How much you should expect to spend as a student in Leeds

Accommodation Costs

Student Accommodation

During my first year (2023-2024) I lived in The Plaza university accommodation. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom but shared a kitchen and living room. I paid roughly £7,500 for the entire year with bills included, though the price has gone up since then. You should generally expect to pay between £7,500 and £8,500 for the year, though there are a few options that are cheaper and a few that are more expensive. Check out the LBU Accommodation Search for specific numbers.

There are a couple things to keep in mind when debating which student accommodation to move to. The price of accommodation generally decreases the further away from campus you go, with the city centre being the most expensive place to live. It would be cheaper to live in Headingley, though the only student accommodation up there is Carnegie Village, which as of right now is £8,190 at the cheapest. The price of rent also depends on the quality of the accommodation you go for. I went for one in the middle of the quality/price range because of its proximity to campus, and although it wasn’t luxurious it was still quality.

Shared House

During my second year I rented a house in Hyde Park (about a 20-minute walk away from City Campus) with two of my friends. This was a lot cheaper than my student accommodation and I paid £5,460 for the year. However, this was without bills, so the final cost with bills at roughly £118 per month was around £6,875. This is around the same cost as a lower-priced university accommodation and about the same distance away. However, I enjoyed this a lot more as I was only with two other housemates and had more space. Generally, when it comes to student houses, the more people you live with the cheaper it is. I know some who live with nine housemates!

Most housing companies will offer either bills included or excluded, with bills included likely to be a bit more expensive. Most people opt for this because then you only pay one fee and don’t have to set up bills separately. We opted for bills excluded because we believed (correctly) that it would be cheaper. We set up our bills with One Utility Bill which combined all our bills into one payment (so water, energy, and Wi-Fi all together) and allowed us to pay each of our payments individually. I would personally recommend One Utility Bill, though there are other bill-splitting services out there such as Split the Bills. However, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle then bills included could be the right choice.

Studio Apartment

In my third year I am going to be living in a one-bedroom studio in Hyde Park. The cost is £8,460 per year, without bills included. I decided to do each of the bills separately because it will likely be cheaper than getting them all together through a third party (such as One Utility Bill). Water I am sourcing through Yorkshire Water (as most people do), energy through Octopus Energy, and Wi-Fi through Virgin Media’s student contract (the only 12 month contract they offer). Wi-Fi will be £326, energy (electricity and gas) will be £708.63, and water will likely be around £444, all under 12 month contracts. In total this will add up to approximately £850 for bills, making the total cost £9,310 for the year.

Key Takeaways

Each accommodation option has its pros and cons, and there is no one right answer. Although most people move into shared houses in their second and third year, some stay in university-owned accommodation for all three years, and others rent privately. It will depend on how far you want to be from campus and how much you are willing to pay. Also, please keep in mind that you will likely have to pay a deposit or advance rent which is about £200 for student accommodation and £400 for a shared house/studio apartment.

Living Costs

Food

Food has been getting steadily more expensive in recent years, though the cost for individual goods depends on where you go. There is a hierarchy of food shops, with Aldi and Lidl being cheapest, and Waitrose being the most expensive. Most students shop at Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. I shop mostly at Aldi and Morrisons, which I have found to be cheaper than Sainsbury’s and Tesco. I spend roughly £150 a month on food and eat out about five times a month.

Most stores (Aldi being the exception) offer loyalty cards which reduce prices for card holders. I would highly recommend signing up for one or a few if you get meal deals often or shop at the same store often. Although I don’t personally have any loyalty cards, I’ve heard that Tesco’s Clubcard is worth it and Morrisons’ is decent.

If you’re on campus a lot, I would advise to pack your own lunch or try the on-campus £2 lunch deal.

Socialising

There’s a ton of opportunities for socialising in Leeds, from pubs to sports to shopping, and if you’re not careful you could end up spending loads. I’ve found I spend around £65 a month on socialising and societies/sports, though I would say to budget closer to £100 - £120 a month if you are a busy extrovert. Even more if you go out often and like to travel on the weekends.

Transportation

A single one-way bus ticket anywhere within Leeds is £2 for a student ticket. If you are going to take the bus often, I’d recommend downloading the FirstBus app and signing in with your student email so you can buy the student ticket in advance.

However, you may not have to deal with this if you walk everywhere – as many students do. I know a few people who commute or take the bus often, though I also know students who have never taken a bus in Leeds before. Everything is pretty much walkable in Leeds, though if you live in Headingley you will likely need to take the bus down to the city centre (it’s over an hour long walk). Also, if you go out at night, budget some money for an Uber. How much it costs depends on how far from the city you live - from Hyde Park to the city centre it is about £7 pounds.

Costs - Overall

According to the Leeds Beckett Course Fees and Living Costs page, in addition to proving you have money to pay your first year’s tuition, you will also need to show proof of having £1,136 per month for nine months of living expenses to obtain your UK student visa. So £10,224 total. 

This is a realistic number if you have a relatively cheap rent, though if you have a higher rent, that number could be closer to £11,000. And if you travel and partake in a lot of socialising, that number could be even higher. There are of course many ways to save, such as minimising shopping, shopping at cheap food stores, and eating food at home, though you will still need a good chunk of money to live comfortably in Leeds.

Look out for student discounts and little ways to save, though don’t get too caught up about how much you're spending that you forget to have fun!