🇪🇸
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.
🇪🇸 Barcelona
🇧🇪 Brussels
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.