Cost of living in Norwich

Norwich is an affordable and a highly-rated place to live

Norwich is one of the most affordable places to live as a student and a highly rated place to live. London for example, is not a cheap place to live, whether you’re a student or not. A simple comparison between Norwich and London shows that:  

• The cost of living in Norwich is 39% cheaper than in London 
• The cost of living n Norwich is 23.9% lower than in London (without rent) 
• Consumer Prices including Rent in Norwich are 35.3% lower than in London 
• Rent Prices in Norwich are 52.5% lower than in London

 Source: Expatistan.com & Numbeo.com 

Living costs

Your tuition fees are a big part of the expense of going to university, but you also need to plan for rent, food, travel, and everything that student life at Norwich has to offer. 

For help with the cost of living in Norwich, as a full-time home undergraduate student, you can apply for a government Maintenance Loan and receive up to £10,227, depending on your circumstances. That’s alongside the Tuition Fee Loan. If you won’t be receiving a maintenance loan, there are other ways of covering your living costs. 

Home Masters students can apply for a Postgraduate Masters loan up to £12,471 to cover tuition fees and living costs. 

Undergraduate fees and funding information 

Postgraduate fees and funding information 

Course costs and student benefits

Your tuition fees cover a wide range of resources, services, and opportunities to support your academic journey. Learn more about what’s included in your fees by visiting our What’s Included in Your Fees page. 

Alongside tuition fees, your course will come with others costs that you’ll need to budget for. These costs will vary depending on the course you choose. We’ll let you know what essentials, recommended materials, and equipment we think you should have in your course welcome guides ahead of your arrival.

Full details can be found on our course pages. 

To support your success, we offer a host of benefits designed to enhance your student experience, including discounted bus tickets so you can get around the city and region more easily, free student bike repair scheme and a free copy of Microsoft 365.

Living costs 

Based on data from Save the Student and their National Student Money Survey, and internal data we have on cost of living, we recommend that the average amount required for monthly living costs in 2024 is between £1,000 and £1,200 a month. 

Rent and accommodation costs

Your rent and accommodation costs depend on whether you live in our halls of residence or in private accommodation. 

Think carefully about what you can afford. The student finance calculator shows how much undergraduate maintenance loan you will receive. University-run halls of residence costs cover bills, whereas some private accommodation might not. You may also be required to pay a large instalment at the start of Term One alongside your deposit, so make sure you check what payments are involved before making your decision.

See details and full costs of our accommodation

 Think about where the accommodation is, how close it is to the university and how much travel will cost. If you live locally, you may be thinking about commuting. There are many factors to consider here, including the impact on your maintenance loan. 

You can also contact our Accommodation team for advice on fees and choosing your new home. 

Council tax

Each household in Great Britain has to pay council tax. Most students don’t have to pay, but you must check the rules. If you don’t have to pay, you need to let your local council know. 

Find out more about council tax 

Transport

The cheapest way to get around Norwich is on foot, by bike, or bus. 

Find out more about Travel in Norwich 

We offer free student bicycle repair with our friends at the social enterprise, Bicycle Links, and offer free Beryl bike hours for you to get around town.

We will also provide discounted bus tickets so you can get around the city and region more easily. We will offer higher subsidies to those living further away during term time.

Food

Cooking your meals at home and making a packed lunch is usually cheaper than eating out.

There are lots of resources to help you cook your own meals on a budget. Norwich is full of supermarkets, so you can shop around for bargains. Always ask if student discount is available when eating out or ordering takeaway meals. 

Other costs

As well as essential expenses like rent, you’ll also need to budget for non-essential costs such as: 

• mobile phone 
• clothes, haircuts, personal grooming 
• going out and socialising 
• hobbies 
• exercise classes, gym membership 
• subscription services, like Netflix, Adobe, and Spotify 
• holidays 
• gifts. 

Access to student discounts

Join TOTUM for access to hundreds of student discounts on everything from eating out, fashion, technology, and daily essentials.