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How expensive is it to live in Oxford?

I am studying abroad in St. Catz and I was wondering what my day-to-day expenses will be like. I know it varies from person to person, but any rough estimates of the cost of food and any extras would be helpful! Also, what are absolute musts to do/see/eat while I am over there?

Thanks!

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  • 1 decade ago
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    Britain is expensive.

    Oxford may be somewhat cheaper than London but that's not saying much. Having just graduated myself, I can say that being a student here has been rough.

    Rent for an apartment is in the £500 per month area. You MUST get a roomie unless blessed with rich parents or a trust fund! Uni accommodation is usually around £70 to £100 per week in general. Outside accommodation for students is pretty much at the mercy of the Landlord - you could find yourself with a rent so close to the price of a flat or house rental, it makes no matter.

    Food will run you anywhere from £80 per week for healthy basics from a store like Tesco's. It is possible to find cheaper stores - Aldi, Iceland, Asda etc and use coupons but not always convenient to get to or from with groceries. (Quite a few people shop and get taxi's back).

    Transport is NOT cheap. You can sometimes hook-up with a savings scheme/free bus service in the area thru' your College/Uni - however don't depend on it. You can save some money making your reservations earlier with most Travel Companies, such as the Train service/National Express. (MegaBus runs a £1 bus trip to London BUT you need to book it on-line and so many weeks in advance.)

    Phones, mobile and internet: Hhhhhhmmm

    Sore point! You pay and pay and pay. General mobile packages start at £20 - but your bill, depending will be in the region of at least £45 to £80 per month. (You get charged for any free dialling numbers & as a student, you will have to access Directory numbers which cost somehting like £0.50 each).

    Basic Internet package starts at £9 and change, rising sharply from there. (But it's a godsend if you are far from home - check out Skype and their free 'puter to 'puter calls. Works a treat!!!) Basic phoneline/called a landline here - another starting here and ending there system mineis £24 permonth with BT and then there are the calls which are added to it. (Generally calling a mobile from your landline is VERY expensive.)

    You can do some internet stuff at the local library for free but you are allocated only an hour. Your campus should have a PC room anyway. Remember that studies take precedence over your emails and the content of your screen is monitored by these facilities, but it's free.

    Supplies for your course. Depends on your course. In the Arts? You're going to starve! The hidden costs never end. A more solid study course, you can probably rely on the figures the Uni/College will give you in the over-view.

    Gas & Electricity. Another sore point since the prices keep going up. Do your research prior to moving into your home and set-up the contract with them if you can choose the cheapest. British Gas is expensive and a bunch of real CUT-THROAT-THIEVES. Anticipate your bill to be somewhere around £30 a month over the year, but that's a low consumption total and will cost you more.

    Insurance - most Banks can provide a decent cover deal on home and goods if you can support your status with enrolement papers etc. Average price £15 - £ 25 per month.

    Going out - Sigh! Again NOT cheap. An average decent meal will run you £18 plus, excluding booze - that is another category. A lot of students and residents scrimp and head for the £1.00 deals- not the most nutricious or best tasting stuff.

    A movie will run you about £7 - rent DVD's and play on your 'puter, check out Amazon's rental deals.

    Booze tend to be "available" price-wise but mounts-up if you're hanging out with the gang and you'll run thru' that £20 fast. Most Uni's have at least one student bar with cheap priced drinks and snacks,

    Clubbing - not my scene but you pay a door-fee and then a coat check is expected, but this is nominal and another student earning a little on the side so you don't mind. Drinks tend to be more expensive than the pub's. With a taxi ride home this could cost you £50.

    Clothing - much more expensive than the States. Watch for sales and the "outlet" stores like Next. Charity shops can supply some basics at very reasonable prices in an emergency, they also have marketing days when a shirt can be reduced to £0.25p type of thing. Supermarkets sell basics and their range of stuff, if you need a white t-shirt NOW! In this area - the general allotment per academic year is around £50 I think.

    Medical.

    Good thing is that it's mostly free. Get registered when you get over ASAP! Your Institution should be able to help. This enables you to only pay just under £7.00 per perscription if you HAVE to pay. Generally until a certain age kids don't pay. The ER's are mobbed if you ever have to visit/depend on them & waiting will take hours!!! Getting an NHS Doctor, standard procedure but a wild roll of the dice. Going "private" - hellishly expensive. (Treatment can cost THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS).

    Oxford? I loved it! It's clean, pretty for the most part, the people are very very nice for a Uni town. Fairly easy to get around on foot, safe and got some quaint Historic sections if you are into that stuff. (Which I am). Great bookshops but pricey. The art shops had a good range of supplies but expensive. The Museums - the Ashmolean is GREAT! Free too if I remember right. There is a vibrant diverse "underground" student life there which I'm sure you will enjoy!

    So, living independently on the cheap as a student you'll need something like £8 000 to cover basics for the year. (Obviously more money is better and a decent basic life-style requires about £15 000 here.) With a roomie, you can cut the over-heads down to about £4 000 each, perhaps a little less.But that isliving very very frugally. Should you be getting funding to cover your studies double check the sum granted you in your second and third years.(Surprises abound here!)

    Hhhhmmm "must eats" - English culinery isn't all that stunning. There are some amazing chefs here, but they were up in the Lake District not Oxford. The food was utter ambrosia!

    You should try their "sticky-toffee", it's sweet very sweet but nice. Something called a "Summer-Pudding" can be superb if made well. The ubiqutous "Fish & Chips"- get a good chippy who changes his oil regularly, and the stuff can be incredible. (If not, it's vile.) Yorkshire-puddings if you can get the real macoy made by someone's Mum and not a Supermarket version. Black or White Puddings? Made from blood and such, I have gritted my teeth and nibbled at the stuff-not my bag!

    While you are here - GET THEE to LONDON! Visit the Tower, as many Galleries as possible, the V&A is one of my fav museums down there! You have to explore Covent Garden and attend a few shows! (There are student discounts available).

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