New research has shown that the South West is the most expensive place to study in the UK, after London.

Students strapped for cash may find that their postcode influences their wallet. Image by pefertig.

It’s no surprise that London is the most expensive place to study in the UK, however new research has shown that students studying at universities in the South West of England are spending the second highest amount.

The study has also revealed that the East of the UK offers the highest level of savings and deals for students looking to save cash.

Money-saving website, PromotionalCodes.org.uk, compared the average living costs for students around the country, taking accommodation, partying and public transport into consideration.

On average, almost £7000 will be spent a year on living costs by students in the South West – eye-wateringly expensive compared the East of England at just under £5000.

London students spend on average £7929.30 – greatly larger than spenders studying in Wales, the North West and the South East.

Darren Williams from PromotionalCodes.org.uk, the company that conducted the research, said: “With university fees higher than ever, every student starting out this September will be looking to cut their costs where they can.

“It’s interesting to see how much difference a postcode can make on what you shell out. You could be studying the same course living in the same type of accommodation but the price difference could be over  £3,000 depending on where in the UK you are.

“It was quite surprising that the East of England came out top out of all eleven regions. Stereotypically cities like Cambridge have a reputation for being posh and therefore pricey but the accommodation and public transport costs across the whole area were remarkably low.”

By Richard Peake