You want to enjoy a healthy and completely happy study life in the UK. Knowing how much you’ll need for living expenses is a good starting point, however remember the cost of living could also be higher or lower relying on the place you reside.
The UK Government suggests you will have:
- £1,265 monthly for those who stay in London for the majority (more than 50 %) of your study
- £1,015 monthly for those who stay outside London for the majority of your study (more than 50 % of study time)
These figures don’t include the cost of your study or tuition fees.
There are some helpful web sites you should use to help budget on your time within the UK.
Be sure to check out: Understanding the UK education system : Easy Guide
Currency
For your banking and payments choice within the UK, you typically pay (and are paid) in pounds and pence. You can also make purchases at shops using coins and notes, or a debit or credit card.
You may notice that the notes you get in Scotland and Northern Ireland look a bit different – despite the fact that the currency is similar, Scottish and Northern Irish banks print their very own notes.
These are often accepted in the rest of the UK, however if you have any issues and wish to change them to Bank of England notes, you are able to do so at any main bank in the UK.
Bank accounts
Most UK banks shall be happy to open an account for you when you’re living in the UK. To open an account, you’ll generally need:
- Your passport
- A document confirming the college, university or school you are or will soon be attending
- Proof of address at home and that in the UK
- Reference and statements from your home bank
To make the process easier, you may want to first verify with the bank you currently go to with in your home country, to see if they’ve got relationship with a UK-based bank and can help you set up an account.
To access money out of your account, you can:
- Use your bank’s on-line or phone banking service
- Visit your local bank branch
- Withdraw money from an ATM
- Ask to get ‘cash back’ when making an in-store buy on your debit card
Getting your phone and internet organised
You’ll probably wish to get your phone and Internet sorted pretty quickly after arriving in the UK.
In terms of phones, you will have three main choices:
Landline: often will only be relevant for those who stay off campus. You might be able to get a greater deal by bundling your landline with Internet entry, otherwise you may select to not have a landline at all and stick with your mobile.
Mobile – pay as you go: provides you management over how a lot you spend and you may cease utilizing everytime you need. Pre-paid SIM playing cards are broadly out there from UK outlets and supermarkets, in addition to from cell phone suppliers.
Mobile – contract: Depending on how a lot you use your mobile and what for, a contract with a UK-based mobile phone provider could be cheaper.
Making international calls
International calls could be a lot more expensive than calls within the UK. You may wish to buy an international calling card (which supplies you better rates) or use on-line choices like Skype or FaceTime instead. You can buy international calling playing cards from most convenience shops.
To name a UK number from overseas, you need to enter the country code (44) followed by the world code after which the phone number.
To call another country from the UK, enter 00 followed by the related country code, adopted by the world code (if required) after which the phone number.
Accessing the internet
You should have plenty of choices for Internet access in the UK, but it much better to shop around to find the plan that offers the best price and download limits for all your needs.
Most academic institutions provide free Wi-Fi which you can access with your scholar logon and password.
If you happen to can’t entry the Web by your personal laptop computer or computer, you’ll be able to often discover one to make use of in the student library, at an off-campus public library or web café.
Some places provide free Wi-Fi, however some Internet cafes for example, will charge by the hour. Don’t overlook to check the security of the network you’re connecting to.
What’s the average living cost in the UK?
If you are an Indian student, the cost of living in the UK for Indian students could be exorbitant compared to Indian standards. The average living expense is as follows:
Accommodation in halls of residence including bills: £400 – £600 month-to-month (INR 40,000-60,000)
Non-public lodging excluding payments: £320 – £530 month-to-month (INR 32,000-53,000)
Utility bills: £40 – £50 month-to-month (INR 4,000-5,000)
Food/Housekeeping: £160 – £200 month-to-month (INR 16,000-20,000)
TV license: £12.6 per month (INR 1,260)
Mobile phone: £15 – £50 month-to-month (INR 1,500-5,000)
Clothes/shoes: £25 month-to-month (INR 2,500)
Leisure/sport: £10 – £20 month-to-month (INR 1,000-2,000)
Books/stationary: £21 month-to-month (INR 2,100)
Socializing: £120 month-to-month (INR 12,000)
Travel/transport: £32 month-to-month (INR 3,200).
How much is the month-to-month rent in the UK?
The typical rental value within the UK is roughly £758 for one-bedroom flats within the metropolis and £614 outdoors town. It really works out to roughly INR 75,800 and INR 61,400, respectively.
What is an individual’s month-to-month value of living
Within the UK, cost of dwelling has at all times been expensive. An individual’s month-to-month value of living is around £652, excluding rent. This works out to INR 65,200.
Is the UK costlier than India?
Sure, the cost of living in UK is 6.5 times greater than the cost of living in India. India ranks at 194 within the record of the most costly countries globally, whereas the UK holds the 12th rank. For some perspective, a McDonald’s meal that prices round INR 245 in India will cost £6.16 (INR 618).
Price of Utilities and Bills in the UK
Within the UK, the typical value for fuel is £1,131 per year, which is round 4 percent of the typical family budget within the UK. The typical value of electricity per month is £34, and that of water can vary in different places within the UK.
The estimated value of the water and sewerage bill is £400 for a year. Saving on water and pointless usages of it might possibly also save some money. The cost of broadband in the UK is £27.50, together with web services as TV services.
Affordable Cities to stay in the UK
A few of the most inexpensive cities with low living costs within the UK for international college students are:
- Durham
- Belfast
- Leicester
- Stirling
- Lancaster
- Cardiff
- Newcastle
- Coventry
- Warwick
- Lincoln
- Nottingham
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Norwich
