Leicester has been named as one of the top 10 most affordable UK cities for students in a new survey.
The impressive Curve theatre and the Athena
Credit card company Marbles.com compiled the list based upon measurements such as the cost of rent, a cinema ticket and gym membership.
Other measurements were based upon data from independent entertainment websites on the cost of living for each of the 50 areas of the UK surveyed.
Its survey found that in Leicester, the average weekly rent was £128, a travel pass was £50, people paid £10.25 for weekly gym membership, £9 for a cinema ticket, £3 a pint and £4.43 for a kebab.
However, DMU offers even cheaper options than the average cost found in the survey. Weekly rents at DMU halls start at £99 while the university’s QEII Leisure Centre, which includes gym, pool and sports hall, offers memberships to students for less than £15 a month.
Our partnership with the Phoenix arts centre also means students can enjoy a night at the movies for just £5.50.
The clocktower in the centre of Leicester
Earlier this year Leicester was named as one of the top 10 places to live and work in the UK according to the 2015 Good Growth for Cities Index .
Keira Rounsley, VP Welfare and Community at De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU), said: “I’m so pleased to see that Leicester has been recognised as one of the top 10 most affordable cities to live in for students.
“With the city centre – and everything else that goes with it – right on the doorstep of DMU’s campus, it’s easy to head into town and enjoy everything from entertainment to shopping to suit every student budget. The city centre really does have something for everyone.”
Leicester is of course home to Premier League Champions Leicester City and Britain’s biggest Rugby Union team, Leicester Tigers. Both teams have strong long-term partnerships with DMU along with Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
Premier League Champions Leicester City's open top bus parade
The city also boasts one of the finest regional theatres in the UK, Curve, The National Space Centre, the Golden Mile of gold shops and restaurants and the Highcross Shopping Centre, which has more than 100 stores and 35 places to eat, offering food from around the globe.
Along with The Lanes and St Martin’s Square areas of independent stores, as well as Europe’s biggest covered market, the variety and scale of shops on offer saw Leicester named the third hottest retail location in the UK, in Property Week's 2015 report
Leicester is also a great place for laughs, with Leicester Comedy Festival - founded by DMU alumnus Geoff Rowe - attracting around 100,000 people annually and contributing £2 million to the local economy. DMU has just become one of the main sponsors of the event.
Next month, the city will stage the largest Caribbean Carnival in the UK outside of London while November’s Diwali celebrations are recognised as the biggest and best outside India.
Thomas Cross, from Marbles.com, said: "Towns in the North and Midlands offer great value for money. Those little treats, like a kebab or trip to the cinema, are really important to students, so it is definitely worth checking out our list to see where their money could go further!"
Posted on Friday 29 July 2016