🇸🇮
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Green, walkable European capital between Alps and Adriatic.
🇪🇸
Madrid
Spain
Spain's capital — museums, parks and endless nights.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
€750–1,050 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇪🇸 Madrid
€1,050–1,400 / month
Best for
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
- Students who love nature and outdoor activities
- Those looking for a small, walkable capital
- People who want a quieter, slower Erasmus
Best for
🇪🇸 Madrid
- Students looking for a large international city
- Those who want to travel frequently around Europe
- People interested in academic and professional opportunities
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Moderate
Cost of Living
Expensive
Moderate
Nightlife
Very High
Good
Weather
Very Good
High
Travel Opportunities
Excellent
Very Active
Student Life
Very Active
Comfortable
Housing
Tight
Well-Regarded
University Reputation
Top-Tier
Student insights
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
- Very walkable, green capital
- Excellent access to mountains, lakes and the Adriatic
- Friendly atmosphere, easy integration
Student insights
🇪🇸 Madrid
- Exceptional nightlife
- Outstanding national and international connections
- Highly prestigious universities
Student voice — 🇸🇮 Ljubljana
“Ljubljana feels like a calm village that happens to be a capital.”
Student voice — 🇪🇸 Madrid
“Madrid is a city that never sleeps.”
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
Pros
- Very walkable, green capital
- Excellent access to mountains, lakes and the Adriatic
- Friendly atmosphere, easy integration
- Reasonable cost of living
- Strong outdoor and café culture
Cons
- Small Erasmus community
- Limited nightlife compared to bigger capitals
- Cold winters
- Slovenian language harder to pick up
- Fewer international career opportunities
🇪🇸 Madrid
Pros
- Exceptional nightlife
- Outstanding national and international connections
- Highly prestigious universities
- Wide cultural and leisure offer
- Great networking and career opportunities
Cons
- Very expensive rent
- High cost of living by Spanish standards
- Large, sometimes overwhelming city
- Longer daily commutes than in mid-sized cities
- Less sense of student community than in more compact destinations
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.