If you’re a student thinking about moving to Scotland (or if you’re from Scotland and moving to a different city) for your studies, congratulations: you’ll be part of a community of over 250,000 full-time students in Scotland, aiming to shape their future in exciting new ways!
While it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons of each university or college, it’s equally important to consider the life you’ll have outwith studies and how you’ll spend your time and money.
Although each city in Scotland has its own unique culture, they also vary in terms of expenses.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular cities to study in Scotland and an estimation of living costs that you should expect, while offering some tips on ways you can make the most of your budget.
Comparing living costs for Scottish students
Here we’ll examine the typical expenses for students in each city in greater detail.
At this point, it is important to emphasise that these values, although indicative of what students can expect, are subject to change due to rising living costs and other factors, and are also more variable depending on the student’s lifestyle.
However, they should serve as a useful rough estimate for those who might be comparing living costs in Scotland’s various cities.
Estimated living costs per Scottish city
| Monthly Expenses | Glasgow | Dundee | Stirling | Aberdeen | Edinburgh |
| Rent | £550-£800 | £500-£600 | £680-£800 | £384-£784 | £620-£880 |
| Food | £210-£220 | £100-£250 | £200-£280 | £150-250 | £200-£300 |
| Transportation | £0-£50 | £0-£50 | £0-£70 | £0-£76 | £0-£70 |
| Utilities | £70-£130 | £50-£80 | £100 | £80-150 | £100-£150 |
| Personal Expenses | £100-£150 | £50-100 | £100-£120 | £120-£220 | £100-£180 |
Rent
Starting with rent, we see that it can begin from as little as £384 per month in Aberdeen, which is noticeably lower than all other entries on this list. This is mainly due to the city’s relatively stable rental market; however, with demand rising, this is likely to change.
Dundee also provides an affordable rental rate, thanks to its high student population attracted by the city’s low cost of living.
Elsewhere, Glasgow and Stirling are slightly higher, with Edinburgh topping the list at around £900 per month. This is due to a combination of increasing Airbnb-style accommodations, a large student population, and strong tourist demand – all of which make the capital’s rental market highly competitive.
Food
Next, we can look at the average food costs for students.
Like many other examples on this list, food budgets vary greatly depending on personal preferences, such as home cooking versus eating ready meals, takeaways, and dining out. However, we’ll look at averages taken across the country, giving you a better idea of what to expect.
In keeping with its low cost of living, Dundee’s average food budget starts at just £100, while students in larger cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, and, to a slightly lesser extent, Stirling can expect to pay at least double.
While food prices have risen across the UK in recent years, making budgets tighter than ever, students should seek to take advantage of supermarket discount schemes such as Clubcards and Nectar cards wherever possible.
To ensure a healthy, balanced diet, meal prepping at the start of the week can minimise overall cooking time, and allow for more focus on studies.
Transportation
While personal definitions of what makes a city ‘walkable’ can vary based on individual preferences and abilities, thanks to their relatively small size compared to places like London or most American cities, all of Scotland’s cities are generally regarded as walkable due to their compact layout. This is why our transport estimates all start from zero.
Even on rainy days, when you might prefer not to walk, transportation in all cities is reasonably priced. With the National Entitlement Card and Young Scot Card, travel discounts can be substantial or even free, making day trips outside the city an affordable option.
Regardless of how students choose to travel, planning ahead can help save money on expensive last-minute options such as taxis.
Investing in alternative transportation methods, such as bikes, can keep journeys affordable and enjoyable over time, while also reducing personal carbon footprint!
Utilities
Moving on to utilities, including gas, electricity, and Wi-Fi, we observe similar patterns to other sections of the expenses table. Dundee offers the cheapest services at the lower end, while Edinburgh and Aberdeen are among the more expensive.
While Aberdeen generally has a lower cost of living than other Scottish cities, its higher utility bills can largely be attributed to its temperature. As the UK’s coldest city, it’s no surprise that residents tend to use their heating more often to stay warm.
Personal Expenses
Personal expenses include accumulated non-essentials such as sports memberships, luxury items, and outings with friends.
Estimating personal costs can be challenging due to the variety of lifestyles among students. Nevertheless, these rough estimates indicate that students should generally allocate at least £100 per month for such expenses.
Apart from Dundee-based students, who can benefit from the city’s generally lower cost of living, budgets can easily reach into the £200s, and even more if students opt to visit some of the more upscale, tourist-heavy locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
To avoid overspending, students are advised to budget carefully, making use of student-friendly nights, their local student unions, and other discounts to stretch their money further.
Conclusion
While there are clear similarities overall in terms of budget, it’s apparent that young people studying in Scotland’s larger cities can expect to pay considerably more than those in Dundee and Aberdeen.
If you are considering similar courses across these cities, the differences in costs might be enough to sway your decision one way or the other.
However, although higher expenses in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Stirling might be off-putting for some, it’s important to remember that these figures are based on rough estimates, and are not the final word on living affordably in your city of choice.
Alongside the money-saving tips mentioned above, students seeking to reduce their expenses can also consider part-time jobs that align with their schedules and lifestyles, while exploring financial support options such as bursaries and other allowances.
If you’re a student in Glasgow looking for more storage space, consider GTW Storage.
Serving students for many years, we offer city-centre storage solutions to make student living easier, especially for those moving from further afield.
To learn more about how self-storage can help students, click here, or get in touch with our team.