🇸🇮
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.
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
🇪🇸 Madrid
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.