How the Student Cost of Living Calculator works

This handy tool calculates your monthly costs for everything from rent and food to travel, socialising, and shopping. It pulls data from real-world sources like Numbeo, combines it with your inputs, and uses clever calculations to give you a personalised budget. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. 

Your first big expense is housing. Whether you’re dreaming of a shared house, student halls, or living at home, the calculator works out your rent, utilities, and internet costs. 

Students have got four housing options: living at home, in university or private halls, in a shared private house, or living alone in private accommodation.  

Living at home is calculated as a zero-cost housing choice, unless you tick ‘I already know the cost’ and enter how much you'll pay as a share of bills while living at home. 

When it comes to universities, remember that institutions can have a single campus with or without halls, multiple campuses with or without halls, or be run entirely online or through distance learning. 

If university halls are available, either university owned or private, the calculator will use official fees from the university's profile. If an institution doesn't provide halls, private accommodation fees for shared houses in the private sector are used instead. If an institution has multiple campuses, you'll see costs in a range from the cheapest to the most expensive across all campus accommodation. Online or distance-learning providers will have housing costs set to £0 if you remain at home.  The average university halls cost in your results will be calculated from an average of all institutions listed on the Whatuni website.

So, for example, if you’re planning to study in Edinburgh and live in a shared house: 

• Rent (£1,200 ÷ 3): £400 

• Utilities (£150 ÷ 3): £50 

• Internet (£30 ÷ 3): £10 

Total: £460/month 

Food = life, but it can also = pricey. The calculator balances eating out and eating in, using data on food prices (like groceries and restaurant meals) tailored to your spending habits. 

 Let’s say you’re studying in Glasgow, eating out for 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinners a week: 

• Eating out: £336/month 

• Eating in: £90/month 

• Hygiene/personal care: £30/month 

Total: £456/month 

How will you get around? Public transport? Road trips to visit family? Just pop in your travel plans, and the calculator does the rest. 

Example: 

 If you’re studying in Bristol, using public transport occasionally and spending £25 visiting family: 

• Local transport: £16/month 

• Family visits: £25/month 

Total: £41/month 

Uni is also about looking good (and staying warm in winter). The calculator factors in how often you shop and whether you prefer budget, mid-range, or designer labels. 

Example: 

A student in Glasgow buying 2 mid-range items a month: 

2 x £50 = £100/month 

This section covers everything that makes life fun: socialising, streaming services, exercise, and other extras. 

Socialising 

How often do you go out? A few beers or a movie? Enter your habits, and the calculator adds up the costs. 

Streaming & Apps 

Love Spotify or Netflix? Add your monthly subscriptions and student discounts. 

Exercise 

Choose your workout style—gym, team sports, or home workouts—and the tool calculates gym fees or other costs. 

Extras 

Got something else in mind? You can manually add costs for anything the calculator doesn’t cover. 

Got a student loan, part-time job, or scholarship? The calculator works out your monthly income and compares it to your expenses.

If you get £6,000 a year in student loans, the calculator divides this by 12. If you earn £200 per week from work the calculator multiplies this by 4.33 to get the monthly amount. 

The total monthly income is calculated as (6,000/12) £500 + (200 x 4.33) 866 = £1,366 per month. 

Example: 

• Loan: £6,000 ÷ 12 = £500/month 

• Job: £200 x 4.33 = £866/month 

Total: £1,366/month 

Here’s where the magic happens! Once all your expenses and income are in, the calculator totals them up to show: 

• Your monthly living costs 

• Whether you’re over or under budget 

• Comparisons by city, region, and university 

The Student Cost of Living Calculator makes planning your uni life simple and stress-free. Try it now and get a clear picture of your finances before you even step on campus. 

Check it out today!