The cost of student rents has increased and average rents in several towns are higher than students' spending limits, research suggests.

Average rents at a third of university towns are higher than students are willing to pay, a new survey suggests.

An 8.5% increase in the past year has seen the average cost of a room in a student flatshare reach £357 a month, according to the report by flatsharing website easyroommate.co.uk.

In eight of the 25 university towns and cities examined, average rents exceeded what students said they were willing to pay.

The biggest discrepancy was in Exeter, where the average monthly student flatshare rent was £385 but students indicated they would pay up to a limit of £300.

Bournemouth, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester and Plymouth were the other locations where average rents outstripped what students said they were willing to pay.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, students in London face the highest prices when looking for residential property to let, where average monthly rents are £567.

Cambridge (£450) and Oxford (£398) were the next most expensive student rents, while Cardiff (£255) and Swansea (£260) were at the other end of the scale with the cheapest student rents.

The research suggested that rents have increased in the past year as a result of higher numbers of people going to university, with the majority (54%) of the 1,100 students surveyed saying their rents had gone up in the last 12 months.

Student lifestyles have had to adapt as a result of the bigger outlay, according to the study, with some students opting for bigger house shares to spread costs while others admitted they have less cash to splash on their nightlife.

Around one in eight (12%) said they were not able to put aside as much money for after they graduate, while 7% said they had cut back on books and study materials to save money.

"Rents for student flatshares are now at their highest level in five years which is increasing the financial pressure being felt by many students across the country who also have to deal with higher fees and more expensive day-to-day living costs," said easyroommate.co.uk manager Rishi Patel.

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