Cost of living in Cardiff

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Cardiff is a vibrant and forward-looking city, popular with students from all backgrounds and home to around 480,000 inhabitants. It’s a centre for knowledge and research, with two unis and one of the University of South Wales’ campuses calling the city home. The student community in Cardiff represents 20% of the city’s population, meaning there's plenty catering to students here. Cardiff offers many things as well as to education, from stunning sea views to superb nightlife and world class sporting events. Our guide takes you though some of the most important aspects of student life in Cardiff, and we explain how to make the most of your time here while keeping your living costs low.

Fees and funding in Cardiff

University life in Cardiff involves several essential expenses which must be factored into your monthly or yearly budget. One of these is your course fees which for an undergraduate degree is capped at £9,000 per year. Fortunately, there are several options to reduce the amount you’ll need to personally have available at the start of your course. Most students can get a tuition fee loan from Student Finance, which covers your entire course fee and is paid directly to your uni at the start of the year. They also offer a maintenance loan which is calculated based on your household income and can be worth almost £10,000 per year. These loans are available until the completion of your degree and don’t need to be paid back until you're earning over the repayment threshold for your plan.

You may find extra funding opportunities through your uni’s scholarship and bursary programmes. It’s worth checking out at the point of making an application, because these awards can offer further tuition fee discounts, cash stipends and access to equipment and services to help your studies. The University of Cardiff offers a range of options from academic performance awards to musical scholarship schemes and several scholarships exclusively for candidates studying in Welsh.

Student accommodation in Cardiff

You may be wondering whether to live in a university-owned hall of residence, or to find private rental accommodation in the city. Whatever your decision, Cardiff has you covered. There are many options with a range of locations and facilities to ensure that you find the right home for you, and at the right price.

Halls of residence are a great way to source affordable rent in a convenient location, and being surrounded by hundreds of students from your uni makes socialising inevitable. Cardiff Metropolitan University has two halls of residence located about a 15-minute walk from the university campus. Plas Gwyn housing includes about 400 single self-catered rooms with en-suite bathrooms arranged in flats of eight students, with communal kitchen and living facilities. All bills are included, and prices range from £130 to £140 per week.

Their Cyncoed Campus offers the same prices for self-catered rooms, and also offers catered accommodation ranging between £180 to £200 per week. Although catered accommodation might seem like an unnecessary cost, it’s worth calculating how much you expect to spend per week on groceries, and factor in the time you’ll spend buying, preparing and cleaning up after your meals.

Renting in Cardiff is generally less expensive than its nearest neighbour, Bristol. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre averages £780, while a similar apartment outside the centre is about 20% cheaper. Sharing a three-bedroom apartment works out at around £650 per person for a place in the city centre, but could be as low as £350 per person if you choose to live a bit further out.

If you’re privately renting, you’ll likely also need to budget for your utility bills. Utilities could be as much as £75 per person per month, so make sure to include this in your budget.

Cost of groceries in Cardiff

Cardiff is a busy place and has all the biggest and best supermarket chains that you might expect. Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrison, Waitrose, you name it; Cardiff has it.

Common grocery items cost on average:

Milk (1l): £1.01
Bread loaf: £1.03
Rice (1kg): £1.61
Eggs (12): £2.21
Cheese (1kg): £4.37
Chicken fillets (1kg): £5.31
Apples (1kg): £1.96
Potatoes (1kg): £0.97

Look out for low-cost alternative supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl and Costcutter to really snag a bargain.

Going out in Cardiff

Cardiff is famous for its nightlife and entertainment. It’s always buzzing with activity from the smallest bar to the biggest stadium, so explore your options and enjoy the scene.

Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant costs around £14 per person, and there are plenty of these around. You’ll find a cappuccino for less than £3 and very affordable drinks, with a pint of beer costing £4 on average and imported bottles around £3.55. With prices as low as this, there’s no reason not to head out and paint the town red!

With so many students living in Cardiff, there are plenty of bars and clubs offering drinks deals and student discounts. Look out for chain venues such as Tiger Tiger, Be at One and Revolution for weekly events.

Transport in Cardiff

Cardiff is well set up for public transport, and is readily accessible by bus, train and bicycle. A one-way journey costs just £2, and a monthly pass starts at £53.

Cardiff is a highly connected city, and a great base from which to explore the rest of the UK. You'll be able to purchase a 16-25 Rail Card which reduces the cost of all national rail tickets by 1/3, which is great news if you want to book a quick city trip to nearby Bristol or Bath, or perhaps a countryside getaway along South Wales’ stunning coastline.

Biking is also a great (and free) way to get around, and Cardiff has a network of cycle lanes and public locking stations to make the city centre as accessible as possible for student cyclists.

Other student expenses in Cardiff

Cardiff is a hub of activity and very well set up to cater to student interests. Whether you fancy joining a local sports club or fitness centre, or buying theatre membership or a season ticket, it’s wise to factor these additional costs into your monthly budget estimations. Cinema tickets are very inexpensive in Cardiff at an average of only £6.50, so even if you’re tight for funds you’ll always be able to find affordable entertainment.

Keep in mind that as a student, you might need some spare cash for course-related expenses such as scanning and printing, additional books and learning materials.

Overall, living in Cardiff as a student will cost you around £800 a month (not including tuition fees), depending on your rent cost and lifestyle.

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Cost of living in Cardiff

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