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Studying abroad in the UK can be expensive. International students need to budget for flights, tuition, textbooks, accommodation, and don’t forget the visa application.
Of course, living costs in the UK for international students can vary depending on your lifestyle and where you live. So, in this blog, we’ll look at how much students in the UK spend on average each month – and explore how much it cost to live in a large city, compared to a smaller city.
International student life in the UK comes with a range of unique expenses. According to The National Student Money Survey 2020 conducted by Save the Student, students in the UK spend the majority of their budgets on rent, groceries, and going out. And on average, they spend £795 on living expenses each month. Here’s a breakdown of some of the top spending areas:
Rent – £418/month
Groceries – £100/month
Going out – £46/month
Transportation– £46/month
Household bills (like electricity and water) – £37/month
Living costs in the UK for international students may be different than for domestic students – who may still live at home – but these averages still provide a good estimate and will help to calculate your budget. This Save the Student guide on how to create a budget is also a great resource – and includes a useful student budget spreadsheet to ensure you’re getting the most out of your money at university.
UK averages are nice, but it’s important to consider the country and city you’re going to be studying in. For example, the cost of living in England will be slightly different from the cost of living in Scotland. Student life in England typically costs a little more than it does in the other UK nations.
To help illustrate this, we’ll use Numbeo, a cost of the living database, to compare the average cost of living in London for students with the cost of living in Leicester, a mid-size city about 160 km from the capital. Here’s how prices differ:
A regular cappuccino: £2.94in London vs. £2.54 in Leicester
1L milk: £0.94 in London vs. £0.90 in Leicester
A white loaf of bread: £1.01 in London vs. £0.94 in Leicester
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant: £15.00 in London vs. £11.50 in Leicester
A domestic beer: £5.00 in London vs. £3.20 in Leicester
A one-way ticket on local transport: £2.80 in London vs. £2.40 in Leicester
A monthly gym membership: £44.58 in London vs. £24.75 in Leicester
Monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment outside of the city center: £1,244/month in London vs. £498/month in Leicester
All in all, having a good idea of costs before moving abroad – and planning your student budget – is an essential part of making sure you’ll be able to live comfortably during your semester(s) in the UK. And of course, enjoy your time as an international student to the fullest.
Our PTE Academic English language exam is accepted by 99% of UK universities and for all UK visa applications. Learn everything you need to know about PTE Academic in the UK or book your test now!
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
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Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
