The cost of living as a Newcastle student

Let’s just say we all know the cost of living has shot up. The ‘Freddo’ is the basic benchmark everyone reaches for, but the ‘Freddo’ is really just our unofficial scale of inflation. Something that is small, familiar but it is a measure of how much power we have lost in what we buy. With it being the start of another academic year, student costs are back in the spotlight. So, it’s worth questioning where our money goes week by week, and is Newcastle quietly getting a better deal than the rest of the UK?

Now Newcastle is one of the lower cost regions in the UK. This regional gap is more significant than we think. Because the maintenance loan is barely weighted for it. Two students can take out an almost identical loan but the remainder of that loan after all their spendings can be hugely different once the mere basics are paid, depending on entirely which city is picked. Where you study now is just as much of a financial decision as an academic one.

Rent is a clear example; even pricey Jesmond is cheaper than a basic London room. With statistics stating that the North East has one of the lower student rents in the country. Averaging roughly £557 a month against the UK average of £575. Unsurprisingly, London blows past both.

Now everyday costs don’t help this gap. Not only is Newcastle extremely walkable but a blue Pop card is only £1 a Metro trip, capped at £2.20 a day for U21s. Alternatively, you can get the bus which is of a similar price. In contrast a London student hands over roughly around £120 a month for a Zones 1 – 2 travelcard, even after student discount. Although we may complain, we save a significant amount in just travel itself.

Onto the real question, the pint test. The average UK pint costs around £5.50. London prices ranging from 6.90 all the way to £7.50 + for more premium pints. A standard Newcastle pub pint sits around £4.50 – but the deals are where we stand out. £2 Tuesdays on Osbourne Road, 2-4-1 at Hobo and the £1 shots that student nights run as standard. A full night out here averages around £30 and often far less – while a single London cocktail can set you back £8 just on its own.  

So where are you supposed to study? Are these costs just going to keep climbing year on year? It raises a real question: Whether the maintenance support granted is actually enough for each region in the UK? For now, it seems studying in Newcastle is one of the better financial decisions a student can make. But who knows whether this will change in years to come.