In a poll carried out by push.co.uk, the University of Ulster was ranked the 17th cheapest university while Queen's University was 28th.

Research carried out by the online advice site found that students at the University of Ulster pay out on average £32.83 on groceries each week and £50.89 for accommodation.

The survey found that students at Queen's can expect to pay £102.94 each week in total with a breakdown of £35.01 on groceries and £61.03 for accommodation.

Unsurprisingly, universities in London - including Imperial College and King's College - featured heavily in the list of the most expensive universities, where students can expect to pay almost £40 a week extra on essential living expenses compared with those at Queen's and UU.

The figures have been revealed in a map, published at push.co.uk, which shows how the cost of living varies at every university in the UK and reveals that some are more than twice as expensive as others.

This is the first time such a study has been carried out and it is the result of more than a year's research carried out exclusively by push.co.uk, the leading independent website for university applicants.

Push's index of living costs uses three indicators - the price of student housing, groceries and drinks - to measure how each university's living costs compare to the national average, represented as 100 on the index.

The range varied from the University of Bradford, which was cheapest at just 73% of the national average, to the Royal Academy of Music with an index of 168.

To gather the data on groceries, Push worked with nationwide convenience store chain Costcutter to develop a student basket of goods, representing some of the best-selling items in branches local to universities.

Among other things, the basket included king size Rizla, condoms, a Pot Noodle, cigarettes, beer, ProPlus, HobNobs and cheese.

Earlier this year, Push.co.uk published the results of its yearly student debt survey - the UK's most detailed annual examination of student finance - which found that Ulster students can expect to be at least £15,000 in debt by the time they graduate.

Annual student debt in Northern Ireland now stands at £4,067 - a 16.7% rise on last year - according to the UK's largest ever survey of finance.

Johnny Rich, series editor of Push.co.uk, said he hoped the results of the latest survey will prove useful to young people selecting which university to attend.

"Students pick a lot more than a course when they choose a university," he said.

" They choose a home, a lifestyle - they even choose how much they're going to pay for it. No two unis cost the same and students need the facts to make informed choices.

"That's why Push.co.uk has done this research and it shows even more diversity between universities than we would have imagined."