Student living costs are constantly rising, but how much is it costing them?
University = freedom. And guess what… that means trying to manage your finances on your own.
It’s not that scary, but when you realise how high the average student living costs are, you might recoil deeper into your chair, clutching onto your wallet, whispering “they can’t take you away from me”.
Budgeting can be tricky to get the hang of, especially as there are lots of things you’ll need to budget for which can be hard to estimate. Luckily, thanks to your student loan you’ll be getting help from the government to help cover the costs of your rent and other living costs.
While rent is the big one that’s going to take up a big chunk of your money, there are also other things you’ll want to allow for such as food shopping, going out, socialising, buying course materials like notebooks and textbooks and grabbing a coffee here and there (and trust us, that does add up!).
According to Save the Student's National Student Money Survey 2025, the average UK maintenance loan now falls short of covering living costs by £502 a month — so knowing where your money actually goes is more useful than ever.
Check out the best digital banks for students and the best money saving apps in the UK to help you keep hold of your finances better.
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Average student living costs
According to the National Student Money Survey 2025, the table below shows the average student living costs.
Expense | Cost (monthly)
|
|---|---|
Rent | £529 |
Groceries | £146 |
Household bills | £69 |
Transport | £67 |
Going out | £61 |
Takeaways & eating out | £49 |
Clothes & shopping | £40 |
Holidays & events | £32 |
Health & wellbeing | £24 |
Course materials | £20 |
Gifts & charity | £17 |
Friends & family | £17 |
Subscriptions | £13 |
Mobile phone | £15 |
Interest payments | £15 |
Other | £26 |
Rent is still comfortably the biggest monthly outgoing, with groceries and household bills rounding out the top three.
If bills are eating into your budget more than you'd like, it's worth checking your provider rates and any student discounts against our guide to student household bills.
How much do students need to live on?
Based on the latest survey data, students need roughly £1,142 a month to cover the basics — though this varies a lot by city, with London and other high-rent areas pushing the real figure higher.
Maintenance loan amounts often aren't enough to cover rent and bills on their own, let alone anything else, which is exactly why a clear month-by-month budget matters so much once term starts.
If you’ve already graduated from university and have started making repayments towards your student loan debt, you might be entitled to a student loan refund, if you’ve happened to have overpaid.
Our ultimate guide to student life is here to help you on your uni journey.
Is the maintenance loan enough?
How much maintenance loan you get depends on your household income, where you live and study, and a few other factors. While the loan is designed to cover essentials like rent and groceries, it typically doesn't stretch to cover everything else on top.
For the 2026/27 academic year, the maximum maintenance loan for students living away from home outside London (household income of £25,000 or less) is £10,830 a year, or around £902 a month — rising to £14,135 a year for those living away from home in London.
Even at the maximum rate, that's still short of the £1,142 average monthly spend, which lines up with Save the Student's finding that the average loan leaves students roughly £502 a month out of pocket. If you want to check exactly what you're entitled to, our breakdown of what the minimum maintenance loan you should get looks like is a good place to start, and it's worth knowing your maintenance loan payment dates so you can plan around them.
Students with disabilities may also be able to claim Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) on top of their loan, which can help cover course-related costs the standard maintenance loan doesn't touch.
Where can I get extra money from to help cover the costs of being a student?
With loans rarely stretching far enough, most students end up topping up their income another way. Popular options include:
Part-time work through your Students' Union, in retail, hospitality, supermarkets, or bars
Flexible online jobs for students you can do around lectures, from freelancing to tutoring
Selling clothes and unused items online
Do flexible shift work for food delivery companies like Deliveroo or Uber Eats
It's also worth cutting costs before you look at earning more. Small changes — batch cooking, using a student railcard, switching to a cheaper mobile plan — genuinely add up over a term. For a full rundown, our 100 money-saving tips for students are worth bookmarking, and of course, a Student Beans account gets you discounts on food, fashion, tech and more to help your budget stretch that bit further.
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All your favourite brands at your fingertips, from fashion and beauty to food and drink, available to college and uni students aged 16 and over. Dive into our blog to find tips and advice to help you navigate student life, from applying to uni to life after graduation.
- Sign up for a Student Beans account or log in to start saving on the biggest and best brands.
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