Oxford ranked UK’s second most expensive city for students

A university’s city or host environment will always have an effect positively or negatively on a student, especially international ones’ success while schooling abroad.

On the positive side, a university’s host city impacts international students’ success by fostering a sense of belonging, promoting cultural exchange around sustainability practices, providing opportunities to learn about local environmental issues, and equipping students with valuable skills and knowledge related to global sustainability challenges, ultimately enhancing their academic experience and career prospects.

However, when it is too expensive for students to cope with, it can become a clog to academic progress.

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Oxford has been described as the second most expensive UK city for university students, according to a new study.

According to a study conducted by Vape Globe, which analysed 14 key factors, including the cost of rent, groceries, transport, and entertainment, to determine the financial strain on students in various cities, Oxford city is ranked as the second most expensive for renting, joint-second for beer prices, and third for grocery costs.

The study reveals that monthly rent in Oxford is at an average of £1,224 (about N2.3 million), which, while more expensive than many cities, was still significantly short of the £1,901 (about N4 million) London average.

This, along with average monthly costs of £200 (about N380,000) for transport and £48.82 (about N92,758) for groceries, made the capital the most expensive city.

Read also: Here are the world six most expensive universities

Also at the most expensive end of the list were Basingstoke, Edinburgh, Sunderland, and Cambridge.

Southend-on-Sea emerged as the most affordable city for students, despite rent of £529 (about N1.1 million), which was high compared to other costs of living in the city.

It offers affordable transportation, low utility costs, and nine parks, providing students with a balanced lifestyle.

Blackburn came in second, with the cheapest rent of £478 (about N908,200), and low meal costs, although higher utility bills of £260 (about N494,000), and fewer parks make it slightly less appealing.

Burnley ranked third, with the lowest rent of £431 (about N818,900), and manageable utilities of nearly £150 (about N285,000) but higher transportation costs and limited parks may deter some students.