Oxford’s reputation for academia is almost unmatched. It’s a city steeped in educational history that also offers a high-quality of contemporary living, and you might be surprised to learn that it is less expensive than it sounds. With a student population of more than 25%, the city is well set up for university goers, and if you know where to look, you’ll find student-friendly options around every spired corner. Read on, and we’ll explain some of the best tips and tricks to stay within budget in this prestigious and surprisingly affordable city.
There are two universities in Oxford, and regardless of where you choose to study, you’ll be paying undergraduate tuitions fees in line with UK government guidelines. This means that each year, you’ll be budgeting £9,250 for tuition fees alone (this will be rising to £9,535 from the 2025/26 academic year), and these need to be paid at the start of first term.
Some student are able to fund these fees personally, however the vast majority choose to take out a loan from Student Finance, which covers the whole amount and is paid automatically to your uni at the beginning of each year, until graduation.
There are also maintenance loans available, which are designed to help with the cost-of-living expenses such as accommodation, transport, and groceries, and are calculated based on your household income. You can receive up to £9,710 per year (this will be rising to up to £10,544 from the 2025/26 academic year), and the best part is that repayments for both of these loans begin only after you’ve secured a job and are earning over the repayment threshold for your loan plan.
You’ll find a number of scholarships and bursary options at either the University of Oxford, or Oxford Brookes University, and these are a great way to reduce your living costs and overall student debt. Each university offers awards for both domestic and international students, which are redeemable as a discounted rate on tuition fees, cash stipends, access to specialist equipment and much more. They’re typically non-repayable, and it’s definitely worth checking out your options to see if there’s anything which you’re eligible for.
Read more about student finance.
Oxford Brookes University has 12 different halls of residence options in its portfolio, offering a wide variety of places to live at a range of price points ranging from £99 - £279 per week. Living in halls is a convenient and inexpensive option with a lot of benefits for first-year students. Typically, prices include all utilities bills, internet, and maintenance, and contracts are available for the exact number of weeks that your course is running, meaning that you won’t be paying for accommodation that you aren’t using if you choose to spend the summer months back home or elsewhere.
The University of Oxford uses a college system, whereby each college functions as a small community, offering accommodation, meals, libraries, accommodation, sports, and other enrichment events. Prices for accommodation at the University of Oxford are typically around £200 per week.
Renting private accommodation in Oxford is generally a little more expensive than other cities in the surrounding area such as Reading or Milton Keynes, however it is still substantially less than in London. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs £1,580 per month on average, and a three-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs on average £2,585 per month. Oxford is a fairly small and easily navigable city however, so moving out of the centre means you’re still pretty close to your classes, and you’ll save around 30% on rent.
Oxford has a diverse range of supermarkets and grocery shops, such as Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, Sainsburys, Lidl, Aldi, and many more. There are weekly farmers markets selling fresh produce from the local region, and these can be a good place to find high-quality ingredients. Most halls at the University of Oxford are catered, which means that most students eat the meals provided by their college, and kitchen facilities are limited, so if you're a student there you likely won't spend much on grocery shopping.
Popular grocery items are priced on average:
Milk (1L): £1.40
Bread Loaf: £1.33
Rice (1kg): £2.31
Eggs (12): £3.94
Cheese (1kg): £10.71
Chicken fillets (1kg): £7.00
Apples (1kg): £3.05
Potatoes (1kg): £1.23
Keep an eye out for incentives like ‘Too Good To Go’, a food and grocery app which aims to tackle food waste by making unsold food available for heavily discounted prices towards the end of the day.
There are 40,000 students in Oxford, and the city caters to every kind of taste and culture. It’s a historic place, with many pubs and bars which are centuries old, and have been frequented by generations of students offering a very authentic experience. A pint of local beer will set you back around £6 which, while comparatively expensive for the area, is still markedly less than you’ll find in nearby London. Oxford punches well above its weight for live music, performance, theatre, comedy and other evening entertainments. There are student-run events which often offer reduced-price tickets.
Food is plentiful, with a landscape of cafés and restaurants to explore, and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs about £14. A meal for two at a mid-range restaurant is reasonably priced, at an average of less than £60 for three courses.
Taxis cost £1.49 per km, which is 17% less than a London cab, making it easy to go out and enjoy the late-night side of Oxford, without spending too much to get home safely.
Oxford is a reasonably small city and has an excellent bus service which you can use to get around at all times of day. A single ticket costs £2.30, although it often makes sense to get a monthly pass which costs around £74. Students at the University of Oxford can get a further 10% discount, so don’t forget to make use of these advantages. A 16-25 railcard will get you 1/3 off all rail transport in the country too. It’s a fantastic deal, which often pays for itself after a couple of trips to London and back.
To save the most money, consider walking to uni or riding a bike. Oxford is one of the most popular cities in the UK for cycling to work. It’s a fast and free way of getting around, with the added benefit of daily exercise and taking care of the environment.
Both Oxford universities have an extensive network of clubs and societies, and while most of them are free to join, they might involve additional expenses for trips, events, or equipment. Factor this into your monthly budget and set a little money aside, so that you can pursue new interests without stretching yourself financially.
There are plenty of other things to do in Oxford too, from regular sporting events to shopping. You might want to take a day trip to see the Oxfordshire countryside or check out the sights of nearby London. Pragmatically, you might be wise to keep an emergency fund available for unforeseen course-related costs such as printing and photocopying, or additional books.
Overall, we’d recommend budgeting around £1,100 per month studying in Oxford. This figure may vary a lot depending on your rental costs and lifestyle, so be sure to take your personal circumstances into account when creating your budget.