Survey on Cost of Living

gaf1983

This new survey came out yesterday:

"Average third-level student living on €151 a week
John Downes
10/08/2005


The average cost of living for Irish third-level students is €151 a week, or €6,040 a year, with nearly 80 per cent of students receiving financial support from their parents, a new survey has suggested.


According to the Ulster Bank survey of student costs, accommodation accounts for a quarter of overall spending.

On average students spend €1,510 on rent during the 40-week academic year, with the remainder going on travel, groceries and socialising.

The research also shows it is parents who are often left to foot at least part of the cost of their children's third-level education.

Some 79 per cent of the 350 students who took part in the face-to-face survey said they receive parental support, while 63 per cent have a part-time job.

The survey was conducted in May by market research company Research Solutions on behalf of Ulster Bank.

However, president of the Union of Students of Ireland Tony McDonnell yesterday questioned the accuracy of the figures, which, he said, seemed particularly low.

"In my experience the true cost of living for Irish students is far in excess of this.

"The high percentage of students who get financial support off their parents also highlights the need for better support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds."

The survey finds that the cost of living in Dublin is only slightly higher than in the rest of the country. At €153 a week in Dublin, this is €4 a week higher than outside the capital.

It also reveals that almost one in three intended to travel abroad to work during the summer, with two-thirds planning to work at home.

In a sign that many students are aware of the need to support themselves at college, 86 per cent said they hoped to save money during the summer to live off during the next academic year.

One in five students had a loan. Students in Dublin were five times more likely to have one than students in colleges outside of Dublin.




© The Irish Times"



I'd say it's a bit of an understatement, because if you look at the figure they give for rent, €1510 over a 40 week period that works out as €37.50 a week. Unless maybe if they interviewed students that lived at home, I don't know how they could have come up with such a low figure.

natter

I dunno what kinda dumps those students are living in but I'm paying €55 a week next semester for a nice house in brierfield and I know thats the cheaper than any accomadation that my friends are paying in other colleges. A friend of mine living in Galway is paying €70 a week for a dump out in Newcastle.

IceHawk

Yeah, on the topic of accommodation, Limerick has the lowest prices of any University city. There are literally people giving houses away for the summer. And the stupid developers are still buying up land for housing. This benefits the students, so keep it up I say. On the other hand, this saving is offset by the price of having a social life in Limerick city. And it's not as if there are any really good clubs here. Incidentally, the Lodge is the worst nightclub I've ever been in, which is weird, cos they must be swimming in money during the year. At least until the Lodge II opens, they have a monopoly on the castletroy market.

chubba1984

I lived in Milford Grange for €70 a week last year and thought I was bein fleeced. Went to Dublin on Co-Op for the last semester and summer and ended up payin €120 a week. One of my mates moved into the house in Limerick for the summer and was payin only €25. Bit of a difference.

And on your issue with the Lodge IceHawk you obviously never have had the opportunity to grace the floorboards of the Queens's in Ennis. It's an absolute sh1thole because they have an effective monopoly as well.

IceHawk

Hah! I have been to that particular spot! Now I don't remember much, but I thought it was a brilliant night. It probably doesn't count, though, cos I was with some brilliant friends and we would have had fun anywhere, but I thought it beat any Limerick club hands down...

Mind you, I'm biased, cos I've lived in Limerick all my life.

chubba1984

Amazing the way when people go to the Queens they don't remember much!

When you go out in Ennis it's the only place to go so you get sick of after a while. That said after spendin the summer in Dublin on Co-op I'd like to get back there just for the cheaper drink. I'd say the first couple of weeks back to college for the semester after co-op could be a case of leave the liver at the door and we'll collect it on the way out!

Mr. CooL ICE

Just out of curiosity, whats up with all these nicknames with years in them?

chubba1984

I've always used it because Chubba is usually gone when I try to enter as a email address i.e. gmail, yahoo, hotmail so I just put in the year I was born. It's hardly that hard to comprehend.

gaf1983

chubba1984 wrote:

I've always used it because Chubba is usually gone when I try to enter as a email address i.e. gmail, yahoo, hotmail so I just put in the year I was born. It's hardly that hard to comprehend.

ditto

Peteee

How much would you usually spend in a week?

I can easily (and have done many times) survived on less then €40 a week, and still had enough for a _few_ pints. Obviously that dosent include rent (€55 this year, as opposed to €90 here in dublin on co-op)

Cant wait to get back to feel the taste of beer that dosent cost nigh on a fiver a pint!

Blush_01

Hey guys. Thought I'd have a peek at the UL board, just to see what I missed by going to Dublin.

Just a personal assumption, but is it because there's actually enough accomidation at UL to cater for the demand that the prices are so low? I'm looking for a place within a mile or two of college at the moment, I have a budget of €100 a week and it's actually impossible to find something. Everything that sounds decent is gone by the time you ring, and there's almost nothing there.

What's the atmosphere like in the campus owned accomidation?

IceHawk

Yep. Stupid developers bought all the land within a mile of the college and there's housing estates everywhere now, so competition keeps accommodation prices the lowest in Ireland. I suppose it's one of the advantages of the college being so far from the city - the land around the college is mostly available for development. Plus the college itself is continually expanding with new on-campus accommodation and new faculty buildings.
As for the athmosphere, the first month of college each semester is usually brilliant, with house parties fairly often. Campus security are ok as long as nothing gets out of hand. Things tend to calm down later in each semester, obviously.

Blush_01

Wow, I've just realised how confusing part of my post sounded. I'm going into my final year in UCD, and accommodation is impossible to find at €400 per month or less, without a round-the-world bus journey being part of the deal. The UL accommodation situation is far preferrable to the one we have at the moment. They no longer allow students to live on campus unless they're first or final year students, or foreign students. Also, the distance from your home to college will now be taken into account in the allotment of places. I guess it makes sense. They're continually building new residences, but they can't hope to meet the demand unless they extend Ireland into the sea.