Leicester one of the most affordable student cities in the UK

Leicester is the third most affordable city for students according to a new ranking published by banking giant NatWest.



The NatWest Student Living Index 2018, published yesterday, is drawn from a poll of 3,419 students in 35 university cities in the UK.

And the home of De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) was placed third most affordable, after Hull and Cardiff, based on information such as budgeting habits, spending on food, rent, and bills and how students juggle studying, part-time work and socialising.

The score is calculated by dividing the students’ monthly spend against their average monthly income. The survey found Leicester was the cheapest place for a pint (£2) but that students were most careful with their spending. Nearly a third – 31.4% - said they budgeted carefully.

DMU students said Leicester’s reputation as a diverse, friendly city was one of the reasons they chose to be a student here.



Samson Makinde, an Economics and Finance student, said: “I heard how nice Leicester was as a city and people who came here to study said they always want to go back. It’s a friendly place.”

“I like the fact that you can walk everywhere from campus,” said Thomas Matthews, 19. “The shops are just a few minutes’ away and there is a really good music scene at places like The Cookie.”

It’s the latest national poll to put Leicester in the spotlight. The city has also been named as one of the best UK cities in which to live and work. The annual Good Growth for Cities Index put our city ahead of London, Brighton and Plymouth and Midlands neighbours Birmingham, Nottingham and Derby.

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And in December, Leicester was named one of the best places in the UK to start a business, in Barclays SME Growth Factors Index, which measures 12 key growth factors essential to business productivity – including commercial rent, infrastructure and churn rate.

Tourism has helped give Leicester its ‘top 10’ credentials but the city is also the home of more than 200 flourishing businesses within the creative industry in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter, and a great place for job creation, according to Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership’s latest report.

A De Montfort University spokesman said: “Our students love having the city centre on their doorstep. Leicester is famous for being one of the UK’s friendliest and most diverse cities and our students tell us how much they feel at home here, with a thriving local music scene to support, as well as top-notch bars, restaurants, cinemas and shopping.

“Our students are also plugged into a brilliant network of global organisations and businesses, more of which are choosing Leicester drawn by the excellent cost of living.”