Cost of Living in the UK for International Students

How Much Is the Cost of Living in the UK Each Month?

Most international students spend about £900 to £1,300 a month outside London and about £1,300 to £1,400 a month in London.

These are the averages from the British Council Study UK budget guide. In rupees that is about Rs 1.8 to 2.6 lakh a month outside London and about Rs 2.6 to 2.8 lakh in London. The money covers your room, bills, food, travel, phone and a little social life. Your own living expenses in the UK per month depend mostly on your city and your room. Two friends on the same course can spend very different amounts.

Rent is by far the biggest part, usually half or more of the month. After rent, food and travel are the costs you can control most. If you cook at home, walk or take the bus, and share a house, you can stay near the lower end of these ranges. Keep in mind that prices rise a little every year, so plan with some extra room.

This page is only about living costs. Tuition is shown on your CAS and is explained in our guide to the total cost to study in the UK. For the full plan, from choosing a course to landing in the UK, start with our guide to study in UK from Nepal. This is the average living cost in the UK per month for one student, using the British Council figures:

The totals leave out clothes, toiletries, books and a gym. Add a small amount for those. Winter heating bills can also push the bill line up in a private house.

How Much Living Cost Does UKVI Want You to Show?

UKVI wants to see £1,570 a month in London or £1,203 outside London, for up to 9 months, if you apply from 30 November 2026 (£1,529 and £1,171 before that).

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), part of the Home Office, checks your money before it issues the visa. The current amounts are on the GOV.UK Student visa money page. The new amounts come from the Home Office statement of changes HC 584. It says an application made before 30 November 2026 is decided under the old rules. So the date you submit your visa form decides which figure you must show. Nepal is not on the list of countries that can skip this proof, so Nepali students always send the bank evidence with the application.

You show this living money on top of any unpaid first-year course fee written on your CAS. If your course is shorter than 9 months, you show the monthly amount for each month of the course instead. At about Rs 200 to the pound, the living money comes to:

UKVI converts rupees at the exchange rate on the day you apply, not the day of your bank letter. The rupee can move in those weeks, so keep about Rs 0.5 to 1 lakh above the target. Check today’s rate with our GBP to Rs forex converter. The visa fee and health surcharge are separate payments; see the UK student visa fee page for those.

How Do You Show Your Living Costs from Nepal?

Keep the full amount in your own, your parents’ or your partner’s account for 28 days in a row, then apply within 31 days.

The UKVI financial evidence guidance counts the 28 days back from the closing balance on your latest statement. The balance must never drop below the amount on any of those days, even for one day. Your statement or bank letter must show your name, the bank’s name and the balance. Most Nepali families use a bank statement together with a bank balance certificate from the same bank.

Money in an uncle’s, grandparent’s or business partner’s name does not count. If a relative is helping, the money has to be moved into your or your parents’ account before the 28 days start. If your parents hold the money, they write a letter agreeing that you can use it. You also show that they are your parents, for example with a birth certificate or a relationship certificate. Some Nepali bank statements print dates in Bikram Sambat; check your 28 days in AD with the Nepali date converter.

An education loan counts if the loan letter is no more than 6 months old and shows your name and the amount. It must have no condition except getting the visa. Read our education loan process in Nepal guide before you choose a bank. UKVI does not accept overdrafts, shares, pensions or cryptocurrency, and it may contact your bank to check the papers. The money must also come from a legal source. Keep papers that show where a large deposit came from, such as a land sale deed, a salary record or a matured fixed deposit. A common mistake is paying for a flight or the university deposit from this account during the 28 days. That breaks the count, so use a different account for those. For the complete visa checklist, see our UK student visa requirements.

What Does Living Cost in London Compared with Other UK Cities?

London costs about £300 to £400 a month more than most other UK cities, mainly because of rent.

For the visa, London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, as the GOV.UK money page explains, and the CAS shows where your course is. Outside London, prices still vary. The University of Manchester living cost estimate is about £1,484 a month for a student in catered halls. The University of Glasgow estimates £1,100 to £1,700 a month. Smaller cities in the north of England, Wales and Scotland are often cheaper for rooms. Here is a rough monthly guide for one student:

University figures include books and clothes, so they are a little higher than the British Council averages. Many Nepali students choose cities such as Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield or Glasgow because rent is lower and there is a Nepali community to help in the first weeks. Our blog on London vs other UK cities compares student life, jobs and transport in more detail.

How Much Is Rent for Students in the UK?

A student room usually costs about £550 to £850 a month, and in London it is about £750 to £850 or more.

