals on top brands to make life that little bit easier and help budgets stretch that little bit further.”
