What it really costs to live as a student: 15 cities compared

The ranges below are indicative monthly costs for a single student living in shared accommodation, covering rent, bills, food, local transport, a phone plan and a modest amount for everything else. They do not include tuition, health insurance or visa charges. The lower end assumes a shared room or flat further from the centre and home cooking; the upper end, a studio or a more central location.

Your actual costs will depend on your choices, the exchange rate and the year. Always check your university's own cost guidance, which is often what the visa authority expects you to show.

• London: about £1,500 – 2,200 a month. Rent is the largest cost by far.
• Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds: about £1,000 – 1,500 a month.
• Glasgow, Coventry, Leicester: about £950 – 1,350 a month.
• Dublin: about €1,500 – 2,200 a month. Housing is scarce; start searching well before arrival.
• Cork, Galway, Limerick: about €1,200 – 1,700 a month.

• Toronto: about CAD 1,800 – 2,600 a month.
• Vancouver: about CAD 1,900 – 2,700 a month.
• Montreal: about CAD 1,400 – 2,000 a month.
• Halifax, Winnipeg, Saskatoon: about CAD 1,300 – 1,900 a month.

• Sydney: about AUD 2,300 – 3,200 a month.
• Melbourne: about AUD 2,100 – 2,900 a month.
• Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth: about AUD 1,800 – 2,600 a month.
• Auckland: about NZD 1,900 – 2,600 a month.

• New York City, Boston, San Francisco Bay Area: about USD 2,000 – 3,500 a month.
• Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago suburbs: about USD 1,300 – 2,000 a month.
• Smaller college towns in the Midwest and South: about USD 1,000 – 1,600 a month.
• Munich: about €1,100 – 1,500 a month, plus mandatory student health insurance.
• Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg: about €950 – 1,300 a month.
• Smaller university cities such as Aachen, Dresden or Magdeburg: about €850 – 1,150 a month.

In almost every city, rent takes 45–60% of a student budget. Food is next: cooking at home with flatmates, as most Indian students do, can keep grocery costs modest, while eating out regularly can double them. Transport costs vary widely; many cities offer student passes, and German students often get a semester ticket through their university contribution.

First-month costs are always higher: rent deposits (often one to two months' rent), bedding and kitchen items, a SIM card and temporary accommodation while you look for a place.

• Budget at the upper end of the range for your first year; costs usually fall once you know the city.
• Keep an emergency fund of at least one month's living costs.
• Use student discounts for transport, software and phones.
• Track spending weekly in the first two months.
• Ask your Moksh counsellor for a rupee budget for your specific city before you accept an offer.