Studying in London is an amazing opportunity to experience the capital city’s bustling culture, but it comes with a high price tag.
Rent, food, transport and activities add up throughout the year and it’s important to plan ahead. We’ve put together a London cost of living guide for students to help you understand what it’s like paying to live in one of the world’s busiest student cities!
London cost of living for international students: the headlines
Taking into account the average monthly cost of living for students in London, you can expect to need a minimum o f£1,500 a month to support yourself. The main costs are rent, food and transport and we’ve highlighted the averages below.
Accommodation (incl. bills) | £1000 - £1,700 |
Groceries | £200 - £350 |
Transport (within London) | £100 - £200 |
Entertainment | £50 - £200 |
Eating out (based on one restaurant meal a week) | £80 - £100 |
Sport/fitness | £40 - £80 |
Some months will be more expensive than others, with the most expensive time for international students being the start of the academic year when deposits and flights are paid for:
- Summer/September: flights, visa costs, accommodation deposits, arrival in London, transport, course purchases (textbooks etc.), membership sign-ups (gym, societies etc.)
- December/January: trips home/visiting Europe or other parts of the UK, next instalments for accommodation, holiday housing costs
- April: Easter in the UK so many people will go home and there might be costs for accommodation over the holidays
- May-June: deposits and bookings are required for next year to secure accommodation, weather is improving so there are more activities to be involved with
Tuition fees
The most obvious cost for every student is tuition fees. They vary from institute to institute and course to course. Scholarships and bursaries are available from individual institutes, and even your home government, but you usually need to apply to these before your degree starts.
- International undergraduate tuition fees in London range from £11,400 - £38,000
- Postgraduate tuition fees range from £9,000 - £30,000
The most expensive courses are laboratory and clinical degrees, like Medicine, Pharmacology and Dentistry. Unlike with domestic fees, tuition fees for overseas students in London are different from course to course at each institute so make sure to check when applying what different fees apply. Take a look at our guide to London's best universities for international students and compare fees.
Student accommodation in London
Most students in the UK live in university-provided accommodation for at least their first year of studies. This provides an inbuilt community and opportunity to get to know the local area without having to worry too much about where to settle before you arrive.
In the table below, we’ve highlighted weekly undergrad accommodation costs at London’s top five universities, according to Studyportals’ Meta Ranking:
| Ensuite single | Standard single | Twin |
Imperial College London | £205 - £390 | £174 - £194 | £145 - £189 |
London School of Economics (LSE) | £325 - £348 | £272 - £322 | £195 - £220 |
University College London (UCL) | £284 - £418 | £149 - £325 | £159 - £270 |
King’s College London (KCL) | £169 - £382 | ||
Queen Mary University of London | £204 - £282 | £169 - £184 | £138 |
What to look out for when comparing student rental prices in London:
- Length of contract: contract lengths in London can range from 31-40 weeks depending on the university. If you’re not going home for the holidays, check to see if there are costs associated with staying in university accommodation outside of the contract
- Catered/self-catering: some accommodation is self-catered which means you’re usually provided with, at the minimum, a hot plate and wash basin or a full kitchen to prepare your own food. Catered halls usually include 3 meals a day and is more expensive upfront
- Utility bills: most university-provided accommodation fees include bills but some charge extra for Wi-Fi or water
It’s also possible to live in privately owned student accommodation, which means you will be sharing the building with students from other universities. Universities have lists of their trusted private providers but a good place to start is Unite and VerveLife. Comparison websites like accommodationforstudents allow you to look at all available options at once.
After first year, students often move into share houses together, found through local estate agents. The average monthly cost of private renting in London can range from £800 - £1,600 depending on where you’re living, how many people you’re sharing with and if the room is furnished or unfurnished.
Note: international students often have to pay a higher, upfront deposit at the start of private contracts as guarantors outside the UK aren’t always accepted.
Transport
London is famous for its underground tube system which provides easy access to the entire city by hopping on and off at any station. There are also the well known double-decker red buses which cover all of London. Both transport networks can be pay-as-you-go with your debit card, or you can buy a monthly travel card if you know you’re on the move regularly.
- Full-time students in the UK can sign up for a Student Oyster card to receive 30% discount off standard tube and bus fares
- Monthly travel cards for zones 1-2 costs £171 and for all zones it costs £313
- National railcards for 16-25 year olds and 26-30 year olds offer 1/3 off the London rail network and national rail network tickets (train travel outside of London in the UK is very expensive so plan ahead to save!)
Food
An average monthly London food shop for students ranges from £180-300, depending on where you choose to shop.
- Aldi and Lidl are budget supermarkets which can reduce the monthly shop to below £200
- The Tesco Clubcard (a loyalty scheme) provides price matching and great discounts
- ASDA is another student-friendly shop with some of the most affordable high street prices
London is home to world-class restaurants and street food. Explore Borough Market for fresh produce and keep an eye out on apps like FirstTable for half-price restaurants.
Mandatory fees for international students moving to the UK
Everyone moving to the UK from abroad has to apply for a visa and contribute to the UK’s national healthcare system. These costs will need to be paid before your course starts.
- Student visa from outside the UK - £524
- To extend or switch to a student visa from inside the UK - £524
- UK Health Surcharge* - £776 per each full year in the UK
*European students may be able to apply for a refund for the health surcharge if you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
These mandatory fees are subject to change so stay up to date through the official gov.uk website.
Non-essential living costs in London
It’s hard to put exact averages on monthly expenses in London because everyone will lead a slightly different lifestyle. If you love eating out on the weekends and you can’t miss the latest concert, then your time will be more expensive than if you’re okay meal prepping and meeting friends at the local pub.
Pint of beer | £7 |
Cocktail | £12 |
Cinema tickets | £8-15 |
Inexpensive restaurant meal for 1 | £15-20 |
Coffee | £3.50 (minimum) |
Other things to think about
- Universities often have financial guidance available to students through student services so if you’re ever struggling while at uni, make sure to reach out to ask for support. They can give advice on budgeting, loans and banks
- When applying for a student visa, you could be asked to demonstrate that you have £1,529 per month (for up to 9 months) to support yourself for courses in London. This is £400 more needed per month than for the rest of the UK, which proves the higher cost of living associated with London, even for students
- Flights to and from London are often excluded in budgets and guides to cost of living so make sure to take into account your travel plans
- If you arrive in the UK before your accommodation is available you’ll also have to pay to stay somewhere until you can move in. Hotels and Airbnb book up in advance in London and cost more the closer it is to the time of booking
While it can be daunting thinking about the price of London, there are also many fantastic free and discounted opportunities that make exploring the city so great:
- Art Galleries & Museums: most museums and galleries in London are free-of-charge so don’t miss out on historical exhibits
- Markets: shop in the open air and explore Spitalfields and Brick Lane
- Get outside: London is home to some gorgeous greenery so don’t miss Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill. There’s also dozens of free walking tours to get to know the city
- UNiDAYS, Student Beans and the NUS all offer discount cards for students in the UK to save on shopping and more
At the end of the day, there’s no hiding the fact that London is an expensive place to live but the cost is worth it! There is so much to see and do, learn and experience, and thousands of international students call it home every year. When you graduate you’ll be thinking more about the people you met and places you visited than how much it cost.
