Cardiff is the most cost-effective place in the UK for undergraduates, whilst Brighton has moved up five places to 15th on the list.

The Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) Student Living Index, now in its third year, ranks Britain's major university towns by plotting average student expenditure on living and housing costs against income from term-time employment.

Figures compiled by RBS show that students in Brighton spend about £200 a week on rent, billls, food and other essentials and will spend £8.6 million on going out to pubs and clubs over the next university year.

55% of Brighton & Hove's students will get a part-time job and earn on average £88 a week, less than the national average of £98.

Compared with other students around Britain, Brighton's students will spend more than average on grocery shopping but less on buying clothes, eating out and travel.

Although Brighton cannot compete on cost-effectiveness with cities such as Leeds, Coventry and Manchester, students appear to be attracted to the quality of life Brighton can offer and make a significant contribution to the economic life of the city.