🇧🇪
Brussels
Belgium
Multilingual capital of Europe with great rail connections.
🇪🇸
Malaga
Spain
Costa del Sol sunshine with a growing creative scene.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇧🇪 Brussels
€1,000–1,300 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇪🇸 Malaga
€850–1,150 / month
Best for
🇧🇪 Brussels
- Students interested in EU politics or international careers
- Those who plan to travel widely across Europe
- People who enjoy multilingual environments
Best for
🇪🇸 Malaga
- Students who prioritise climate and beach
- Those who want excellent quality of life
- People who want to travel frequently around Europe
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Expensive
Cost of Living
Moderate
High
Nightlife
Moderate
Fair
Weather
Excellent
Excellent
Travel Opportunities
High
Active
Student Life
Very Active
Manageable
Housing
Tight
Strong
University Reputation
Well-Regarded
Student insights
🇧🇪 Brussels
- Extremely international
- Excellent rail connections to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne
- Strong professional and internship opportunities
Student insights
🇪🇸 Malaga
- Exceptional climate all year round
- Direct access to urban beaches
- Very good international flight connections
Student voice — 🇧🇪 Brussels
“Brussels is amazing if you care about EU careers.”
Student voice — 🇪🇸 Malaga
“I did my Erasmus in Málaga and went to Madrid. Málaga was much better.”
🇧🇪 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
🇪🇸 Malaga
Pros
- Exceptional climate all year round
- Direct access to urban beaches
- Very good international flight connections
- Modern and increasingly international city
- Excellent quality of life
Cons
- Expensive and competitive housing
- Strong tourist pressure
- Less university atmosphere than other Erasmus destinations
- Higher cost of living than Granada or Seville
- Less feeling of a unified student community
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.