UNiDAYS research reveals that Plymouth is one of the cheapest student cities across the country, whilst Exeter has been classed as one of the most expensive student areas.

The world leading Student Affinity Network asked 3,000 student members what their budgets actually go towards. The answers may seem surprising as students admitted to spending their budget on taxis, takeaways, spin classes and spray tans. UNiDays analysed the cost of these modern day purchases to rank them city by city, with the city of Leicester coming out as the best value for money. These essential purchases were analysed outside the cost of rent, tuition and transport, to create a top ten list made from items that students buy every month, producing intriguing results. From this it was revealed that Plymouth was the seventh most cost effective student city across the whole country.

The struggle with budgeting is a pressing one for current and incoming students, especially with the removal of maintenance grants. Today, only maintenance loans can be given out to students, depending on the income of their household. The maximum amount available to students in Plymouth can be upto £8,436 and the minimum available if your family exceeds an income of over £62,187 is £3,928. This is released in instalments , with the average student receiving £3,000 a term and some only receiving around £1,300 each term. This can provide difficulties if all this money has to be spent on rent and transport, showing why so many students are very tight with money.

Plymouth offers its students great support through scholarships, bursaries and funding as well as their Sporting Excellence Scholarships programme. The local University offers support for any student suffering financial hardship through a variety of bursaries and funds available either directly through University or through partner organisations. Thus, helping students if they do get into financial trouble. Living as a student in Plymouth is helped by the availability of cheaper student accommodation. There are at least three accommodation blocks that offer students a rent under £100 a week which is very reasonable compared to Universities in other areas of the country. Additionally, the website offers guidance and a rough plan for a weekly allowance, where excluding their rent they predict that the average student would spend roughly £112 per week. This offers an insight into the expenses of a student at Plymouth, which can be viewed in comparison to more expensive student areas to live. The research also revealed the cities that offer students the worst value for money. Unsurprisingly, London was revealed as the most expensive city, but interestingly local University of Exeter came out as the fourth most expensive student home.

The variety of monthly purchases revealed include a chicken korma and a naan, the most common student purchase with 61% of students paying for this monthly. Coming in behind was the purchase of a 12” margarita pizza that 48% of students admitted to buying. Further purchases and their percentages include 27% buying club entry (Wednesday night), 24% attending a spin class and 21% going for a spray tan. These purchases, described as ‘must-have’ essentials have also included a large glass of rosé wine, a three mile Uber journey and a portion of cheesy chips.

Interestingly, the cost of all these top ten purchases in Plymouth reached £58.05, whilst in Leicester these purchases amounted to only £50.11.

Chief Marketing Officer at UNiDAYS, Alex Gallagher stated that: ‘We know that for students, value for money has never been more important and it’s one of the biggest concerns for those studying away from home. Tuition fees and rent is just one part of this equation, and based on what they are actually buying, we can see how costs stack up across different parts of the country. At UNiDAYS we know finding savings on these modern-day essentials is important to students, and our mix of partners will help them to do that and make their money go further in the upcoming term and throughout their student life.”

UNiDAYS is a successful help to all students, using all the latest technology, the network instantly confirms student status for those studying. Additionally, the app can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices for free which helps with the ultimate student lifestyle offering exclusive discounts from the biggest and most popular brands.