Moving to Maastricht: an insight into living costs

"Since we are talking student life here, parties, dinners and any kind of outings are an essential part of it. It's worth to mention this magic expense, which somehow always ends up being more than you anticipate."

Student life is often an overwhelming experience. You finally move out of home and live on your own. There are no parents breathing down your back, no more supervision, curfew, and unnecessary arguments, but rather 10 different bills to pay and taking care of your own groceries. All this becomes much harder to manage if you're an international student moving abroad. Yet, however scary and confusing moving to a new city or country may be, it is still one of the most exciting but also expensive undertakings. To make it a little easier, we have laid out some costs of living in Maastricht for you based on student experience!

Housing

First things first, we all need a house to live in. For all new first-year students the answer is easy – campus. The costs of living in the student residence are €645 euros per month. However, once you are out of campus there are numerous possibilities for getting a student room in the city. Here, costs will vary depending on the size and location of the house. Centrally located rooms will come up to a similar amount, whereas rooms a little outside the city or in the neighbourhood of school can be cheaper. The costs can also be depending on the size.

Groceries 

Next one up – groceries. That’s the one that hugely depends on your appetite, preferred quality of food and eating habits. Speaking of the regular supermarkets, such as Jumbo or Albert Heijn and an average food intake, you will be spending around €40 per week. Just remember to keep an eye out for promotions and so-called supermarket “house brands”. However, if you are a fan of fresh produce and like to buy your meat from a local butcher, your costs can increase and come up to an average of €50 per week or higher. Yet, there are some things that are worth going to the market for. These would be seasonal vegetables, which are somewhat cheaper if you buy them at the market and it goes without saying, better quality is guaranteed. If you would like to minimise your expenditure on food, there are cheaper supermarkets you can go to, such as Aldi for example.

Going out

Here comes the most interesting and to that matter, one of the most surprising and unexpected expenses – going out. Since we are talking student life,  parties, dinners and any kind of outings are an essential part of it. It's worth to mention this magic expense, which somehow always ends up being more than you anticipate. All the above-mentioned can cost you up to €200 per month. That, of course depending on how social you are. Based on student experience an average would be €150 per month. 

Transportation

Lastly, there is transportation. You most likely need to get from point A to B somehow. The easiest way to do so is of course by bike. A convenient thing to do if you are staying in the Netherlands for a short period of time is to get yourself a Swapfiets, which will only cost you €19,90 per month. An alternative option is to buy a second-hand bicycle, the prices for which vary from €80 to €150. Needless to add, the option of public transportation is always open.  One way bus ride from Hotel Management School to Maastricht will be around €1.80. A train ride will be of a similar price. However, it will be a much different price if you were to travel to Amsterdam by train or to any far away city. Depending on the distance, the ticket prices will differ, but a round trip to Amsterdam will cost you around €50. However, there are often special offers on the website of the NS (Dutch Railways) where you can buy tickets for cheaper prizes. 

Final outcome

To conclude, if we were to do some calculations here, all the above-mentioned expenses come up to an average of around €1000 euros per month. This again, based on your spendings and priorities. Other costs may include insurances, shopping and of course study costs. Life isn’t cheap, especially when you are moving to the Netherlands, but it is every bit worth it!

Disclaimer: Please note that the prices mentioned in this blog are based on student experiences and are subject to change. Actual costs of living, including rent, groceries, and transportation, may vary. For the most up-to-date information on study and student residence rent costs, we strongly encourage you to read here. We aim to provide a helpful guideline, but it's important to do your own research to budget effectively for your personal situation.