Waterford has been named as the third cheapest student town in Ireland.
A new report from switcher.ie found Letterkenny, Sligo, Waterford and Dundalk offered some of the lowest accommodation fees in Ireland.
Student accommodation costs across all on-campus and private student halls have risen by around 3% (€174) since last year.
Carlow is the eighth cheapest student town.
Since last year’s study, student costs have been climbing across the board, with accommodation, college fees, nights out and transport costs on the up.
Nights out: the average student can expect to fork out €165 more this year on a night out; as taxi fares, cheap eats, cinema tickets and beer continue to rise.
Accommodation: rent increased by 3% or around €174 per year across all on-campus and private student halls. The steepest hikes were in private accommodation in Dublin, Carlow, Limerick and Kerry, with some complexes charging an extra €500 per year.
College fees: international students and those ineligible for free fees can expect to pay an overall average of €102 extra each month in 2024. They can expect to fork out an average of almost €400 more on fees this year, with top universities charging, on average, €1,260 more per year for non-EU fees.
Groceries: since 2023, the monthly cost of groceries has increased by €10 to €196 per month, or €90 per year across each student town.
Utilities: broadband and electricity costs which are usually included in student rent have risen by 4% or €30 per year.
Waterford
Waterford was nearly €1,000 cheaper at €14,724 and only saw a rise of 1% (€151) in the last year making it the third cheapest place for students attending third-level institutions in Ireland behind Letterkenny and Sligo.
The capital of the sunny southeast, Waterford offers more value for money than other places on our list, costing around €1,303 in total per month for those attending the South East Technological University.
It moved down one spot since last year from third to fourth third place in our study.
Carlow
Among the steepest price hikes were Carlow, Dublin, Limerick and Kerry, with some areas charging an extra €500 per year according to the report.
The overall cost of student living in Carlow rose by 3% (€476) making the yearly student costs €15,653.
Carlow maintained its spot as eighth cheapest student town this year.
Although it is reasonably priced when it comes to socialising and food, student accommodation was the fifth most expensive in Ireland, driven by the high cost of some private student accommodation hubs in the town.
Overall, student rent has increased by an average of €28 a month or €252 per year, since 2023.
Report Findings
The total cost for each county incorporated a number of student expenses including accommodation, utilities, groceries, transport, entertainment and gym membership.
Dublin remains the most expensive place for third-level students with the average cost of all these factors coming to €19,527, just over €2,500 more expensive than the second most expensive area Maynooth which costs on average €16,942 per year.
Rankings
- Letterkenny
- Sligo
- Waterofrd
- Dundalk
- Atholone
- Galway
- Tralee
- Carlow
- Limerick
- Cork
- Maynooth
- Dublin
Cheapest town for a night out
This year, Sligo surpassed Tralee as top student town for cheaper entertainment in 2024, with cinema visits, meals, drinks and nightclubs costing €308 a month.
The other most affordable towns for socialising were:
- Letterkenny: €310 per month
- Dundalk: €329 per month
- Carlow: €330 per month
- Waterford: €333 per month
For more information visit www.switcher.ie.
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