Newcastle is among the top 10 cheapest cities in the UK for students, new research has revealed.
The study, by tutoring experts Superprof, examined every university location across the UK, using data from Numbeo to find where students can live at the lowest cost. The analysis was based on cost-of-living factors such as the average price of weekly student accommodation, as well as weekly costs of alcohol, fast food, coffee and taxi fares.
It showed that Wolverhampton was the most affordable city to be a student, with an average weekly spend of £120.90. Wolverhampton offers the cheapest student accommodation at £81 per week, in addition to the fourth-cheapest weekly alcohol costs and the third-cheapest taxi fare at £11 per five-mile journey.
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Derby came in second with the average weekly cost of £133.80 for students. The city offers the second-lowest student accommodation costs in the UK, at £90 a week – only £9 more than Wolverhampton – and the second most affordable coffee prices, with an average weekly spend of £4.88.
Aberdeen was the third most affordable city for students, followed by Stoke-on-Trent and then Newcastle. Scroll down to see the full figures.
The analysis reveals that Newcastle had an average weekly spend of £146.40, with student accommodation at £103 per week, taxi fare at £10.92 per five-mile journey, and average coffee prices at £5.66 a week.
The average weekly spend on alcohol in the city was given as £14.80 and the weekly fast food cost was £12.
A spokesperson for Superprof said: "Undoubtedly, students are always looking to save money whilst living on a budget, so it is fantastic to see so many affordable areas in the UK where people at university can have a good time without having to break the bank.
"With cost of living currently on the rise, it is now more important than ever for students to know how to manage their money effectively. This ranking offers a valuable guide for prospective students into whereabouts in the UK their loan will stretch the furthest."
Top 10 cheapest places to be a student in the UK
(These figures show: city, average weekly rent, taxi five-mile trip, beer weekly average, coffee weekly average, fast food weekly average, weekly total spend)
1. Wolverhampton - £81, £10.72, £12.88, £5.30, £11, £120.90
2. Derby - £90, £12.92, £14, £4.88, £11.98, £133.80
3. Aberdeen - £94, £13.56, £12, £5.38, £10, £134.90
4. Stoke-on-Trent - £101, £10.24, £13.20, £5.50, £12, £141.90
5. Newcastle - £103, £10.92, £14.80, £5.66, £12, £146.40
6. Gloucester - £108, £16.04, £12.40, £5.92, £10, £152.40
7. Plymouth - £109, £13.32, £16, £5.40, £11, £154.70
8. Liverpool - £110, £10.04, £16, £5.80, £13, £154.80
9. Lancaster - £116, £11.08, £13.80, £4.84, £10.50, £156.20
10. Bangor - £115, £14.72, £12, £6, £10, £157.70
In contrast, London was unsurprisingly revealed to be the priciest city to live as a student, with an average weekly cost of £284.10, more than double the cost of being a student in Wolverhampton.
London had the highest cost for both the average weekly rent for a student shared flat, £224, and the average price for a five-mile taxi journey with £18.
Bournemouth came in second after London, followed by Reading in third place, Bristol in fourth and Chichester in fifth. The remaining five most expensive spots went to Oxford, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bath and Brighton.
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