Students know London is the most expensive city in the UK to live in, but may be unaware of the dramatic differences between rents in other university towns and cities.
- The difference between renting in the most and least expensive top-20 ranked non-London universities - Edinburgh and Sheffield - is almost £11K over a three-year degree.
- Sheffield, Liverpool and Leeds are the cheapest top-20-ranked university cities for rent. All have average room rents well below the UK average of £748 per month.
- London students will spend, on average, £35,280, on rent over a three-year degree. But it's possible to spend less than £20K on rent in six top university cities.
Students collecting their A-level results on 14 August will have more than just grades on their minds. Those setting their sights on university face the first hike in tuition fees in England and Wales since 2017 and an average student loan of £53,000 to repay1.
Data from flatshare site SpareRoom could help students work out where to study if they want to keep costs down without compromising on their education. It reveals Sheffield to be the cheapest top-20-ranked university city for rent. Students will pay, on average, £520 per month to rent a room including bills, or £6,240 per year. This is £228 per month lower than the average UK room rent, currently £748 per month.
London is, of course, the most expensive city to live in and students planning to attend one of the capital's top universities, including SOAS, Birkbeck, LSE, King's College and UCL, will also need to factor commute costs into their budgets. The average London room rent is now £980 per month, according to SpareRoom's rental index, with the cheapest rents to be found in the E postcode area (£944).
The price difference between renting in the most and least expensive top-20 ranked university cities for rent outside of London - Edinburgh and Sheffield - is £3,636 per year or £10,908 over the course of a three-year degree.
The maximum maintenance loan available to full-time students living away from home and studying outside London in 2025-26 is £10,5442. Renting in Edinburgh costs, on average, £9,876 per year, leaving just £668 per year or £56 per month towards other living expenses3.
The cheapest top-20-ranked universities for rent after Sheffield (£520 per month) are Liverpool (£532), Leeds (£581), Nottingham (£587) and Newcastle (£604). The cheapest rents in the top-45 ranked university cities and towns can be found in Bangor and Hull, at £500 per month.
Outside of London, Edinburgh (£823) tops both Oxford (£813) and Cambridge (£795), as well as York (£751) and Bristol (£732) as the most expensive top 20 university cities for rent.
| League table rank | University | City / Town / Postcode | Average monthly room rent | Average annual room rent | Average room rent over 3 years |
| =45 | Bangor University | Bangor* | £500 | £6,000 | £18,000 |
| =45 | University of Hull | Hull | £500 | £6,000 | £18,000 |
| =26 | University of Aberdeen | Aberdeen | £507 | £6,084 | £18,252 |
| 12 | University of Sheffield | Sheffield | £520 | £6,240 | £18,720 |
| 20 | University of Liverpool | Liverpool | £532 | £6,384 | £19,152 |
| =34 | Swansea University | Swansea | £552 | £6,624 | £19,872 |
| 21 | Lancaster University | Lancaster | £561 | £6,732 | £20,196 |
| =34 | Loughborough University | Loughborough | £563 | £6,756 | £20,268 |
| =34 | University of Dundee | Dundee | £569 | £6,828 | £20,484 |
| 25 | University of Leicester | Leicester | £572 | £6,864 | £20,592 |
| =26 | Queen's University Belfast | Belfast | £579 | £6,948 | £20,844 |
| 15 | University of Leeds | Leeds | £581 | £6,972 | £20,916 |
| 16 | University of Nottingham | Nottingham | £587 | £7,044 | £21,132 |
| =22 | Durham University | Durham | £589 | £7,068 | £21,204 |
| =32 | University of East Anglia | Norwich | £590 | £7,080 | £21,240 |
| =39 | University of Kent | Canterbury | £592 | £7,104 | £21,312 |
| 19 | Newcastle University | Newcastle | £604 | £7,248 | £21,744 |
| =45 | Northumbria University | Newcastle | £604 | £7,248 | £21,744 |
| 11 | University of Birmingham | Birmingham | £613 | £7,356 | £22,068 |
| =39 | Aston University | Birmingham | £613 | £7,356 | £22,068 |
| =39 | University of Essex | Colchester | £621 | £7,452 | £22,356 |
| =45 | University of Stirling | Stirling (based on FK9)* | £625 | £7,500 | £22,500 |
| =22 | University of Exeter | Exeter | £641 | £7,692 | £23,076 |
| =26 | Cardiff University | Cardiff | £651 | £7,812 | £23,436 |
| 14 | University of Southampton | Southampton | £659 | £7,908 | £23,724 |
| =45 | Bournemouth University | Bournemouth | £663 | £7,956 | £23,868 |
| =45 | University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth | £664 | £7,968 | £23,904 |
| 10 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | £687 | £8,244 | £24,732 |
| 10 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | £687 | £8,244 | £24,732 |
| =39 | University of Strathclyde | Glasgow | £687 | £8,244 | £24,732 |
| 8 | University of Manchester | Manchester | £689 | £8,268 | £24,804 |
| 13 | University of Warwick | Warwick (based on CV34) | £691 | £8,292 | £24,876 |
| =26 | University of Reading | Reading | £716 | £8,592 | £25,776 |
| 9 | University of Bristol | Bristol | £732 | £8,784 | £26,352 |
| =26 | University of Sussex | Brighton | £743 | £8,916 | £26,748 |
| 18 | University of York | York | £751 | £9,012 | £27,036 |
| =45 | Royal Holloway, University of London | Egham (based on TW20) | £769 | £9,228 | £27,684 |
| 24 | University of St Andrews | St Andrews (based on KY16) | £783 | £9,396 | £28,188 |
| =26 | University of Surrey | Guildford | £786 | £9,432 | £28,296 |
| =39 | Brunel University of London | Uxbridge (based on UB8)* | £792 | £9,504 | £28,512 |
| 2 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge | £795 | £9,540 | £28,620 |
| =32 | University of Bath | Bath | £799 | £9,588 | £28,764 |
| 1 | University of Oxford | Oxford | £813 | £9,756 | £29,268 |
| 5 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | £823 | £9,876 | £29,628 |
| =45 | Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh | £823 | £9,876 | £29,628 |
| 17 | Queen Mary University of London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| 3 | Imperial College London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| =34 | St George's, University of London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| =39 | City, University of London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| 4 | UCL | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| 6 | King's College London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| 7 | London School of Economics and Political Science | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| =34 | Birkbeck, University of London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
| =45 | SOAS University of London | London | £980 | £11,760 | £35,280 |
Matt Hutchinson, director of flatshare site SpareRoom, comments: “A combination of high demand and short supply in the rental market means there's no such thing as cheap rents. But there are university towns and cities where living costs are considerably more affordable and, across a three-year degree, can offer a substantial discount on the total cost of attending university which students going through clearing should be aware of.
“Students should expect rents to increase during their course and budgeting is important as maintenance loans may cover rent and bills, but there might not be much left for other living expenses, such as food or going out with friends. Those planning to live further away from campus to save money should also factor in travel costs, as these can be significant.”