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Living costs

Your living costs can vary significantly dependent on your lifestyle. Find out how much the University has estimated that it will cost to live and study in Oxford in 2023-24.

How much will it cost to live in Oxford?

The lower and upper range of likely living costs for 2023-24 is provided below. These costs are based on a single, full-time undergraduate or graduate student, with no dependants, living in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford.

Likely living costs
 Likely living costs for 1 monthLikely living costs for 9 monthsLikely living costs for 12 months
Lower rangeUpper rangeLower rangeUpper rangeLower rangeUpper range
Food£300£470£2,700£4,230£3,600£5,640
Accommodation£715£860£6,435£7,740£8,580£10,320
Personal items£180£305£1,620£2,745£2,160£3,660
Social activities£40£90£360£810£480£1,080
Study costs£35£80£315£720£420£960
Other£20£35£180£315£240£420
Total£1,290£1,840£11,610£16,560£15,480£22,080

Further information about these costs

This information is provided to ensure that you are fully aware of and consider very carefully the likely living costs associated with your chosen course of study at Oxford. 

The figures provided are for information only. In addition to reviewing the information on this page, you should fully consider and research your personal likely living costs. The University is very much aware of the impacts of the rising costs of living on the student community and has put in place provision to assist students. More information can be found at Financial advice and support in 2023/24.

How are these likely living costs calculated?

In order to provide these likely living costs, the University and the Oxford SU conducted a living costs survey to complement existing student expenditure data from a variety of sources including the UK Government's Student Income and Expenditure Survey and the National Union of Students (NUS).

Food

These likely food costs would enable you to eat in your college for each of your three meals each day and there is provision for some dining out but food costs may be lower or higher, depending on your personal choice about where and what you eat.

Accommodation

These likely accommodation costs include related bills (for example, utilities such as electricity and heating) and are based on the latest available college accommodation figures, with an inflationary increase applied. Please note that college accommodation costs take into account a range of factors, and the impact of inflation on these costs will therefore vary from year to year. Private sector rental costs and utility bills may be subject to higher inflationary increases. You can find more information about renting in the private sector through the Oxford Student Pad and University Accommodation Office.

Study costs

These are likely costs directly related to your studies, such as text books, stationery, printing and photocopying, course-related equipment and materials.

Other

These are small, miscellaneous costs which do not fall under the other categories above.

Budgeting

Further advice on planning a budget is available on our Managing your budget page.

What additional costs might I need to budget for?

You may need to make additional provision for costs such as travel to and from Oxford and fieldwork, or for international students the visa and health surcharge costs (see below). These costs are not included in the figures above.

Are there any additional costs for International students?

If you need a student visa you will need to budget for the cost of the student visa and also the immigration health surcharge (see the student visa webpages for more information on the cost). The immigration health surcharge is paid upfront when you apply for your student visa and for the entire duration of your course and any additional time the Home Office adds to your course end date for the visa expiry date. For example, this will be a 1.5 year health surcharge for a 12 month Master's (4 months added to course end date by the Home Office), 3.5 or 4.5 year health surcharge for an undergraduate degree (4 months added to course end date by Home Office), or 5 years for a DPhil (4 year allowance for course length and 6 months added for viva and corrections, plus 4 months added by the Home Office). You should plan ahead for this expenditure as it must be paid with your visa application and the Home Office does not offer any instalment options. This surcharge also needs to be paid for each dependant, if they are able to accompany you to the UK.

What if I am studying in Oxford with a dependant or other family member?

If you have dependants (a partner or a child) or live with other family members, the following information may also be of assistance when considering your increased costs:

  • The Accommodation Office's rents webpage provides details of the relevant costs of University accommodation available for couples and families.
  •  Council tax information is available on the Gov.uk website and Oxford City Council website for students living with family members.
  • The Childcare Services page provides information about the University's subsidised nurseries. Some UK Government support may be available for (mainly UK) student parents. Information on free early learning opportunities (for under fours) can be found on the Gov.uk website.
  • If you require a visa to study at Oxford, please see the Student visa page for information about health costs relating to you and your dependants.
  • If you require a visa or an extension, you will need to show that you have a certain amount of funds to support your dependants. Please see our Visas for your family page for further details on whether you can bring dependants and the associated costs and evidence required.
  • If your partner works to help fund themselves at any point while you are studying and you are unfamiliar with tax arrangements in the UK, please check the information provided on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

What might my likely living costs be in future years?

The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

What advice is there about living costs for part-time students?

The living costs above are based on single, full-time students living in Oxford. While it may be the case that, as a part-time student, you will not be based in Oxford during your studies, you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis. If this applies to you, you should calculate your living costs to be sure that you have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course. In particular, part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Please note that living costs outside Oxford may be different from those shown above.

Living costs profiles from current students

To help with planning your living costs, we have asked a number of our current undergraduate and graduate students to share their experiences on the cost of living and studying in Oxford.

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