When it comes to choosing the best university for your application shortlist, it can feel like there are a million different factors to consider. Outside of finding the best places to apply for the course you want to study, there are a host of other things to think about. Are you looking for the bright lights of a big city or the community feel of a rural campus? Do you want to stay within visiting distance to home or far away in a new, unexplored location?
During this sometimes overwhelming process, it can be easy to forget about one of the most important factors affecting your university life: the cost of your accommodation. Let’s face it, it’s a lot more entertaining working out how you’re going to arrange your room, than thinking about paying rent!
But fear not. We’ve done some of the hard work for you, with an overview of student rent across the UK: presenting, the Student Rent Index 2018!
Our comprehensive league table ranks the average rent in 50 university towns and cities by comparing each to the wider national average- helping you get that little bit more clued up about where’s best for you, with a benchmark on what you should expect to pay when you’ve found somewhere you love.
When it comes to the most affordable, it’ll be music to the ears of many students that there are a host of the UK’s most coveted student towns and cities which make the top 20- with Sheffield revealed as the most affordable major city. And, it’s no surprise that the rich history and iconic surroundings of the likes of Bath, Cambridge and Edinburgh mean that students from the UK and beyond are willing to pay a little more to experience them.
But no matter where you shortlist for your university adventure, there are options for student halls to suit a range of budgets; leaving you with enough for that all important trip to Ikea.
Top 20 most affordable locations for student accommodation, as featured in the Student Rent Index:
| Position | Location | Average price per week | Price difference compared to national average |
| 1 | Wrexham | £79 | -£51.59 |
| 2 | Bradford | £80 | -£50.59 |
| 3 | Wolverhampton | £81 | -£49.59 |
| 4 | Paisley | £83 | -£47.59 |
| 5 | Ayr | £100 | -£30.59 |
| 6 | Derby | £100.33 | -£30.26 |
| 7 | Newport | £103 | -£27.59 |
| 8 | Aberystwyth | £103 | -£27.59 |
| 9 | Preston | £107.45 | -£23.13 |
| 10 | Lincoln | £111 | -£19.59 |
| 11 | Loughborough | £112.50 | -£18.09 |
| 12 | Dundee | £113 | -£17.59 |
| 13 | Bangor | £114 | -£16.59 |
| 14 | Salford | £116.67 | -£13.92 |
| 15 | Ipswich | £117 | -£13.59 |
| 16 | Aberdeen | £119.92 | -£10.67 |
| 17 | Sheffield | £121.30 | -£9.29 |
| 18 | Liverpool | £123.17 | -£7.42 |
| 19 | Leeds | £123.91 | -£6.68 |
| 20 | Lancaster | £124 | -£6.59 |
Top 20 most expensive locations for student accommodation, as featured in the Student Rent Index:
| Position | Location | Average price per week | Price difference compared to national average |
| 1 | Bath | £223.17 | +£92.58 |
| 2 | London | £219.96 | +£89.37 |
| 3 | Dublin | £204 | +£73.41 |
| 4 | Cambridge | £192.60 | +£62.01 |
| 5 | Reading | £187 | +£56.41 |
| 6 | Portsmouth | £186.13 | +£55.54 |
| 7 | Coventry | £179.50 | +£48.91 |
| 8 | Edinburgh | £172.64 | +£42.05 |
| 9 | Bristol | £171.80 | +£41.21 |
| 10 | Oxford | £170.50 | +£39.91 |
| 11 | Exeter | £165.18 | +£34.59 |
| 12 | York | £159.50 | +£28.91 |
| 13 | St. Andrews | £154 | +£23.41 |
| 14 | Birmingham | £151.65 | +£21.06 |
| 15 | Surrey | £150 | +£19.41 |
| 16 | Southampton | £149.81 | +£19.22 |
| 17 | Colchester | £143 | +£12.41 |
| 18 | Canterbury | £142.77 | +£11.68 |
| 19 | Newcastle-Under-Lyme | £140 | +£9.41 |
| 20 | Bournemouth | £139.80 | +£9.21 |
How the national average rent figure was worked out
The national average figure for weekly rent was taken from the National Student Accommodation Survey 2018: £130.59 per week.
How our average figures were worked out
Our average rent figures for each location, which were used to compare to the national average, were taken from Mystudenthalls.com’s property database.
Prices are correct as of the 8th October 2018.
