Cost of living in Norwich

When making your university choice, it’s important to find the right course for you, but to also consider the practicalities of what you can afford.

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

Norwich is one of the most affordable places to live as a student according to UCAS and Which. Comparing Norwich to other university cities and towns, we can see that Norwich is, on average, £83 a month cheaper.

Source: UCAS/Which Student Budget Calculator

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
• Consumer Prices in Norwich are 17% lower than in London (without rent)
• Consumer Prices including Rent in Norwich are 33% lower than in London

Source: Expatistan.com & Numbeo.com

Additional costs

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.

As a guide, you should expect to need the following:

• Books
• Materials relating to your course (e.g. drawing materials, fabrics, crafting tools, computer equipment)
• Printing costs
• Money for trips
• Costs associated with your final degree show or an external showcase event, such as Graduate Fashion Week

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.

See details and full costs of our Halls of Residence

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

Free student bike repair

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.

Discounted bus tickets

We will 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.

You’ll usually find a food market in your local area, where you can pick up cheap fruit and vegetables.

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.