Middlesborough ranks eighth in a national ranking of university towns and cities based on an analysis of student cost of living factors.
- The town has budget-friendly student halls and private housing at £145 per week and £525 per month, though the latter is the dearest in the top ten.
- Grocery shoppers enjoy the lowest average basket cost nationally, with the total for a 15-item shop averaging at £32.91 due to having some of the nation’s best value for beef, chicken, and cheese.
New research reveals that Middlesborough is the eighth most affordable place for students to live in the UK.
The study, conducted by tutoring platform Edumentors, considers 24 cost of living factors from Numbeo and Student Crowd for 80 university towns and cities. Researchers analysed the average prices for weekly student and monthly private accommodation rent, a basic supermarket shop, takeaway coffee, alcohol, a budget-friendly meal out, public transport, taxi fares, and petrol. Each factor is weighted according to which contributes the most to total costs, with housing being the biggest influence.
The most affordable UK towns and cities for university students
Rank Town/City County Country Affordability Score (/100)
1 Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire England 76.59
2 Durham Durham England 76.45
3 Bangor Gwynedd Wales 75.99
4 Carmarthen Carmarthenshire Wales 75.78
5 Keele Staffordshire England 73.41
6 Sunderland Tyne and Wear England 72.89
7 Ormskirk Lancashire England 71.76
8 Middlesborough North Yorkshire England 70.88
9 Dundee Angus Scotland 70.18
10 Hull Yorkshire and the Humber England 69.02
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire is eighth with budget-friendly student and private housing at £145 per week and £525 per month, though the latter is the dearest in the top ten. Grocery shoppers enjoy the lowest average basket cost nationally, with the total for a 15-item shop averaging at £32.91 due to having some of the nation’s best value for a kilogram of beef, chicken, and cheese, costing £4.46, £6.38, and £4.71, ranking first, second, and fifth, respectively. Data analysis shows Middlesbrough has the second-most affordable takeaway coffee in the top-ranking locations and some of the most wallet-friendly transportation options anywhere.
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire is crowned the country’s most affordable city for students, receiving the highest score nationally at 76.59 out of 100. It ranks among the top 10 best places for half of all cost of living indicators (and almost nine in ten fall in the top 20) including student and private accommodation, the fifth and tenth cheapest in the country at an average of £132 per week and £450 per month, respectively. Analysis reveals Stoke ranks among the ten most budget-friendly places for almost two-fifths (39%) of basic food items including water, milk, bread, eggs, and chicken. Staffordshire University students also enjoy low nightlife costs, placing highly with taxi fares and dining options at 8th and beer at 11th.
Durham, County Durham ranks second with the best living costs for any Russell Group university. Student digs are higher than Stoke (£172 per week), but private rent outside the city centre is reportedly the cheapest at £362 per month. Food and drink costs are just under the average, with a 15-item supermarket shop coming in at an estimated £41.94. Transportation costs are fairer than most, with the city ranking in the top half of locations for monthly travel passes (£65), taxis (£1.09/km), and petrol (£1.43p/litre).
Bangor, Gwynedd ranks third nationally and is Wales’ best city for student cost of living. Student accommodation is in the top 30% cheapest at £156 per week. Private rent is the second most affordable at around £375 per month, around one-quarter of the average for London, Brighton, and Oxford (£1,487). The price of a food shop is also competitive, with some of the country’s best-value fruit, veg, beef, and bread. Vehicle fuel prices are favourable at an average of £1.43 per litre, however, monthly travel passes (£90) and taxi fares (£1.49/km) set students back more than the average.
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire places fourth and is the first of Wales’ university towns in the ranking. Accommodation is among the cheapest, especially for student housing at £130/week, ranking ninth nationally and second out of the top 10. Carmarthen is in the top 20 best locations for key basic food items, with prices for bread (£0.87), a head of lettuce (£0.50), and 1kg of cheese (£6.30), chicken (£4.93), bananas (£0.85), and potatoes (£0.82). Carmarthen has particularly low-cost dining-out options at around £7.00, the best in the top ten.
Keele, Staffordshire places fifth and is the second of the county’s locations in the top ten. Being just a few miles from Stoke, the top-ranking area means that food, transport, and other essentials match its great value, but Keele has more expensive student accommodation at £159/week.
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear ranks sixth with the cheapest rent for student accommodation among the top 10 at £125 per week. Private rent is among the most affordable at £450 per month. Travel passes (£57) and taxis (£1.09/km) were also on the cheaper end, with the city in the top 20 for both. However, the average cost for meals out (£15), petrol (£1.46/litre), and takeaway coffee (£3.45) weighed down its score compared to other student hubs.
Ormskirk, Lancashire takes seventh place with competitive housing prices for student halls (£151/week) and private housing (£380/month), ranking 21st and third, respectively. But the cost of essentials is somewhat higher than the average, including almost two-thirds (60%) of a 15-item shop and transportation like taxis and petrol.
Dundee, Angus, is Scotland’s best city for students to live on a budget, with prices for both private and student housing in the top 25% of locations nationally. Numbeo data shows dining and coffee prices are slightly steeper than the average, but transportation is competitively priced. A monthly travel pass costs just under £45, the best price among the top-ranking locations, and taxis and petrol prices remain in the lowest quartile.
Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber is the tenth most affordable city for students. Almost every cost of living indicator (96%) is below the average cost, with halls of residence and private rent placing 32nd and 10th cheapest. Hull students can grab a cup of coffee for an average price at a bargain of £2.87. Hull is one of the 10 most economical student locations for supermarket items like bread, rice, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and beer, with the total cost of 15 items placing second best-value nationally at £35.36.
Cheltenham and Gillingham are the best locations for student living costs in the South West and South East, ranking 21st and 42nd, respectively.
Londonand the surrounding areas make up the most expensive due to much higher residential costs. Excluding London, Oxford and Brighton are the most expensive places for students to live.
Commenting on the findings, Tornike Asatiani, CEO of Edumentors said: “The analysis shows the importance of accommodation and essential food in determining the most affordable place to study a degree. Most will not be surprised to find that they are located in the North and West Midlands regions, which typically have a lower cost of living than the South. The determining factor is usually rent, due to the proportion of monthly expenses that goes to it. What is particularly striking is the different weekly costs for student halls, with London’s average rate running up to £425 per week, well over double what other locations outside the capital charge.
