So I have an ESRC Studentship bout 14k tax free and for the last year I have been living in halls. Actually for the last four years I have lived in halls (undergrad as well). After the summer I'm breaking out and getting a flat (well room) but it all seems so expensive. I realise things vary greatly by area but the cheapest I can find including all utlities is £400 a month...

What I'm asking for is really, as a complete life novice, is it realistic to be spending a third of your income on rent?? (Bit of a random question I know but I'm just interested how other PhD get by on a limited budget - although I know my finding is pretty generous).

Thanks...

======= Date Modified 12 Jul 2010 19:02:10 =======
Where are you based? I know undergrad sandwich year placement students who are paying £700 for a room in a shared flat in London. I would say £400 is reasonable.

I used to rent out 2 bedrooms in my house to other students and we charged about £350 - we're not in London, and the rooms were en-suites, but that was a few years ago, i reckon we would charge around £400 now if we did it again.

hi kizzy
whether its realistic to spend a third of our income on rent, I guess we don't really have a choice.
This is the price to pay for privacy etc. *sigh*
Slightly more than a third of my income goes to my rent and utilities; wait a minute, let me revise that, its almost HALF.
For example I'm also on BT which is quite expensive. I didnt have a choice because BT covers this area. If I had got virgin, i would still need a BT line.

so I cut back on other luxuries..like eating out. I hardly eat outside and I don't buy any clothes.
*sigh*

It sounds perfectly reasonable to me to be spending out a third of your income on rent and utilities - flipping cheap actually! I spend a FAR larger proportion of mine (but then I have 3 kids and a husband and need a house). Our rent doesn't include our utilities/council tax/water etc etc etc - I hate to say it but you'll have to get used to it - that's life....

Yeah, unfortunately that does sound quite cheap to me too! I live in a flat on my own, the rent's £425 a month plus bills so all in all I'm paying over half of my bursary out each month on rent and utilities. And I live in a pretty cheap place really. No way round it I'm afraid, you just have to decide which is more important to you, a place of your own or a bit more cash in your pocket! I'd go for the place of your own every time, but I'm a bit older and the thought of living in halls is just too nightmareish to contemplate!

What I would give for 14k a year before tax!

I live on $288 NZ a week and $200 goes on rent and bills in the house I share with two others. The cost of living is lower here which is just aswell because I could never live on this (UK conversion - 6k per year) back home. I shouldn't complain though. I'm doing full time research on a topic I am passionate about in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

To budget I mission to the market on Sunday mornings and buy lots of fruit and veges to base my meals on for the week. I only buy meat to cover one meal per week. I cook almost all of my meals from scratch. I also rarely drink alcohol which saves some money too.

Also, get a job if you don't have one already. I work 10 hours per week and it makes life a lot more comfortable.

Good luck

Hey Kizzy- that's pretty much what I'm paying to share a really nice flat with another girl (£375 each per month plus bills) and I live in a really cheap area of the UK. To be honest, where I am ensuite halls are almost £100 per week anyway, so there isn't really much in it, but I would far rather be in a nice flat than in halls! There are cheaper places to rent round here, for as little as £200 per month, but they're really grotty! So I think £400 isn't really that bad, although it is frustrating to be throwing away that much money on rent each month. Best, KB

Sounds about right Kizzy, sounds like a normal amount to pay. The cost of living is still pretty high, but with a higher studentship you are lucky to be in the position of affording it. Plus if it's including utilities then you are sorted, those additional costs can really add up. I was living in a flat on my own and just about managed to cover the rent, but it's definitely possible, once you start thinking about budgeting you'll realise how much money you waste on silly things. Plus you still have 2 thirds left so thats plenty to live on for a month! You could even get saving! ;-)

I agree with everyone else... that is pretty much standard. I pay a little less because my boyfriend and I split things proportionally but I am never short of money and save quite a lot every month.

Most of my friends from back home are on minimum wage jobs (around 11K a year after tax) and my parents brought up 3 kids close on to minimum wage so I actually consider myself fairly well off with my studentship!

Thanks every one! I' gonna go for it - out on my own (I'm 23 about time!).

First step of budgetting brought my own sandwiches to uni today - saved about £1.50 already!

:-)