If Durham is on your list of potential uni cities, our guide is here to cover all the important questions you'll be asking about the city, from accommodation to nightlife!
Updated: 16 Mar 2025
Durham is a city in North East England and is home to one of the best universities in the UK. The world-leading research of Durham University has put the city on the map as a great place to be a student. With historical sites to explore, stunning countryside nearby and some brilliant nightlife, there’s plenty to do here. If you’re still deciding where to study, read on for information about how to get around Durham, the average cost of living and the type of accommodation you can expect as a student in the city.
Durham is well known as a friendly city with a compact feel (its population is just 43,000). Even so, if you’re a student here there are plenty of things to do.
The university itself is set on a historic site, including Durham Castle. While you might find yourself in the building as part of your daily uni life, it’s also worth taking a guided tour to discover more about its past. If you’re a history lover, there’s loads more to explore in the city, including the mediaeval Crook Hall Gardens and the Museum of Archaeology.
As well as all the history, there’s some great food on offer in Durham. Cafédral Durham is great for a coffee and cake (with great views of the cathedral). A bit further out on the coast is Flamingo Bar and Cafe with a gorgeous sea view, yummy brunch options and instagram-worthy photo opportunities.
If that's not enough to keep you going, check out our list of the top 10 student things to do in Durham.
Thanks to the university presence, there are loads of options for a great night out in Durham no matter what you’re into. The Student Union’s Undercroft Bar is good for cheap drinks and live music, as well as occasional club nights, karaoke and student balls.
If you’re looking for an alternate live music space, check out the Old Cinema Launderette. As it says in the name, it used to be a cinema, and is now a laundrette and coffee shop in the daytime. At night the space really comes alive as it turns into a unique intimate gig venue with a selection of craft beers.
Durham University has a collegiate system, where every student is a member of a college. These colleges offer a range of standard rooms, en-suites, catered and self-catered.
Rental costs for a standard room with a shared bathroom are £174 per week. To have an en-suite you can expect to pay £190. The most expensive college rooms are studios, and cost from £219 to £261 a week. If you’re looking for catered accommodation, you can expect to pay between £2,842 and £2,940 a year on top of your rent costs.
Privately rented accommodation is available in Durham and there are rooms in shared houses for rent, as well as private studio apartments. These can be quite expensive if you're living close to city centre, but prices will drop considerably the further you live from the city centre.
You’ll also need to factor in about £50 each month for utility bills and wifi, or a bit more if you live alone. There are cheaper options for renting privately, although you would have to look further afield to places like Sunderland.
Getting around Durham itself is quite easy as it’s a small city. Most students walk or cycle, and there is a bus service which students can use for £1 a day. There are also e-scooters and e-bikes available throughout the city, which you can rent through an app and hop on and off as you need.
If you’re looking to go further afield, Durham has great train connections. You can get to Newcastle for about £6, Edinburgh for £11 and Liverpool from £21. You can even get to London for as cheap as £23, just make sure you book in advance to get the cheapest fares available. It’s a good idea to buy a 16-25 Rail Card, which costs £30 and gives you a third off the price of your train tickets.
The nearest airports to Durham are Newcastle International Airport in the north, and Teesside International Airport in the south. Both fly throughout the UK, as well as into Europe and beyond.
Durham is a relatively expensive place to live in the north of England. Not including course fees, the average student should expect to spend around £1,000 each month. Of course, this all depends on your accommodation and lifestyle choices.
Food wise in Durham you can expect to pay around £1.17 for a loaf of bread, £1.51 for a kilogram of rice, £2.68 for a dozen eggs and 88p for a kilogram of potatoes. If you’re staying in one of the catered university accommodation your food costs will be lower.
You’ll also need to budget for other expenses as a student in Durham. These will differ for each person, but you can expect to spend around £15 each month for course materials, £20 for laundry and £10 for toiletries. Take into account your personal spending habits while planning your budget. For example, will you want to buy clothes and accessories, or do you have hobbies that require you to pay monthly membership fees?
In terms of socialising, as Durham is a student city there are plenty of reasonably priced options that won’t break the bank. Non-student venues are going to be more expensive, so to keep within budget you can go to college bars. The average price of beer in Durham is about £6, but you can get cheaper drinks by making the most of deals on offer at dedicated student nights. The NatWest Student Living Index recently did a study that revealed Durham students spend an average of £20.60 on a night out. This is just under £6 less than the UK average.
Make sure you have a valid student card as there are lots of discounts you can access. For example, the price for a game of bowling is about £7 at Lane 7 Bowling with your student discount. You can also get £5 student cinema tickets at the Gala Theatre and a ticket for the Durham Student Theatre is about £6. Eating out can also be done on a budget. The average cost of an inexpensive meal in Durham is £12, but you can find restaurants or takeaways where you could eat for less than £10 per person.
NEXT: Check out a detailed breakdown on the cost of living in Durham.
The University of Durham is the only uni in the city, and it’s world renowned. It’s ranked 7th in the Complete University Guide’s 2025 league tables and is one of the most respected institutions in the UK. It’s also a member of the esteemed Russell Group of leading research-intensive universities.
It’s set on a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. Both the castle and cathedral are nearly 1,000 years old and are central parts of university life, so you’ll enjoy a university experience steeped in history.
If you want to find out more about studying at Durham, why not book onto an open day?. In the meantime, you can take a look at the courses on offer.