The British Council puts a single self-catered room in student halls at about £848 a month in London and £664 elsewhere, with bills included. A room in a shared private house is a little cheaper, about £750 in London and £554 elsewhere, but bills are extra. So how much does student accommodation cost in London? Plan on at least £750 to £850 a month for a single room, and more for a studio.

Check how long the contract runs, because you pay for every week of it. University halls often run about 41 to 51 weeks, while private houses are usually 52 weeks. In a house where everyone is a full-time student, you do not pay Council Tax, the local council charge, as the GOV.UK Council Tax student page explains. Some Nepali students stay with relatives already in the UK for the first weeks to save rent. That can help, but you still need a room near campus once classes start. The visa money also stays the same, because UKVI asks for the full amount wherever you plan to live. Read our guide to accommodation in the UK for halls, private rooms and homestays. Before you pay any room deposit from Nepal, check these points:

How Much Do Food, Transport and Bills Cost?

Plan about £120 to £160 a month for groceries, £55 to £105 for transport and £80 to £140 for bills if you rent privately.

Groceries are cheaper than eating out. Most Nepali students cook dal bhat and other home meals together with housemates, which keeps food close to the lower figure. Rice, lentils and spices are easy to find in Asian shops in every big city, and budget supermarkets are cheaper again. A restaurant meal costs about £15, and takeaway coffee every day adds up quickly.

Transport depends on how far you live from campus. In London, a student Oyster card gives a discount on bus and Tube fares. In other cities, students spend about £54 a month on buses and trains, says the British Council. Bills for a private house cover gas, electricity, water and broadband; halls usually include them. A SIM-only phone plan is about £18 a month, and calling Nepal on internet apps costs nothing extra. Our blog on living in the UK as a Nepali student covers food, weather and settling in.

How Much Living Money Do You Need with a Partner or Child?

Each dependant needs £845 a month in London or £680 a month outside London, for up to 9 months, on top of your own living money.

These family amounts come from the same UKVI guidance and are not changed by the 30 November 2026 update. Only students on a PhD or research master’s, or on a government-sponsored course, can bring a partner or children; see our UK dependent visa guide. The totals for 9 months, with your own living money, are:

Real family costs are higher than these amounts, because a family needs a flat. If your partner is not a full-time student, your home may also get a Council Tax bill. So families should plan rent first and treat the UKVI figure as the minimum, not the budget.

Can a Part-Time Job Cover Your Living Costs?

A part-time job usually covers food, travel and phone, but not full rent, and UKVI does not count job income for your visa money.

On a degree course you can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time, or 10 hours below degree level. Full-time work is allowed in official holidays, as UKCISA’s work guide explains. Our UK student work hours page has the full rules. The legal minimum pay is £12.71 an hour from age 21 and £10.85 at 18 to 20, says the GOV.UK minimum wage rates, which change every April.

At 20 hours a week and £12.71, you earn about £254 a week, or roughly £1,100 a month before any tax, about Rs 2.2 lakh. Many students get fewer hours in the first months, while they settle in, find a job and get a National Insurance number. See our guide to the National Insurance number and our list of part-time jobs in the UK for Nepali students. Do not plan your first term around job money; bring enough to live for at least two or three months without it.

How Can Nepali Students Cut Their UK Living Costs?

Choose a cheaper city and a shared room, cook at home, and use student travel discounts, which can save £200 or more a month.

Rent is fixed once you sign, so the biggest saving is made before you leave Nepal. A university outside London can lower the visa money you show by about Rs 6.5 lakh for 9 months, and more in real rent. Our blog on the cheapest universities in the UK lists lower-fee options, and a few UK scholarships also help with living costs. After you arrive, small habits make the most difference:

How Much Money Should You Take for the First Month?

Take about £1,500 to £2,000 for the first month, because rent deposits, first rent and settling-in costs come before any job money.

That is about Rs 3 to 4 lakh, and it comes out of the living money you showed for your visa, not on top of it. In the first weeks you pay the room deposit or first rent, bedding and kitchen items, a SIM card, a travel pass and warm clothes for winter. Your visa money sits in a Nepal account. Plan how to move it after you open a UK bank account, which can take one or two weeks.

Most students arrive in September or January, a few weeks before classes start; our UK intakes guide shows when. Your university will also confirm your arrival date on the CAS letter. A Goreto counselor can check your budget, your 28-day bank balance and your city choice with you. Wherever you live in Nepal, from Dhangadhi to Ilam, you can talk to a counselor or visit our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara.