Bristol is one of the most popular places for students and young people to live in the UK due to its reasonable cost of living and all it has to offer its inhabitants. Situated in South West England, Bristol is brimming with trendy cafes and bars, an eclectic food scene, music and cultural venues and events.
Bristol is cheaper than London on most fronts, including rent, utility bills, transport and going out, being around 22% cheaper than the capital in general (excluding rent costs). Living as a student in Bristol means you’ll get the big city benefits of living in a thriving place, at a lower cost than some other major UK cities. Read on to learn more about the cost of living in Bristol for a student.
Fees and funding in Bristol
Going to uni in Bristol will subject you to the same fees and funding as those who study in other UK towns and cities. Most courses in the UK cost £9,250 per year to study. You can apply for a Student Finance tuition fee loan to help pay these study costs. For most UK students, the tuition fee loan will cover all your tuition fees and will be paid directly to the uni.
As a student in Bristol, you’ll also have day-to-day living expenses to think about, like rent, going out costs and food costs.
You can apply for a maintenance loan worth up to around £10,000 per year through Student Finance to help pay for these expenses.
Loans from Student Finance don’t need to be paid back until you’ve graduated and earning over a certain threshold. For new students on Plan 5, this threshold is £25,000, although the amount will differ depending on what plan you’re on.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you may also be able to apply for extra funding from your uni in the form of scholarships and bursaries. For example, at Bristol UWE there are several sports bursaries available, as well as subject-specific scholarships like the Katherine Gamboa scholarships available for graphic design students who come from a household with an annual income of less than £25,000.
Also, at the University of Bristol, there are numerous scholarships and bursaries available for students who meet the specific criteria. For example, the Blake Memorial Fund is worth up to £1,000 for students in the department of electrical and electronic engineering who are experiencing financial difficulty, while the Alumni Foundation music bursaries award up to £500 to talented musicians from outside the music department.
Student accommodation in Bristol
Both Bristol UWE and the University of Bristol offer various accommodation options to suit different budgets. The halls’ location, room size, accommodation type, and more, will determine how much each option costs. For example, catered accommodations and en-suite rooms are likely to be more expensive than self-catered, shared bathroom options. University-run accommodation in Bristol costs range between £130 and £350 a week.
You could also choose to live in privately rented accommodation in Bristol. A one bedroom flat in the city centre will cost around £1,350 each month, but renting a room in a shared house is a much cheaper option at £714 per person. If you do decide to live in private accommodation, you’ll also need to budget utility bills on top of rent, such as gas, electricity, water and internet.
Cost of groceries in Bristol
Bristol is home to all the major supermarkets, including low-cost options such as Lidl and Aldi. There are also many markets which can help cut costs when shopping for groceries.
On average, you’ll find the following rough prices for these common goods in Bristol:
- Milk (1L): £1.11
- Bread Loaf: £1.16
- Rice (1kg): £1.22
- Eggs (12): £2.84
- Cheese (1kg): £7.87
- Chicken fillets (1kg): £7.31
- Apples (1kg): £2.41
- Potatoes (1kg): £1.42
Going out in Bristol
The cost of going out for students in Bristol is reasonable. There are cheaper places in the UK but there are also definitely cities and towns that will drain your bank account to a far greater extent. For a meal in an inexpensive restaurant, the average price is around £15 per person and the average price for a pint of beer is around £5. You’ll also be able to find student nights that offer discounted drinks and club entry.
Transport in Bristol
With London reachable in 90 minutes and the coast and countryside on Bristol’s doorstep, exploring Britain is accessible and affordable. Make sure to buy a 16-25 Railcard for £30, which will give you 1/3 off rail fares. Train tickets to London start from around £18 each way, while it can cost around £10 to get to Exeter and £8.70 to get to Bath. To get the cheapest fares, you should book as early as possible and buy advance single tickets where you can.
You can get around a lot of the city by foot, but students also rely on bus services to go from A to B. More than 150 buses operate 24 hours a day throughout the city and a one way ticket is just £2. Students can also get a monthly bus pass for around £50.
Some of Bristol UWE’s accommodation options include a free bus pass, allowing you to save on transport costs.
Other student expenses in Bristol
There are also other monthly expenses that you should be aware of as a student in Bristol. These will depend on your personal lifestyle. For example, you might want to budget about £25 a month for clothing and accessories as well as toiletries and sanitary items for which you should budget around £10-£15 per month. Depending on your course, you may need to spend around £20 a month for course materials and books, although you can save money here by finding materials as online PDFs.
On average, as a university student in Bristol, we’d recommend budgeting for around £1,100 a month, not including course fees.