Belfast Student Life 'Becoming More Expensive'

Living in Belfast has become more expensive for students due to soaring property prices, a report has revealed today.

The Ulster Bank 2007 Student Living Index revealed that Belfast has dropped from sixth to 19th in a league table of 27 major UK university towns based on cost of living, looking at weekly expenditure against earnings.

Roisin Ryan of the Ulster Bank said that the rising cost of property in Northern Ireland - and subsequent rise in rents - seemed to be one of the reasons for Belfast's lower cost-effectiveness ranking for students this year.

Belfast students now pay an average £193 each week on living and housing costs compared to £186 in Leeds, which is the most cost-effective city for students to live.

The research, carried out with Ulster Bank’s parent company Royal Bank of Scotland, also analysed spending on rent, essential and non-essential items against wages.

The research found that the average student working part-time in Belfast earns £91 a week, compared to £98 for the UK as a whole and £128 in Leeds.

Some 61% of university students in Belfast have part-time jobs compared to the UK average of 41%, whilst 29% of students studying in Belfast live at home compared to the UK average of 18%.

Michal Harkin, vice president of education at Queen’s University Belfast Students’ Union, said: “Queen's is trying to limit the amount students can work to 15 hours a week, but its leading to a catch-22 situation as Belfast is expensive and students need to work to pay for it. If they do not work they have to go to the banks and students are already coming out with enough debt as it is.”

The index listed Nottingham as the worst place for students to live.

(SB/KMcA)