Living in the UK is expensive compared to many places in the World. The cost of living will of-course depend on the number of factors, like taste & preferences, living styles, number of dependents and duration, but you still need to be prepared financially. Check out a Currency Converter to get an idea of what your currency will be worth in the UK.
There are also some initial costs that will whittle your wallet down fairly quickly if you don’t plan accordingly, especially when it comes to setting up longer-term accommodation. Generally you should budget for the following:
Travelling from Airport and suitable accommodation search may require you to do a lot of travel across the city on buses, taxis and/or trains. So your travel expenses in the first few weeks will be considerably high as compared to other students who are well settled in their respective accommodation.
If you haven’t already organised accommodation for when you first arrive make sure you have enough money for hostel or hotel accommodation (from £15 upwards per night) or to give to friends who let you stay with them for few nights.
This will be your most significant outlay. When leasing a flat or room in a flat-share bond can be up to 6 weeks rent and on top of that you will probably have to pay up to a month’s rent in advance. This could be as much as £1000 depending on the price of your rent.
If you’ve brought your mobile phone from home you still may need to buy a SIM card or pay to have your phone ‘unlocked’ from your previous carrier. Avoid phone contracts if possible and opt for pre-pay calling. Be sure to put aside some cash to buy pre-paid top-ups!
You’ll probably be using the Internet for accommodation search, course study, and staying in touch with family and friends back home. Internet cafes charge from £1 an hour, but allow plenty of cash for this as you’d be surprised how many hours you can rack up in these places.
Hopefully you packed suitable clothes for the season you’re arriving in the UK and if you found room in your suitcase or backpack, suitable clothing for formal events like seminars/presentations etc.
In first few weeks you may not be in a position to buy groceries and prepare your own meals. So be prepared for some extra expense as having food at cafes/restaurants in Oxford and UK is costly in general.
