Living in Hull

Your guide to our city

Hull is often seen as a place apart. Yet one that plays its part on the world stage: pushing, performing, punching way above its weight. You might not think a city at the end of the line could start so much. You’d be wrong…

Three of Hull’s students stand confidently together under string lights on Humber Street

Think you know Hull? Think again.

We’ve become one of the country’s most talked-about destinations. And for all the right reasons.

One of the UK’s coolest postcodes

to move to in the UK in 2025¹

Ranked 2nd best place to visit

in the UK in Time Out's 2024 guide²

There’s an extra special brand of Northern friendliness here. We call it Hullness. Dip your toes in and discover our quirks, our culture, our hidden gems. Let’s explore the possibilities waiting for you around every corner.

the city hall in hull city centre with fountains out the front

About the city of Hull

1 min

A city that is in the world, yet sufficiently
on the edge of it to have a different resonance

Philip Larkin

View of hull city hall from whitefriargate at sunrise

A city not fit for a king

Strictly speaking, we’re called Kingston upon Hull. We dropped the royal part of our name after we denied the authoritarian King Charles I entry in 1642. That act helped spark the English Civil War – and brought down a monarchy.

We’ve been doing things differently ever since.

Three of Hull’s students stand confidently together in front of a fruit and veg stall in Hull's Trinity Market

More life. Less cost.

Thinking about money? Don’t. Hull is the most affordable city in the country.³ You won’t have to worry about making your student budget stretch. In fact, you might be so busy enjoying life here that you stop thinking about money altogether. Now, wouldn’t that be a profitable position to be in?

Find out moreExplore the cost of living in Hull

How Hull changed the world

The city of uncommon sense

Hull is a haven for unconventionally brilliant minds. This proud port has launched generations of freethinkers and changemakers to the world. Each of them way ahead of their time – at exactly the right time.

1833

Hull-born MP William Wilberforce dedicated his life to ending slavery. One month after his death, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 became law.

outside image of venn building at university of hull, names after the inventor of the venn diagram

1834

Born in Hull in 1834, John Venn was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher who gave the world the Venn diagram. Today, it’s used everywhere from logic and maths to memes and marketing.

celebrations at the end of mens university football game

1863

Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the founding father of the FA, was born in Hull. In 1863, he wrote football’s first rulebook – the game wouldn’t be the same without him.

Black and white photo of an old aeroplane flying through the sky above the clouds.

1930

Pioneering pilot Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. She broke records, shattered stereotypes, and made history in the skies.

1946

Mick Ronson, Hull-born guitarist, was born and went on to become the genius behind Bowie’s Spiders from Mars. His sound shaped an era – and influenced legends like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed.

Philip Larkin stood in front of library stacks

1955

From Philip Larkin to J.R.R. Tolkien, Hull has inspired generations of poets, playwrights and novelists. Their words shaped the world, and in 1955 Larkin joined the University as our librarian.

george william gray standing in a lab coat in front of the technology used in the development of lcds

1967

Without Professor George Gray’s breakthrough in LCD technology, there’d be no smartphones, laptops or flat-screen TVs. Hull helped the world see things differently.

mural of Lillian Bilocca outside wall of Hull building

1968

Lillian Bilocca led the Headscarf Revolutionaries to fight for safety at sea. She became a national figure, changing maritime law and saving lives.

We're quirky and we know it...

We evolved to be different. Always for the big things, and often for the little things.

cream kcom telephone box from hull at night time

Why not cream phone boxes?

In Hull, our phone network is run by KCOM, not BT. We painted our boxes cream to stand out – and stand apart. Different is what we do.

Chip spice

Every Hull student knows you can't graduate without trying our famous chip spice. Rules are rules, and all that.

A map of the UK showing Hull's position in relation to other cities like London, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Our location

The middle of somewhere

We’re a city on the edge of things, but very much the heart and soul of the country. The last stop, but always the first to say hello.

Under 3 hours to London

Nightly ferries to Rotterdam

Easy flights across Europe

Did you know? Our Old Town has been the backdrop to Netflix thrillers and Channel 4 dramas. The Crown, Enola Holmes 2, Victoria and Blitz have all been filmed here. Welcome to Hullywood!

How to get to Hull

Hull’s unbeatable connections

Where to next? Anywhere.

With the Yorkshire Coast on one side and Europe on the other, Hull’s horizons stretch far and wide.

Beach walks, coastal hikes and epic sunsets
Day trips to Beverley, York, Leeds or London
Ferries to Europe, flights to the world

This is your launchpad. The adventure starts now.

Visit Hull

Visit East Yorkshire

spurn point lighthouse from a distance showing the sandy beach around

wind turbines and farmland near Leeds, West Yorkshire

Three gentoo penguins stand on ice in an exhibit at Hull's aquarium The Deep

Making new friends and exploring campus life at Freshers Week

Visit Spurn Point on the Humber Estuary for stunning coastal views.

Virtual Tour

Take a look before you see

Want the bird's eye view before you get up close? Our virtual tours give you an overview of campus, with insights into accommodation, academic buildings and places for sports and socialising.

Start your virtual tour now

More to explore

Social life

Travelling to Hull and beyond

Students' union

Clubs and societies

Sport and fitness

11 coolest UK postcodes to move to in 2025, Sunday Times.

The 15 best places to visit in the UK in 2024, Time Out.

Finder.com Student living cost calculator. Correct as of July 2025.