Living expenses
Planning your finances is an important part of preparing for your studies abroad. It's essential to budget carefully to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience. Groningen, as a student city, offers relatively affordable living costs, especially when compared to larger cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. However, expenses can vary depending on your lifestyle, housing choices and personal spending habits. This section provides a rough breakdown of typical monthly costs, covering accommodation, food, insurance, transportation, and leisure, so you can plan ahead with confidence and focus on making the most of your time in Groningen.
Experience shows that students will spend on average €800-1.000 per month, not including tuition costs. The estimate below does not include unforeseen costs and should be used as a general indication of the costs of living in the Netherlands.
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What
|
Cost
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Tuition fees
|
2025/2026 (More information on tuition fees) Not applicable for exchange students |
€ 2,601 (EU, full-time) € 11,800 - €26,800 (non-EU, full-time) |
|
Study costs |
Textbooks, readers, photocopies, excursions and fieldwork
|
€ 80 per month on average, or around € 957 per year
|
|
Housing
|
Rent (incl. energy and other costs, for example ISP bills, excl. administration costs and security deposit of approximately 1 month rent)
|
€ 450 to € 650 per month*
|
|
Telephone
|
Prepaid sim cards or a telephone plan
|
€ 26 per month on average
|
|
Food and drinks
|
Meals, drinks, etc. |
€ 200 to € 300 per month
|
|
Bikes
|
Price based on a decent secondhand bike
|
€ 80 to € 110
|
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Travel expenses
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For students who do not have a dutch OV-travelcard
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€ 70 to € 80 per month on average
|
|
Insurance
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Health care, third-party, fire and theft insurance
|
€ 100 to € 120 per month
|
|
Language courses (optional)**
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Exchange students have to pay if they want to follow a language course, but full time international students are eligible for 50 free hours in language classes
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On average between € 160 - € 310 per course
|
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Additional costs
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Clothes, relaxation, sport etc
|
€ 157 per month
|
* The price of a room will depend on its location, its size, how many people you share the facilities (bathroom, kitchen) with and the general quality of the building. Start looking for rooms as soon as you can to get the best deals.
**Following a language course is recommended but not mandatory.
Non-EU/EEA students: The overview above is an indication of living expenses. For your MVV and/or residence permit application we have to check if you meet the living money standard as it is set by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). The applicable amount may therefore vary from this overview. Please note that tuition fees are not included in the IND living money standard.