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Cost of living

Cheapest cities for students

Rent, transport and food for one student, per month, tuition excluded.

AbroadMaster estimates from Numbeo student baskets and university cost-of-living guidanceVerified August 2026

Most study-abroad budgets fail on living cost, not on tuition. The visa financial requirement is usually set from exactly these numbers.

  1. 1st place

    Kuala Lumpur

    Malaysia

    USD 450 to 600

    Monthly living cost

    Degrees taught in English, and a short flight home

  2. 2nd place

    Warsaw

    Poland

    USD 550 to 700

    Monthly living cost

    EU degree, and part-time work allowed on a student permit

  3. 3rd place

    Budapest

    Hungary

    USD 600 to 750

    Monthly living cost

    Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships are open to Sri Lankans

The rest of the top 10

Ranked list, positions 4 to 10
RankCityMonthly living cost
4th place
TaipeiTaiwanBest healthcare system in the world, free at the point of use for enrolled students
USD 600 to 800
5th place
KrakowPoland
USD 600 to 750
6th place
IstanbulTurkeyTurkiye Burslari scholarship covers most of this
USD 600 to 800
7th place
Mexico CityMexico
USD 650 to 850
8th place
PragueCzech RepublicFree tuition on Czech-taught programmes
USD 700 to 900
9th place
LisbonPortugal
USD 800 to 1,000
10th place
BerlinGermanyNo tuition at public universities, so the total is still low
USD 950 to 1,200

Source

AbroadMaster estimates from Numbeo student baskets and university cost-of-living guidance

Verified August 2026

Compiled by AbroadMaster from the official pages of each country named above. There is no single published index behind this list, and we are not claiming one.

This is information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules and figures change without notice. Confirm anything you plan to act on with the official authority for that country, and check your own position with the eligibility checker.

Read next

All rankings

Most expensive countries to live in

The ten highest costs of living, and what a salary there actually has to cover.

  1. 1Bermuda135.8
  2. 2Cayman Islands119.9
  3. 3Switzerland109.8
  4. 4Solomon Islands104.1
  5. 5Turkmenistan101.6
  6. 6Bahamas101.3
  7. 7Iceland97.6
  8. 8Jersey91.1
  9. 9Singapore90.8
  10. 10Israel89.6
Top 10 countries2026 mid-year

Most affordable countries to live well in

Low cost of living without giving up safety, healthcare or a working internet connection.

  1. 1Indonesia24.7
  2. 2Vietnam26.9
  3. 3Philippines29.1
  4. 4Malaysia34.0
  5. 5North Macedonia34.6
  6. 6Georgia34.9
  7. 7Colombia35.6
  8. 8Thailand36.8
  9. 9Turkey40.2
  10. 10Mexico44.4
Top 10 countries2026 mid-year

Highest rent cities

What a one-bedroom flat in the city centre actually costs, per month.

  1. 1New York CityUSD 4,358
  2. 2San FranciscoUSD 3,798
  3. 3BrooklynUSD 3,733
  4. 4Jersey CityUSD 3,440
  5. 5BostonUSD 3,401
  6. 6San DiegoUSD 3,373
  7. 7San JoseUSD 3,172
  8. 8ZurichUSD 3,120
  9. 9George TownUSD 3,060
  10. 10LondonUSD 3,039
Top 10 cities2026 mid-year