School Guide

10 most affordable cities for students

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Dec 09, 2016

Looking for a study destination that will offer high-quality education, a rich social life and great cultural experiences without breaking your budget? Here's a list of most affordable student cities based on the QS Index Rankings. This index includes an assessment of affordability based on tuition fees and general living expenses. 

1. Kuala Lumpur

Ranked 53^rd in this year’s Best Student Cities index,  Kuala Lumpur receives a near-perfect score for affordability, with a winning combination of low living costs and relatively low tuition fees. It’s ranked 113^th out of 214 in the Cost of Living Survey by Mercer.As well as having three prestigious universities ranked among the world’s top 800, Kuala Lumpur is also home to international branch campuses of universities such as Australia’s Monash University, allowing students to study the same course, with the same prestige, for possibly more than half the price. 

2. Warsaw

The capital of Poland is the most affordable European Student City this year, with a placing of 175th in the Mercer Cost of Living Survey. Warsaw also offers quite low tuition fees at its internationally ranked universities and tuition is actually free for Polish students and international students who study in the local language and sit the same entrance exams. 

3. Hsinchu

Next in our list of the most affordable student cities is a Taiwanese city which you might not have heard of, but which you definitely shouldn’t undervalue. Hsinchu is an innovative and technological city which is a great option for students who want to study in Taiwan but don’t feel up to the hustle and bustle of capital Taipei, with lower costs of living as an added bonus. 

4. Berlin

Berlin received one of the highest scores in the top 20 universities of the QS Best Student Cities index. Germany itself is now the world’s third most popular study destination after the US and the UK, no doubt helped by the fact that undergraduate tuition fees at public universities in Germany are free for all, regardless of nationality. Berlin is also one of the most affordable European capitals, ranked 106^th out of 214 in the Mercer Cost of Living Survey, and offering a high quality of living for a low cost in comparison to many other cities. 

5. Taipei

Heading back to Taiwan, capital city Taipei may not achieve a great ranking in the Mercer Cost of Living Survey (41^st most-expensive out of 214), but it does offer low tuition fees. Taipei is ranked 23^rd in the Best Student Cities index this year, so if you want to study somewhere which combines the attractions of fast-paced modern city life with the appeal of more traditional cultural elements, this is a pretty good deal. 

6. Munich

Munich is home to some of Germany’s highest-ranked and most-respected universities, including the country’s current leader in the global rankings, Technische Universität München. Although living costs tend to be slightly higher than in Berlin, the incentive of free tuition combined with the distinctive Bavarian culture still makes Munich one of the most appealing study destinations in Western Europe. 

7. Vienna

The culturally rich capital of Austria offers very reasonable tuition fees. Though the living costs are a little higher – Vienna comes 56^th out of 214 in the Mercer Cost of Living Survey , it is still lower than in many of the world’s other top student cities. 

8. Mexico City

Mexico’s huge and fascinating capital remains an affordable city for students and, although it has the highest tuition fees among the cities in this top 10 (an average of $5,500 a year at the eight universities ranked by QS, still far lower than many popular study destinations), it does well when it comes to living costs, coming 137^th out of 214 in Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey. 

9. Valencia

The home of paella, Spain’s third-largest city is a new entry in the Best Student Cities index this year, beating fellow Spanish cities Madrid and Barcelona when it comes to the most affordable cities. The average tuition fees at Valencia’s two internationally ranked universities significantly cheaper than Barcelona’s average. Living costs are also cheaper here, and there’s plenty to see and do outside of your studies (taking part in a tomato fight, for example!) 

10. Toulouse

Toulouse is France’s fourth-largest city and it's known as la Ville Rose ("the Pink City"), and known for being a major centre for aerospace. Toulouse’s high score for affordability is partly down to the very low tuition fee in the three universities ranked by QS. It also has significantly lower living costs than the capital, Paris, and a large student population. 

See also: Top 5 study abroad destination for 2017