Maynooth named most expensive student town outside Dublin

Maynooth has been named the most expensive student town outside of done. Switcher.ie's latest research has revealed the cheapest places to study in Ireland and the monthly costs of University in each town in 2023. The results are based on value of respective food shops where the best deal was found in Sligo and Letterkenny, but students in Waterford and Dublin could be paying as much as 50% more for their weekly shop.

A night on the town could set the average student back €322 per month. The spend on a typical student month of drinks, eating out, takeaways, cinema and nightclubbing, is lowest in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk.

The top five most expensive towns/regions are, in order, Dublin, Maynooth, Cork, Limerick and fifth Carlow.

Soaring inflation has meant student budgets have been hit hard - with rents, utilities, food and entertainment costs skyrocketing. In the last year the cost of a pint has risen nearly 10%, pizza is up by 16%, and a trip to the movies costs 5% more. Closer to home, energy bills have spiked and many students could be paying on average 8% more for their mobile and broadband.

With 1 in 3 students in financial difficulty, new research by Switcher.ie analysed a range of student costs and ranked Ireland's student towns from cheapest to most expensive. They found that students eligible for free tuition fees can expect to fork out €15,096 on average going to college in 2023, while international students may spend around €25,766 per year.

The highest accommodation costs are of course found in Dublin, with students, on average, paying twice as much as those in Letterkenny and Sligo.

Student towns ranked by monthly cost, cheapest to most expensive:

Letterkenny €1,088

Sligo €1,135

Waterford €1,286

Dundalk €1,289

Athlone €1,301

Tralee €1,325

Galway €1,343

Carlow €1,353

Limerick €1,362

Cork €1,441

Maynooth €1,475

Dublin €1,730

Eoin Clarke of Switcher.ie comments, "The cost of living crisis has walloped Ireland's students. Although University fees have remained steady for most students thanks to the free fee initiative - everyday bills, food and the cost of just 'having fun' has spiralled. Price hikes have hammered everything from the price of a pint and a pizza to student essentials like broadband and mobile. These rises have left many with the stark choice between heating and eating or skipping lectures for paid work to cover living costs. The good news is, despite the financial chaos of the last few years - there are still many ways for students to make their money go further and parents to support their kids through Uni without breaking the bank of mum and dad."