Moving out of halls and into shared accommodation is a rite of passage for many students.
University might widen your horizons. But shared housing is where you acquire real skills, such as how long you can leave an overflowing bin before environmental health steps in.
Learning what bills need to be paid, and writing passive-aggressive notes on blocks of cheese, are vital preparation for post-university life.
While getting into university is one challenge, finding a place to study where you can afford to live is quite another.
Those fees don’t come cheap, but don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
We’ve found the most and least expensive university cities and compiled an average of what you can expect to pay in shared housing.
Where it’s cheapest for students to rent
The good news is that there are excellent universities in some of the most affordable cities to rent a home.
The list is dominated by the north of England, where house prices and rental costs are usually lower than in London and the south.
10 most affordable cities for students to rent in
| Ranking | City | Avg rent pcm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hull | £495 |
| 2 | Sunderland | £500 |
| 3 | Bradford | £527 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | £573 |
| 5 | Newcastle | £620 |
| 6 | Dundee | £623 |
| 7 | Preston | £623 |
| 8 | Derby | £628 |
| 9 | Liverpool | £633 |
| 10 | Belfast | £644 |
In first place is Hull, east Yorkshire, where it costs £495 a month to rent the average home.
Second place goes to Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, where a rental home will set you back £500 a month.
In third place is Bradford, West Yorkshire, where it costs £527 a month for the average rental. Next on the list is Aberdeen, northeast Scotland, at £573 a month.
Students at Northumbria or Newcastle University may need to pay a bit more, as Newcastle comes in fourth place with average homes costing £620 a month in rent.
Dundee and Preston are tied in fifth and sixth place at £623 a month, with Derby (£628) and Liverpool (£633) close behind.
Belfast rounds off the top 10 cheapest student cities, at £644 for the average home.
Where it’s most expensive for students to rent
At the other end of the scale, there are some places you might need an extra student loan to live in.
With eye-watering rental prices, famous university cities feature highly on this list. But there are one or two surprises, too.
10 priciest cities for students to rent in
| Ranking | City | Avg rent pcm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | £1,549 |
| 2 | Oxford | £1,379 |
| 3 | Brighton | £1,369 |
| 4 | Cambridge | £1,241 |
| 5 | Bristol | £1,074 |
| 6 | Portsmouth | £932 |
| 7 | Edinburgh | £927 |
| 8 | York | £886 |
| 9 | Southampton | £879 |
| 10 | Norwich | £852 |
With a student population of nearly 400,000 and 40 different universities to choose from, it’s no wonder that student digs are competitively priced in London.
But at £1,549 a month for the average rental, students will need serious savings, a trust fund, or a high paying job to rent in London.
Almost as pricey is Oxford, home to one of the oldest universities in the world, where prices average £1,379 a month..
In third place is Brighton, where University of Sussex students can expect to pay £1,369 a month for a rental home.
Cambridge and Bristol take fourth and fifth spot on the list, with average rents of £1,241 and £1,074 respectively.
Lower down the list are Portsmouth (£932), Edinburgh (£927) and York (£886). Southampton and Norwich round things off with average costs of £879 and £852 a month each.