🇪🇸
Barcelona
Spain
Architecture, beaches and an international vibe.
🇧🇪
Brussels
Belgium
Multilingual capital of Europe with great rail connections.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇪🇸 Barcelona
€1,100–1,500 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇧🇪 Brussels
€1,000–1,300 / month
Best for
🇪🇸 Barcelona
- Students looking for an international and multicultural city
- Those who want to travel frequently around Europe
- People interested in highly prestigious universities
Best for
🇧🇪 Brussels
- Students interested in EU politics or international careers
- Those who plan to travel widely across Europe
- People who enjoy multilingual environments
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Expensive
Cost of Living
Expensive
Very High
Nightlife
High
Very Good
Weather
Fair
Excellent
Travel Opportunities
Excellent
Very Active
Student Life
Active
Very Tight
Housing
Manageable
Top-Tier
University Reputation
Strong
Student insights
🇪🇸 Barcelona
- Excellent nightlife
- Top-tier international connections
- Highly recognised universities
Student insights
🇧🇪 Brussels
- Extremely international
- Excellent rail connections to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne
- Strong professional and internship opportunities
Student voice — 🇪🇸 Barcelona
“Barcelona was the greatest experience of my life.”
Student voice — 🇧🇪 Brussels
“Brussels is amazing if you care about EU careers.”
🇪🇸 Barcelona
Pros
- Excellent nightlife
- Top-tier international connections
- Highly recognised universities
- Large international community
- Unique combination of beach, culture and urban life
Cons
- Extremely expensive accommodation
- High cost of living
- Mass tourism in some areas
- Strong competition for rooms and residences
- Less sense of student community than in smaller cities
🇧🇪 Brussels
Pros
- Extremely international
- Excellent rail connections to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne
- Strong professional and internship opportunities
- Wide cultural offer
- Multilingual environment
Cons
- Grey, rainy climate
- Fragmented student community across neighbourhoods
- Cost of living relatively high
- Less iconic atmosphere than Ghent or Bruges
- Bureaucracy across language regions
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.