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Nottingham is a lively city in the Midlands, England’s central region. Made famous by its association with Robin Hood, it’s now a mid-sized city which is home to two major universities, two professional football clubs, a notable nightlife scene and one of the country’s most famous cricket grounds.
The cost of living in Nottingham is quite close to the national average and roughly 18% cheaper than in the capital, London. Therefore, it’s neither particularly expensive nor particularly cheap to live in. Read on to learn more about the cost of living in Nottingham for a student.
Fees and funding in Nottingham
The main expense to think about when considering fees and funding in Nottingham are the tuition fees you’ll need to pay to go to uni here, which usually cost up to £9,250 per year. To help pay these fees, you can apply for a tuition fee loan through Student Finance.
You’ll also be able to apply for a maintenance loan worth up to £9,706 per year to help pay for your living expenses, like rent, food and going out. The exact amount you can borrow through your maintenance loan will depend on where you study, where you live and your family income.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you may also be able to apply for extra funding from your uni in the form of scholarships and bursaries. For example, there are currently four types of bursaries available at Nottingham Trent, each worth up to £1,000 per year. These are for students with specific personal circumstances, like those who come from lower-income families or who’ve been in care.
At the University of Nottingham, you’ll find similar kinds of bursaries, as well as scholarships like the Witty Entrepreneurial Scholarship that’s worth up to £500 a year towards an internship or business start-up costs.
Student accommodation in Nottingham
Accommodation is a big expense for most students. How much you’ll pay for accommodation depends a lot on where you decide to live. Many students choose to live in uni halls in their first year before moving into privately rented accommodation for second year onwards. In halls, you’ll probably only need to pay rent during the academic year (roughly 44 weeks), whereas private landlords usually charge rent for the entire year.
In Nottingham, halls prices range from around £90 to £210 per week. Usually, catered accommodation and en suite rooms are more expensive than non-catered, shared bathroom options. At Nottingham Trent, all halls are self-catered.
If you decide not to live in uni halls, or miss the deadline and are not allocated a room, you can live in privately rented accommodation in Nottingham. Rent prices for private accommodation range from around £115 to £300 a week. You’ll usually need to pay for utilities (e.g., gas, electricity, water and WiFi) when renting privately, whereas these payments are often included in rent fees when living in halls. If living in private accommodation in Nottingham, you should budget around £60 a month for these costs.
Cost of groceries in Nottingham
You’ll find all the mainstream supermarkets in Nottingham, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose and M&S.
On average, you’ll find the following rough prices for these common goods:
- Milk (1L): £1.05
- Bread Loaf: £1.15
- Rice (1kg): £1.65
- Eggs (12): £2.16
- Cheese (1kg): £6.97
- Chicken fillets (1kg): £7.44
- Apples (1kg): £2.81
- Potatoes (1kg): £1.31
Nottingham Trent estimates that students in Nottingham spend on average £30-£50 per week on household costs (groceries and hygiene products).
Going out in Nottingham
Nottingham is well known for its exciting and reasonably-priced nightlife and social scene. On average, the cost of a meal in an inexpensive restaurant is around £12 per person, while a three-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant costs around £50. A basic dinner for two in a pub costs around £40, while a beer averages £4 and a cocktail £8.
You’ll find plenty of student nights that will allow you to take advantage of cheap drinks and club entry, giving you the chance to save on your going out expenses. Nottingham Trent University suggests you should budget around £60 a month for socialising expenses.
Transport in Nottingham
Nottingham is well-connected to other major cities in the UK, due to its position in the middle of the country. National train fares vary depending on where you’re going. Train tickets from Nottingham to London start at £15.60 each way and start from £10.10 to Birmingham and £11.90 to Manchester. To secure the cheapest fares, you should book as early as possible and buy advanced single tickets where possible. Lots of students also buy a 16-25 Rail Card for £30. These give discounts of 1/3 off the price of rail tickets.
Within the city of Nottingham, there are various transport options like the Robin Hood Line, bus services and Nottingham Express Transit (light rail network). Students can buy a travel pass for £289 which covers 1 Sep 2023 to 31 July 2024, which works out at just over £26 per month.
Other student expenses in Nottingham
As a student in Nottingham, you’ll have other expenses that you should budget for on top of the ones we’ve already mentioned. Each month you should budget on average around £35 for clothing and accessories, £17 for course materials and £25 for laundry.
As a university student in Nottingham, the average student should budget to spend around £900 a month, not including course fees.
