Lyon has entered the top 10 of the ranking of university towns according to the cost of student living, in 9th place, according to Unef. The union unveiled the 2022 edition of this ranking on Monday August 22, in which the 47 most important university towns in metropolitan France appear.
>> Inflation: the cost of living is rising faster for students than for the average French person, according to Unef
Of the 10 cities ranked the most expensive for students, eight are located in Île-de-France. Paris, Nanterre and Saint-Denis are thus on the podium. The most expensive university city in France, outside the Paris region, is Nice, in 7th place. The cheapest in the whole metropolitan area is Le Mans.
In Paris, a student pays on average, in 2022, 1,332.52 euros per month to live (+4.33%). In Nice, it is 1,113.73 euros (+4.58%) and 850.44 euros (+5.79%) at Le Mans. The cost of student living has increased in 46 out of 47 cities, notes Unef. This increase is even higher than inflation in 20 cities out of 47. In July, the rise in consumer prices in France accelerated to reach 6.1%, INSEE confirmed on 12th August.
The five cities where the cost of student living has risen the most are, in order, Angers (+11.42%), Brest (+11.40%), Perpignan (8.39%), Metz ( 8.32%) and Chambery (8.03%). “Medium-sized cities that see the amount of rents explode”, explains the Unef. For the organization, “this is notably due to the fact that more and more people are settling in medium-sized cities following the Covid episode that we have just experienced”. Another explanation: “The increase in the number of students in higher education, which creates a greater demand for housing”.
In general, the cost of living for students increases by 6.47% in 2022, underlines the Unef. Concretely, this represents nearly 36 euros of additional expenses per month for a student. In particular, “Inflation due to the Ukrainian crisis”. Rents also increased in 38 out of 47 cities. Last year, the cost of living for students increased by 2.5%.