NI students struggling with rising cost of living this winter

As winter sets into Belfast, students are feeling the chill of living costs rising within the city.

With rent, energy bills, and everyday expenses continuing to rise, it is becoming a challenge to stretch those student loans and part-time jobs to cover the essentials.

Overall, the cost of living in Northern Ireland has dramatically gone up within the past year. Gas and electricity prices were more than 70% higher in 2023, according to the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator, while rental prices for one-bedroom flats in Belfast have risen by nearly 10% over the last year, according to PropertyNews.

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The impact of these price hikes can be seen across student communities in Belfast.

“I’ve started to budget much more strictly,” says Weronika, a third-year student at Queen’s University. “I’ve cut back on nights out and even have to think twice before turning on the heating.”

With winter's harshest months looming, heating bills are yet another added concern as students try to make ends meet.

It is not much better for students who stay in shared accommodation either. The cost of renting in Queen's University accommodation has gone up significantly since December 2022 following a meeting with the Senate where they voted to raise both tuition fees and accommodation prices despite protests from students outside the Lanyon Building.

For instance, the weekly rent of living in Queen's accommodation Elms BT2 went up from £140 for the academic year 2022-2023 to £160 this year.

Food prices have also increased, which, in turn, makes budgeting even more complicated. According to the Northern Ireland Living Costs and Food Survey, students are spending a large part of their income on groceries, and with the prices of staple items such as bread, cheese and milk rising substantially due to growing rates of inflation, students are forced to carefully plan out each trip to the grocery shop.

Yet, despite these challenges, many students are finding ways to make ends meet. More and more students are engaging in part-time jobs, from barista shifts to working in local retail stores in order to supplement their incomes, while others turn to university support services for help.

There is free financial advice for students at Queen's University who cannot pay bills or need access to energy-saving resources. They also have an accommodation bursary scheme that will support some 450 students this academic year and reduce the cost for those students by up to 37%, and a Financial Assistance Fund to support students who are in financial hardship during their studies.

Other external resources to help are available. For example, organisations such as Bryson Energy provide free advice on saving energy, and the Affordable Warmth Scheme helps those on lower incomes by contributing to heating bills.

Despite these efforts, however, many students continue to struggle with growing costs. With the temperatures dropping, as well as upcoming exams, one thing is certain: students in Belfast are in for a very difficult winter.

While the financial squeeze has seen many people question how to make ends meet, it is important students budget accordingly and familiarise themselves with the options available to them in order to ease the financial burdens facing them in this tough economic climate.

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