A realistic London budget, since that is where budgets go to die:
| Category | GBP/month | | Shared room | 1,100 | | Groceries | 250 | | Transit (Oyster) | 120 | | Phone (giffgaff/VOXI) | 15 | | Utilities share | 100 | | Eating out and life | 150 | | Total | 1,735 |
Swap London for Manchester and rent drops to ~800 GBP, total ~1,300. Swap for Berlin and the whole thing lands near 1,100 EUR. Sources: Numbeo Cost of Living The 50/30/20 rule does not survive student life. Use 60/20/20: 60 percent fixed costs, 20 percent food and life, 20 percent buffer. The buffer is not savings. It is the visa renewal fee, the laptop repair, the flight home you did not plan.