Affordable Living
Cardiff is known as an affordable capital city. Students at Cardiff benefit from some of the lowest rents in the UK, particularly when compared with cities of similar size and offering. According to the 2011 UK Student Rent Analysis, the average rent per month for students in Cardiff is approximately £26 below the national average.
Living Costs – an overview
In a survey conducted by the Virgin Alternative Guide to Universities and published in the Guardian newspaper, Cardiff was ranked as being the most affordable of the old University cities. Recent research by the Royal Bank of Scotland also identified Cardiff as one of the most cost-effective place in the UK to go to university. According to the annual survey of more than 2,500 students in 26 university towns across the UK, the city combines low living costs with high weekly earnings from part-time work.
We estimate that a single student living in private accommodation for the year 2011/12 is likely to need at least £8,460 for a full year in addition to tuition fees.
Estimated cost of living in Cardiff for the academic year 2012/13 based on a single student living in shared private accommodation:
| Monthly expenditure | Yearly expenditure | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent* | £283 | £3,334 |
| Bills - water, gas, electricity & insurance* | £54 | £641 |
| Food | £143 | £1,692 |
| Laundry/Toiletries | £16 | £192 |
| Books/Photocopying | £38 | £449 |
| TV licence and telephone | £22 | £256 |
| Clothes | £33 | £385 |
| Travel | £35 | £420 |
| Social/Leisure | £122 | £1,436 |
| Total | £750 | £8,847 |
* This is based on renting a room in shared private accommodation. A single room apartment would cost between £300 and £350 per month with utility bills also being more expensive. For international students, a room in University-owned self-catered accommodation starts at £325 per month but includes utility bills.
Our financial support team manage a variety of funds which can help students who are having financial difficulties or require help covering specific costs during their time at university. The team also gives advice on budgeting.
Accommodation
After your tuition fees, accommodation is your main item of expenditure. Typically accommodation charges account for between 40-50% of a student’s spending. Cardiff’s cost for student accommodation compare very favourably with those available elsewhere in the UK for rooms of a similar standard. According to the UK Student Rent Analysis, July 2011, a report produced by Accommodationforstudents.com comparing 78 cities across the UK and using data from 86,000 properties, the average UK student rent per week is £67.11, while in the London area it is between £90 and £108 and in Cardiff just £61.07.
For more information on accommodation options for postgraduates at Cardiff, please visit our accommodation section.
Funding your postgraduate study
For information and advice on how to fund your postgraduate study, including details of studentships currently available at Cardiff University, please visit our funding section.