London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, has been a favorite destination for numerous international students from all over the world. For more than a century, a large number of students from various parts of the world have been visiting the UK to acquire higher education in different streams. Two of the universities in London have obtained a place among the top 10 rankings in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2025. These universities are Imperial College London, which ranks 2nd in the world, and UCL, which ranks 9th in the world.
When international students enroll in London, they need to take care of certain things among which the major ones are the finances. Since they are living alone, they need to save their money for their future. It becomes more necessary in one of the most expensive cities like London. There are certain methods to save money while studying abroad in London, UK, which you will read below.
Choose Your Accommodation Early
The process of saving money in London starts from your home country while choosing student accommodation. If you choose accommodation at a low price, you need to pay less weekly or monthly while living in London. The major thing you need to do for this purpose is to choose your accommodation early at least three months before your university session.
Prices of accommodations rise as the time of the commencement of the university session comes closer so if you choose accommodation late, you may get it at a high rent.
Try Shared Accommodation
A shared accommodation for students in London can be cheaper compared to a single-occupancy accommodation. It is because the rent is split among all occupants of a shared accommodation equally; therefore, one student has to spend less for living there.
There are shared rooms and studios available in London for students. Scape Mile End Canalside is a student housing property where you can find shared studios.
Get Accommodation near Your Institute
If you choose to stay in an accommodation near your institute, you can save a lot of your money. Some of the accommodations may be within walking distance from your institute. If you get any such accommodation, you can reach your institute and come back to the accommodation without spending any money. On the other hand, there are some, which are within the easy driving distance from the institutes and in such cases you have to spend less money.
You can find good accommodations near Imperial College London, UCL, CU London, and many other institutes in the city.
Visit Right Online Platforms for Accommodation Selection
There are some good online platforms such as Universityliving.com where you can find the list of accommodations in London. On such platforms, you also find options like sorting the list according to prices, filtering the list according to price ranges, and comparing the properties on a single webpage. Therefore, it becomes easier for you to find cheap accommodation in London.
Some popular properties with low-priced accommodations in London listed on such platforms include The Valentine, Stratford One, Chapter Old street, and many more.
Prepare Meals in Your Kitchen as Much as Possible
While living in London, you would also like to go for eating out sometimes. There is no harm in visiting restaurants or other dining venues occasionally, but if you do this regularly, you have to spend a lot of money. But, if you cook food in the kitchen of your student residence, you can save a lot of your money without a second thought. The homemade food is also healthy for you and helps you in a healthy lifestyle.
Visit Inexpensive Restaurants
If you need to visit restaurants frequently due to any reason then it is suggested to visit inexpensive restaurants. In an inexpensive restaurant, you can get a meal at around £20. You can also visit McDonald’s where McMeal is available in London at £8.
Check Scholarships
If you are eligible for scholarships then you can apply for them in the universities or colleges in London and get a concession in fees can save your money while living in London. These scholarships may be on the basis of merit, financial conditions, or other factors. You can check about the scholarships on the websites of universities, governments, and more.
Get Student Discounts
You can also get student discounts on many goods and services in London. This can be one of the ideal ways to save money in London.
Set Your Budget
You need to set your budget in order to be clear about your expenses while living in London. It can help you in keeping track of your expenses. Besides, you can filter the necessary and unnecessary expenses, which can help you a lot in saving money while studying and living in London.