Living costs
The amount of money you will need for living costs will depend on your course and lifestyle.
Calculating your living costs
The table below gives an example of the cost of living for a student at Oxford Brookes in 2011.
The costs will vary significantly from student to student, so you should think realistically about what you will spend. You can use our budget calculator to work out your own living costs.
| Breakdown | Weekly expenditure |
|---|---|
| Accommodation (self catered halls of residence) Based on the average cost for non-ensuite and ensuite rooms. See the university's accommodation pages for specific prices. | £120 |
| Bills (gas, electric and water included in hall price) | £0 |
| Telephone | £5 |
| Internet | £0 |
| Transport (Brookes bus included in hall price) | £10 |
| Food | £45 |
| Household goods (toiletries, cleaning products, laundry etc) | £5 |
| Clothes | £11 |
| Leisure / sport | £30 |
| Books / stationery | £10 |
| Insurance | £2 |
| Other expenses (make sure you have enough money to cover emergencies) | £0 |
| Total weekly expenditure | £238 |
| Total monthly expenditure* | £952 |
| Total annual expenditure (based on 9.5 months)** | £9,044 |
* Calculation based on 4 weeks to a month.
** 9.5 months accounts for the amount of time spent at university during the year.
Additional information about accommodation
If you are living in the university halls of residence, you can pay your rent in 1, 3 or 6 instalments. You will not be able to pay on a monthly basis. More about paying for university accommodation.
Accommodation in a shared house in Oxford costs on average £75-£95 per week. You should also expect to pay an average of £10 per week for gas, electric and water bills.
Most students choose to live in halls for their first year and then move to a shared house for the remaining years of their course.
Extra expenses
If your partner is living with you, you need to double the living expenses. You will also have to pay for the living costs of any children who come with you (see students with families in our International Pre-arrival Guide).
Postgraduate research students may also need an extra £600-£1,000 for expenses such as thesis presentation, travel and equipment for research.
