THRIFTY students in Southampton have helped to make the city the most cost-effective place to study in the UK, according to a survey published today.

They spend less money on alcohol, rent and buying clothes each week compared to the national average, but spend more on books.

The Student Living Index by the Royal Bank of Scotland ranked university towns by dividing how much students spend on day-to- day expenses with how much they earn from term-time work.

Southampton's top-of-the-league-table position comes just a week after another survey, The Push Guide to Finance, ranked the area as one of the worst to be a student predicting graduates would be saddled with £21,000 of debt because of tuition fees.

Out of 21 British university towns, the average Southampton student was found to spend a combined total of £162.87 per week and make £81.71 from part-time employment. The survey found that two-fifths of Southampton's 15,538 undergraduates at Southampton University and Southampton Institute work part-time to gain extra cash.

Andrea Aitken-Paige, The Royal Bank of Scotland's head of student banking said: "The key to getting it right is forward planning."

She added: "If you are concerned about the potential cost of student living, for example, our research suggests that going to Southampton could save you a substantial amount compared with other university towns."

Southampton Students' Union president, Andy Wilson, said: "I am happy that we have been seen to be studious and that we spend more money on books than the national average.

"Students seem to be financially independent and still be able to have a good time. They understand what their priorities are."

Nottingham, Bristol and Durham were the least cost-effective places to study with students spending more on day-to-day expenses and earning less money from part-time work.

COST-OF-LIVING UNIVERSITY LEAGUE TABLE: Ranked by the Royal Bank of Scotland's Student Living Index

1) Glasgow

2) Aberdeen

3) Southampton

4) Liverpool

5) Cardiff

6) Leeds

7) Oxford

8) Dundee

9) Sheffield

10) London

11) Manchester

12) Newcastle

13) Cambridge

14) Edinburgh

15) St Andrew's

16) York

17) Brighton

18) Birmingham

19) Nottingham

20) Bristol

21) Durham