LONDON (Reuters) - British students spend about $1.8 billion on drink every year, nearly three times as much as they cough up for books, a survey released on Monday showed.At $1.81 billion, the collective bar tab of Britain's students is close to what they spend on books and food combined -- $600 million and $1.2 billion respectively. Rent costs them another $4.5 billion.
The survey by the Royal Bank of Scotland was conducted to compile a "Student Living Index," which ranks cities by offsetting living costs with earning potential from part-time work.
"Our research suggests that going to Glasgow could save you up to 1,000 pounds (about $1,800) a year compared with other university towns," said Andrea Aitken-Paige, Head of Student Banking at the bank.
The index shows the Scottish city is the most cost-effective place to live as a student, while a degree at Durham in northern England is the most costly.
Two in five students will work part-time to boost their budgets in the coming academic year, said the pollsters, who interviewed 2,163 undergraduates from 21 university towns.
