The city of Leicester sits in the East Midlands of England and has a population of more than 300,000. It’s home to various state-of-the-art venues, the National Space Centre, numerous galleries and museums and a full calendar of events.
It’s an affordable city to live in and is comparatively cheaper than many others in the UK. In Natwest’s 2021 rankings, Leicester came inside the top ten most affordable cities for students to live in the UK, being around 25% cheaper than London on average. Keep reading to find out more about the cost of living in Leicester for a student.
The main cost for students in terms of fees and funding in Leicester is tuition fees. These are the fees you need to pay to study at uni in the UK which usually cost up to £9,250 per year (this will be rising to £9,535 from the 2025/26 academic year). You can apply for a tuition fee loan through Student Finance to cover some or all of your tuition fees.
You’ll also be able to apply for a maintenance loan worth up to £9,706 per year (this will be rising to up to £10,544 from the 2025/26 academic year) to help pay for your living expenses, like rent, food and going out. The exact amount you can borrow through your maintenance loan will depend on where you study, where you live and your family income.
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, the University of Leicester offers various scholarships including sports scholarships and De Montfort University has bursaries worth up to £1,000 per year for students who’ve left care or who are estranged from their families.
Uni halls of residence in Leicester vary in terms of type of accommodation and price. At De Montfort University, for example, all halls are self-catered with the cost ranging from £95 to £158 per week, with the more expensive options being privately-owned halls. At the University of Leicester, halls prices start from as low as £69 per week, with the most expensive options costing £263 per week.
It should be noted that the cheaper options are often located outside the city or further away from uni. Also, en suite rooms tend to be more expensive than shared bathroom options.
If you don’t manage to get a place in uni halls, or you’d rather not live in uni accommodation, you can look at privately rented options. Prices for privately rented accommodation for students in Leicester can be around £760 per month. It’s important to note that you’ll probably need to pay rent all year round if you live in private accommodation, whereas, in uni halls you’ll probably only have to pay rent during the academic year (on average 44 weeks).
If you live in privately rented accommodation, you’ll need to pay utility bills, such as water, gas, electricity and internet, on top of your rent payments. In Leicester, you should budget around £70-£80 a month for these costs. These costs will likely be higher if you live alone and have no one to split your utility bills with. If you live in halls, your utility payments will probably be covered in your rental fees.
On average, you’ll find the following rough prices for these common goods in Leicester:
Milk (1L): £1.38
Bread Loaf: £1.21
Rice (1kg): £1.81
Eggs (12): £2.60
Local cheese (1kg): £8.92
Chicken fillets (1kg): £6.94
Apples (1kg): £1.50
Potatoes (1kg): £1.59
For a meal in an inexpensive restaurant, you’re likely to pay around £15 per person in Leicester, while a three-course meal for two people in a mid-range restaurant costs on average £50. Drinking in local pubs is relatively inexpensive with a pint of beer costing on average £4. Higher-end bars and clubs are more expensive and sometimes charge an entry fee. The average price of a cocktail is around £10. Student nights are frequent and offer cheaper drinks and club entry.
Leicester is well-connected to other major cities in the UK, due to its position in the middle of the country. National train fares vary depending on where you’re going. Train tickets from Leicester to London start at £13.40 each way and start from £7.30 to Birmingham and £21.40 to Manchester. To get the cheapest fares, you should book as early as possible and buy advanced single tickets where you can. You can also buy a 16-25 Rail Card for £30, which will give you 1/3 off rail fares.
There are good transport links within the city of Leicester, making getting around the city and universities convenient. Trains and buses are the most common forms of transport in the city and a monthly transport pass costs around £60. On average, a 5-mile taxi ride costs around £12.
There are also other monthly expenses that you should be aware of as a student in Leicester. For example, you should try to budget around £35 a month for clothing and accessories and around £20 a month for course materials like books. You’ll also likely need to pay for laundry services which cost on average around £25 per month, as well as toiletries and sanitary items for which you should budget around £10-£15 per month.
As a university student in Leicester, the average student should budget to spend around £1,000 a month, not including course fees. This figure will vary depending on each individual’s lifestyle.