The findings of two recent studies show that students in Cambridge get better value for money than their counterparts at Oxford and London universities.

However, Cambridge has lost the status of having the cheapest accommodation in the land, as reported in last year’s findings.

That distinction now belongs to the University of Warwick, where students spend on average £93 a week on accommodation. The weekly average cost of accommodation in Cambridge meanwhile has risen from £100 to £110.

Cambridge was ranked the tenth best value place to study in the UK, according to research by MoneySuperMarket.com

The study sought to ascertain where students could get the best value for money. Its scope was limited to the UK’s top 20 universities, as ranked by the Compete University Guide, in which Cambridge is currently placed first.

In comparison to the country’s other elite institutions, Cambridge finds itself in-between Durham, Exeter and St Andrews – which reportedly offer the best value for money – and Oxford and the London-based trio of UCL, LSE and Imperial – which offer the worst.

Varsity previously reported CUSU’s concerns with the cost of living in the city, with Access and Funding Officer Helena Blair saying that over half of Cambridge students are negatively impacted by financial matters.

A second year student at Emmanuel College was dismayed by Cambridge’s middling ranking, telling Varsity that the city’s “famous pubs often sell pints for a fortune”, with the study finding that the average pint in Cambridge costs £3.50 – the 6th most expensive among the 20 universities examined.

However, he did concede that Cambridge's college-owned accommodation provides good value for money.

MoneySuperMarket’s findings follow another study this summer which reported that the East of England – which includes Cambridge – is the cheapest region of the UK in which to study.

The earlier study, which focused on regions rather than specific universities, was carried out by PromotionalCodes.org.uk and gathered data on the costs of accommodation, nights out and public transport.

Darren Williams, of PromotionalCodes.org.uk, was surprised that the East of England topped the study.

“Stereotypically cities like Cambridge have a reputation for being posh and therefore pricey but the accommodation and public transport costs across the whole area were remarkably low," he said.

Williams’s surprise was shared by a second year student at Jesus College, who told Varsity he was “baffled” by the findings.

The survey of regions was also unsurprisingly bad news for those studying in London, the capital rounding out the rankings as the country’s most expensive region for students.