Student Budget Calculator
Work out whether your maintenance loan, part-time job, and family contributions will cover your monthly rent, food, bills, and other living costs at university.
Plan Your Student Budget
Enter your expected monthly income and outgoings to instantly see whether you’re on track for a surplus or heading for a shortfall.
Budget Planner
Get a clear picture of your monthly student finances.
How it Works
Understanding your student budget
Add Up Income
We total your Maintenance Loan, part-time job earnings, family contributions, and any other regular income.
Add Up Expenses
We total your rent, groceries, household bills, transport, social spending, and other regular outgoings.
Work Out the Gap
Subtracting expenses from income shows your monthly surplus, or the shortfall you’ll need to cover from savings or extra work.
Look at the Bigger Picture
We project the monthly gap across a typical 9-month academic year, so you can plan ahead rather than being caught out mid-term.
Average Student Living Costs
A general overview of average monthly student spending in the UK, based on national student money survey data.
| Expense | Typical Cost / Month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | £540 | The single biggest expense; often much higher in London. |
| Groceries | £144 | Roughly £33 a week for food shopping. |
| Household Bills | £76 | Energy, water, internet, and contents insurance. |
| Transport | £65 | Buses, trains, or running a car or bike. |
| Going Out & Takeaways | £99 | Social life, nights out, and eating out combined. |
| Clothes, Course Materials & Other | £180 | Shopping, holidays, course materials, phone, and gifts combined. |
| Typical Total | ≈ £1,104 / month | |
Student Budget FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about budgeting as a UK student.
According to Save the Student’s National Student Money Survey, UK students spend an average of around £1,104 a month, with rent making up the largest share at around £540 a month, followed by groceries at around £144 a month.
For many students, no. Survey data suggests the average Maintenance Loan falls short of covering typical living costs by several hundred pounds a month, which is why many students rely on part-time work, savings, or family contributions to make up the difference.
Rent is typically the single biggest expense in a student budget, often taking up close to half of total monthly spending, followed by groceries, household bills, transport, and social spending such as going out and takeaways.
Common ways students cut costs include sharing a house rather than renting alone, batch-cooking and shopping at budget supermarkets, using student discounts and a railcard, buying second-hand textbooks, and tracking spending with a budgeting app or spreadsheet.