Cost of Living Comparison: Lisbon, Paris and Berlin for Forward College Students
Choosing where to live as a student can feel like stepping onto a moving carousel of possibilities and challenges. At Forward College, you’ll have the extraordinary opportunity to study across three vibrant European capitals: Lisbon, Paris and Berlin, and we know you’re excited about all they have to offer. However, it is true that with the cost of living crisis and the housing market being more and more inflated in Europe, moving to a big metropolis can mean significant costs. Taking a look at how prices differ between the three cities will help you have a clearer idea of what to expect.
Cost of Living in Lisbon for Students
First stop: Lisbon. When you first arrive in Portugal’s radiant capital, it is difficult not to be swept away by the golden light that spills over the terracotta rooftops and the soft, salty breeze that drifts in from the Atlantic. Yet, beyond its postcard beauty and relaxed rhythm of life, Lisbon often offers another kind of warmth: the relief of a city where your student budget can stretch a little further.
Accommodation at Xior, Forward College’s partner student residence, ranges from 630€ to 800€ per month. In addition to housing, other daily expenses are pleasantly moderate by Western European standards: a monthly transport pass costs around thirty euros, groceries typically range between one hundred and fifty to two hundred euros, and leisure activities, including the occasional dinner out, weekend coffee, or local cultural event, might add another hundred to one hundred and fifty euros to the total. This balance will allow you to enjoy the city’s relaxed lifestyle without constant worry about overspending, which is particularly nice in a place where the sun shines, the nights are long and people are always up for a sunset drink
Estimates reveal that a single person’s monthly expenses in Lisbon amount to approximately one thousand seven hundred and forty-five euros, whereas a similar lifestyle in Paris would reach roughly two thousand three hundred and twenty-five euros. This comparison makes Lisbon around one quarter less expensive than Paris overall, making it a nice starting point because it will allow you to take advantage of all the opportunities and exploration that first year calls for.
Oh, and by the way – you should never spend more than 1,50€ for a pastel de nata. That is how you spot the tourist traps.
Cost of Living in Paris for Students
Next comes Paris, a city filled with iconic imagery, the banks of the Seine, café terraces, glittering city lights and a cultural life that never stops. As a student, you join a global community of thinkers and creators who have long found inspiration there. But it’s true that studying in Paris comes with a higher cost of living, which makes budgeting essential.
The student accommodation offered by Forward College at Cité Universitaire in Paris typically costs between 650€ and 715€. On top of that, students can expect to spend about two hundred and fifty to three hundred euros on groceries, around forty euros for public transportation, and roughly one hundred and fifty to two hundred euros for leisure activities such as museums, cafés, or outings with friends.
While more expensive than Lisbon, Paris is also full of local initiatives that offer the flexibility to adjust it to your budget. When it comes to groceries, for example, I managed to save a significant amount of money per month by joining a “magazin cooperatif” called Coop14, just outside of the CIUP campus. I joined the social cooperative as a student, so I only had to pay a 10 euro membership fee, and would then contribute three hours a month of volunteering time running the grocery shop with other fellow cooperators. Not only was it a great way to get to know the community of my neighbourhood and practice my French, but it allowed me to maintain a healthy, high quality diet at a fraction of the cost. You can find more about them here https://coop14.fr/.
Cost of Living in Berlin for Students
Finally, there is Berlin, a city that seems to exist in constant motion, shaped by creativity, reinvention, and a forward-looking spirit. For students, it represents a city where ideas circulate freely and where international communities flourish.In terms of living costs, Berlin provides a middle ground – generally more affordable than Paris but somewhat pricier than Lisbon. If you ask your parents, their generation will remember the Berlin of the fall of the wall: empty spaces, squats, ridiculously low rent, and the feeling of freedom of not knowing if tomorrow night you’ll be sleeping in your bed, at a stranger’s met while dancing in a club, crushing your friend’s couch or outright staying awake till sunset to the rhythm of techno music.
Today, things have changed, and Berlin is also interested by the housing crisis sweeping across Europe. However, accommodation remains comparatively cheap even when seen against other cities in Germany. Students in Berlin can expect to pay between five hundred and fifty and about one thousand two hundred euros per month for accommodation, depending on whether they live in shared housing or private apartments. I, for instance, pay 550€ a month for a shared flat with three other people, while my friends at AGSA spend between 550€ and 675€ and those at Social Hub around 950€. Monthly groceries tend to range from two hundred to three hundred euros, but there are ways you can easily cut down on costs if you consider meal prepping and options like Too Good to Go, and don’t eat out as much.
Public transport is relatively expensive, with single tickets costing 3.80€, but Berlin is incredibly bike-friendly. You can get around by bike very conveniently on a day to day basis, and take the occasional metro for trips further away in the city. And what about the 3,5€ beer pint you can find pretty much anywhere? Now, that is some serious money-saving. Although it is not the low-cost haven it was in the early 2000s, Berlin’s reputation for affordable living still holds on.
