Studying in European Cities: Universities, Costs, Housing and Student Life
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Oct 08, 2026
Compares universities, rent figures and work-while-studying rules across 30 European city guides, from Tartu's roughly €159 dorm rent to Galway's apartment at up to €1,500, showing how widely costs and visa work rules vary by city.
This hub lines up 30 individual city guides across Europe, from Aarhus and Berlin to Zagreb and Istanbul, comparing the universities each names, monthly rent figures, and work-while-studying rules side by side. Rent spreads widely: Tartu lists around €159 a month per person for a two-person room at the Raatuse 22 dorm, while Galway cites a one-bed apartment in Woodquay at up to €1,500 a month, and Munich separates private rooms at 700-1,000 EUR a month from university housing at 400-600 EUR a month. Work rules differ just as much: Istanbul describes work as restricted, with students relying on scholarships, family support or informal work rather than a registered job, while Edinburgh allows up to 20 hours a week in term and full time in holidays on a Student visa.
Reading the table, check the work column first, since visa and permit rules decide how much income is realistic before rent and tuition are weighed, then use rent to set a city's baseline living cost. A dash appears wherever a city's own guide does not state that figure, such as the rent column for Vienna and Valencia or the work column for Aarhus, Bologna and Munich, rather than meaning the cost or rule is zero. Each city name links through to its full guide, where the sourced figures, exact university list and complete housing and work details are set out in full.
Compare by city
| City | Country | Universities named | Monthly rent | Working while studying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarhus | Denmark | Aarhus University, VIA University College, Erhvervsakademi Aarhus | 1 bedroom apartment: city center about 8,595 kr; outside about 6,495 kr | — |
| Ankara | Turkey | METU (ODTU), Bilkent, Ankara University | — | — |
| Berlin | Germany | Humboldt University (HU), Freie Universität (FU), TU Berlin | shared room (WG) around 650 EUR a month | non-EU students must confirm work-hour limits with the Ausländerbehörde |
| Bologna | Italy | University of Bologna | single room about 400 EUR/month; shared room about 300 EUR/month | — |
| Brno | Czechia | Masaryk University (MUNI), Brno University of Technology (VUT/BUT), Mendel University | — | EU/EEA unrestricted; non-EU part time, limit depends on permit |
| Budapest | Hungary | ELTE, BME, Semmelweis University, Corvinus University | — | EU/EEA unrestricted; non-EU part time term, full time holidays |
| Cluj-Napoca | Romania | Babes-Bolyai University (UBB), Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN) | UBB housing subsidy about 2,244 lei/month for private rent | EU unrestricted; non-EU part time during term, hours vary by visa |
| Coimbra | Portugal | University of Coimbra | 1 bedroom apartment: city center about 777 EUR; outside about 573 EUR | — |
| Edinburgh | Scotland, UK | University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University | — | up to 20 hours/week in term; full time in holidays (Student visa) |
| Galway | Ireland | University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University | one-bed apartment in Woodquay up to €1,500/month | non-EU up to 20 hrs/week term, full time holidays; EU unrestricted |
| Ghent | Belgium | Ghent University (UGent) | — | EU/EEA no permit needed; non-EU part time, hours set by Belgian policy |
| Granada | Spain | University of Granada | 1 bedroom apartment: city center about 758 EUR; outside about 617 EUR | — |
| Groningen | Netherlands | University of Groningen (RUG), Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Hanze UAS) | — | No permit for EU/EEA; non-EU need work permit (TWV), limited term-time hours, full-time summer |
| Istanbul | Turkey | Boğaziçi University, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Istanbul University | — | Restricted; students rely on scholarships, family support or informal work, not a registered job |
| Krakow | Poland | Jagiellonian University, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow University of Economics | 400-600 PLN (about 90-140 EUR) | — |
| Leuven | Belgium | KU Leuven, LUCA School of Arts | — | No permit for EU/EEA; non-EU can work part time, hours set by Belgian immigration policy |
| Lyon | France | Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 | — | No permit for EU/EEA; non-EU capped at a share of full-time hours per French immigration rules |
| Manchester | UK | University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) | — | Up to 20 hours a week during term on a Student visa, full time during official holidays |
| Milan | Italy | Politecnico di Milano, Università Statale di Milano, Bocconi University | 400-700 EUR a month | — |
| Munich | Germany | Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Technical University of Munich (TUM) | Private room 700-1,000 EUR/month; university housing 400-600 EUR/month | — |
| Prague | Czechia | Charles University, Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) | — | EU/EEA unrestricted; non-EU part time allowed, exact hour limit depends on permit type |
| Tampere | Finland | Tampere University, Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) | about 861 EUR a month (1 bedroom apartment, city center) | — |
| Tartu | Estonia | University of Tartu | around €159 a month per person (two-person room, Raatuse 22 dorm) | EU unrestricted; non-EU on residence permit can work part time during term |
| Thessaloniki | Greece | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), International Hellenic University | — | EU/EEA unrestricted; non-EU limited part-time work, exact rule depends on permit type |
| Toulouse | France | Toulouse Capitole, Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, INSA Toulouse, ISAE-SUPAERO | — | EU/EEA no permit needed; non-EU capped at a share of full-time hours |
| Uppsala | Sweden | Uppsala University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) | — | No hour cap for non-EU students; course workload and visa conditions set practical limit |
| Valencia | Spain | Universitat de València, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) | — | — |
| Vienna | Austria | University of Vienna, TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) | — | — |
| Wroclaw | Poland | University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw Medical University | 400-600 PLN a month (roughly 90-140 EUR) | — |
| Zagreb | Croatia | University of Zagreb | — | EU/EEA unrestricted; non-EU limited part-time work, exact rule depends on permit type |
How to use this table
Each row summarises one guide in this series. The figures are the ones quoted in that guide when it was written, and a dash means the guide does not state that item. Open a guide for its sources, the full detail and its latest update date.