🇵🇱
Krakow
Poland
Medieval old town with a thriving young population.
🇨🇿
Prague
Czech Republic
Fairytale architecture and a legendary beer culture.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇵🇱 Krakow
€750–1,000 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇨🇿 Prague
€900–1,150 / month
Best for
🇵🇱 Krakow
- Students with a tight budget
- Those who want to save without giving up a good Erasmus experience
- People interested in Central and Eastern Europe
Best for
🇨🇿 Prague
- Students who want to travel constantly around Europe
- Those looking for a very active social life
- People interested in an intense international experience
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Very Affordable
Cost of Living
Affordable
High
Nightlife
Very High
Fair
Weather
Fair
High
Travel Opportunities
Excellent
Active
Student Life
Iconic
Comfortable
Housing
Comfortable
Strong
University Reputation
Strong
Student insights
🇵🇱 Krakow
- Very low cost of living
- Excellent value for money
- Historic and culturally very rich city
Student insights
🇨🇿 Prague
- Exceptional location for travelling
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
Student voice — 🇵🇱 Krakow
“Krakow is cheap, student-oriented and right in the center of Europe.”
Student voice — 🇨🇿 Prague
“I cannot recommend Prague enough.”
🇵🇱 Krakow
Pros
- Very low cost of living
- Excellent value for money
- Historic and culturally very rich city
- Great travel opportunities around Central Europe
- Relatively accessible accommodation
Cons
- Long, cold winters
- Smaller Erasmus community than Budapest or Prague
- Fewer international connections than major European capitals
- Local language difficult for many students
- Less international visibility than some leading destinations
🇨🇿 Prague
Pros
- Exceptional location for travelling
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
- Reasonable cost of living for a European capital
- Historic and culturally fascinating city
Cons
- Cold, dark winters
- Mass tourism in some areas
- Rising rental prices
- Bigger language barrier than in Spain or Portugal
- Fewer hours of sun for much of the year
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.