Looking for an alternative student living spot to Glasgow? We’ve got you covered!
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Did you know that there’s an untapped area just a short distance from Glasgow, that’s proving to be a great place for students to call home?
Paisley, just ten miles out of central Glasgow, offers students affordable rent, a walkable local town, a variety of bars and restaurants, all while easily being able to access the benefits of Glasgow itself. Surrounded by the same beautiful architecture you would find in Glasgow, students living in Paisley also find the comparatively quieter area more relaxing to call home, while still being able to take full advantage of Glasgow’s nightlife and busy city centre.
So, exactly how much will it cost a student to study in Glasgow and live in Paisley?
Read on for our round up of how much you can expect to spend while studying in Glasgow and living in Paisley!
Rent – £130 per week
Rent in Paisley comes in at less than central Glasgow. With Fresh’s own rooms in Paisley starting at £130 a week, and residents in Glasgow spending upwards of £200 per week*, you could be saving £70 a week on your accommodation costs simply by living a little further out. That could equate to a yearly saving of £3,570 on a 51-week let!
Plus, with all bills and wi-fi included** you’ll be getting an even better deal for your rent (and can skip on that particular bit of life admin)!
Travel – £16.17 per week (based on 5 days of travel)
You might think that this saving will automatically get eaten up by your rail travel. However, at £4.90 for a return ticket, even travelling in five days per week would only see you spend £24.50.
For any 16-25 railcard holders, this knocks the price down even more, with your railcard securing you a third off rail fares across the UK (and yes, mature students qualify too!). For any MyPad residents for 24/25, you’ll be receiving a 16-25 railcard as part of your rent with us***, giving you easy access to this saving.
Trains to Glasgow are every ten minutes throughout the day, with the first train leaving at 5:57 and last train returning at 23:50. From Glasgow Central, you’ll be within walking distance of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, and the University of Glasgow, making Paisley a great option for students at any Glasgow HE institution.
Weekly Food Shop – £25
There are plenty of supermarkets and affordable grocery stores across Paisley, with an Iceland, Farmfoods, and Morrisons daily in the centre of town. For your bigger food shop, you can find a Lidl on Renfrew Street, just a ten-minute walk from the train station, or MyPad student accommodation, giving you easy access to one of the cheapest supermarkets on the UK high street.
Your weekly food shop is always going to depend on how much you eat, and any dietary restrictions you have, so treat this figure as a rough guide. For any gym-goers wanting to fill up on protein, you might see this figure increase!
Pre-uni Coffee Pit Stops – £3.30 each
Having made some savings on your accommodation, you can afford to treat yourself to a coffee more often than otherwise! We have a Costa Coffee just two minutes-walk from MyPad, where you can pick up a latte for around £3.75, or you can step across the road into Be Capri, an independent café where you can secure a caffeine fix for £3.30.
Both options will give you a free coffee after you’ve collected ten loyalty stamps, with Costa also giving you a free drink on your birthday.
The bottom line
Living costs will always vary from person to person, but we’ve tried to cover the essentials and give you a strong idea of what it would cost for a Glasgow student to live in Paisley.
With your rent, travel, food shopping, and a weekly coffee taken into account, you can expect to pay roughly £175 a week to live in Paisley while studying in Glasgow – that’s still around a £25 saving per week on Glasgow-based rent alone – £1,275 a year! Leaving you to enjoy your savings, or let your budget take you further in exploring what Glasgow and Paisley have to offer.
Whether you’re a student at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, or the University of Glasgow, student accommodation in Paisley is a great option to help your student loan go further and explore more of Scotland. Check out our current availability at MyPad to find your Paisley student room!
*This is a lower estimate, based on a selection of private accommodation fees in central Glasgow.
**Inclusive of energy, water, and contents insurance
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