What is the cost of living in Birmingham?

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Hi there,

There a number of resources to secure a part-time job while you pursue your Masters in the UK. Birmingham’s cost of living is relatively low compared to other big cities like London, so that is helpful. I am not sure if you will be able to meet all your living expenses from working part-time as it depends on a lot of factors such as: your current skill set/hireability, the amount of time your studies allow you to work part-time, the number and kind of jobs in the market and the number of hours they are able to let you work (especially keeping coronavirus-related economic effects in mind), and lastly the quality of life you would be pursuing. This includes rent, bills, food, travel, entertainment, shopping and so on. I would recommend you to err on the side of caution and be prepared to cover at least 50% of your total expenses out of your own pocket. It may be possible for you to work 10-12 hours per week, but it is usually harder to secure a job that offers 20 hours/week. I wish you luck with your endeavors and hope this was helpful! Take care, Appy

Good Day!

The cost of living in Birmingham is quite moderate relative to other big cities in the UK. The student housing area named Selly Oak, which is within walking distance of the university campus has a lot of inexpensive housing for rent. Also, to get around, trains are very affordable (approx. £3 per round trip to city center, for instance), especially if you have a rail pass and you can get a student discount on all train tickets. Lastly, as a student, you are able to avail a large number of student discounts in shopping, restaurants, food, going out, as well as travel.

The following link gives you a (generous) estimate of living expenses at Birmingham:

http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/support/moneyadvice/living.aspx

Keep in mind that the cost of living here is nearly half that of the living expenses in London, which is quite good for the second city of the U.K. However, I will say that ‘high‘ and ‘low‘ are very relative terms, depending on where you are coming from and what your personal budget is going to be like.

Hope this covers everything. Let me know if you have other questions.

Cheers!