<p>My son will be going to London for his masters degree this fall. We know that it is an expensive city to live in - how much do you think he should expect to spend on personal expenses per week/mo? He has no idea what type of housing he will have. It is possible that he will get college housing. Food will probably be his largest expense after tuition & housing.</p>
<p>Any other advice you can offer? </p>
<p>Anyone else who’s child is there now or has been there?</p>
<p>My d went to Cambridge last summer, she spent about $100-$300 per week depending on her travelling on weekends. the dollar is stronger now. It was quite expensive, but the supermarkets have great in selection, so she ate at home/made picnics alot. Lots of pasta and cheese; less meat.
Restaurants are more expensive than usa. Take as many sundries as you can get in the luggage limit, because they are much more expensive over there. For entertainment, the college will have alot going on, and then there’s TimeOut–definitely check their website for cheap stuff to do in London. </p>
<p>If he is attending LSE or UCL I would have more specific info.</p>
<p>My d went in the fall of '07, when the pound was at $2. I guess she spent about $185/week on food, supplies, transportation, and entertainment, another $1500 on travel, and a few hundred on clothes (she thinks that she saves money by spending it on sales). She simply doesn’t cook, so there’s a lot of prepared food in that budget. A similar kid would spend around $140 now. I’m sure she went to her share of pubs.</p>
<p>He will be studying at the Courtauld Institute of Art.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your help, if anyone else can offer anything else I will be happy to read it.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, you can plan to spend as much in pounds as you would in dollars in a comparable North American city.</p>
<p>My D did a semester abroad in Spring 2007 at Regents. She absolutely loved it and traveled to Ireland and France for fairly cheap rates. She did find that everything in London cost twice as much as the US. Pizza-Hut had $20.00 pizzas. She and her roomate did get pretty good at finding the cheaper places to eat though. Enjoy!</p>
<p>I agree with most of the estimates of prior posters. D1 did study abroad two years ago, and was able to live in a very decent area and keep her costs down by sharing a three-bedroom flat with five other girls. In fact, I think her room costs that semester were less than had she actually been at her college here in the states. But they did a lot of research ahead of time and knew exactly what they were looking for.</p>
<p>D2 will be going in September for the semester; however, the program she’s in includes housing in the school’s dorms. And we are charged the exact same for the semester (tuition/R&B) as if she were in the states.</p>
<p>Mom2ofOH: What great news! Congratulations to your son and hope you are able to visit him in London.</p>
<p>I agree on the pounds=dollars level of spending. I was in London in Spring 2008 – and everything was in that approximate ratio. Starbucks Latte – 3 pounds/3 dollars. Pet Guinea Pig in Harrods 35 pounds, 35 dollars. Etc. Those happen to be the things I remember.</p>