Tuition gets most of the attention in study-abroad planning, but living costs are what actually determine your day-to-day budget. Based on current student reports from our alumni network, here's a realistic monthly breakdown across six popular destinations.
Istanbul, Turkey: Shared apartment $150–200, food $120–150, transport $25, phone/internet $15 — total around $310–390/month, the most affordable major city on our list.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Shared apartment $180–250, food $130–160, transport $30, phone/internet $15 — total around $355–455/month.
Budapest, Hungary: Shared apartment $250–350, food $150–200, transport $25 (student discount), phone/internet $20 — total around $445–595/month.
Manchester, UK: Shared apartment £450–550, food £180–220, transport £45, phone/internet £20 — total around £695–835/month, though student loans/scholarships often factor this in upfront.
Melbourne, Australia: Shared apartment AUD 700–900, food AUD 350–450, transport AUD 60 (student concession), phone/internet AUD 40 — total around AUD 1,150–1,450/month.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Shared apartment €500–650, food €200–250, transport €35 (student rate), phone/internet €25 — total around €760–960/month.
These figures assume shared housing and cooking most meals at home — both of which we recommend for your first semester until you've settled in. We build a personalised budget worksheet with every student before departure.
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