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cost of living in Leuven,Belgium


#1  2009-09-18 12:46:37

BoneyM
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From: Kolkata
Registered: 2009-09-18
Posts: 3

cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

I'm going to KU Leuven next year for my Ph.D in chemistry.What is the cost for living in this city of a month ? Is 600 euro sufficient for a month's living?




 

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#2  2009-09-18 13:18:43

Christine
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Christine
From: grand baie
Registered: 2008-09-29
Posts: 23438

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Welcome on Expat-blog BoneyM!

I have moved the discussion on the Belgium forum.

Lots of luck,
Christine




 
 
 
 

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#3  2009-09-18 13:35:41

BoneyM
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From: Kolkata
Registered: 2009-09-18
Posts: 3

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

are you a habitat of Belgium?If u r ,please let me know about the living .




 

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#4  2009-09-21 12:01:22

La D
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La D
From: Brussels
Registered: 2009-08-05
Posts: 14

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Hello, I live in Brussels not in Leuven but i think that the cost of living is the same all over Belgium. You mention 600 euros for one month but I don't know if you are talking about only food and transport (maybe a beer too) or if you are including in this amount the cost of the rent of a month. If you have already where to stay and you are not gonna pay for it, then the 600 euros is good for one month. But if you still have to pay a rent, I'm afraid this amount is barely the half of the money you need. Hope it helps you a bit.
Regards,




 
 
 

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#5  2009-09-24 15:58:51

walvanro
New member
From: Hasselt
Registered: 2009-09-24
Posts: 2

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

I quite agree with la D as far as the cost of living is concerned. It is quite the same all over Belgium but for housing accommodation. Leuven rents tend to be higher than in Brussels. Digs are cheaper but less comfortable with all facilities to be shared with your fellow residents. I advise you to rely upon KUL university for finding digs.
Also very popular amongst students is house or flat sharing.
Visit woningdelen.be, which is also available in English.
Good luck !




 

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#6  2013-03-14 03:19:30

David_88
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From: New York
Registered: 2013-03-14
Posts: 5

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Hello Guys,

I got an offer for a PhD position in Leuven with a salary around 2000€. Can I afford all my expenses ? I have insurance cover, free internet at home, one meal per day ( lunch ).

Thanks a lot,
David

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#7  2013-03-14 18:32:16

schoolmum
EB member +
From: Brussels
Registered: 2011-05-24
Posts: 545

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

2000 gross or net and 13.92 months or 12 months?
2k gross over 13.92 months is higher than the average Belgian salary!




 

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#8  2013-03-14 18:38:31

David_88
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From: New York
Registered: 2013-03-14
Posts: 5

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Yep, 2000 after taxes and per month, per 4 years. Is it good ?
How much should I pay for an apartment to share with another student? Thanks!!

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#9  2013-03-14 18:50:29

schoolmum
EB member +
From: Brussels
Registered: 2011-05-24
Posts: 545

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

wow that is amazing money, are you working as well as doing PHD?




 

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#10  2013-03-14 19:00:24

David_88
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From: New York
Registered: 2013-03-14
Posts: 5

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

If yes I will be doing a PhD in engineering and changing to $ seems not so much!! Also, consider that I am gonna pay at least 1000$ for flying from US. However, thank you for your help.

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#11  2013-03-15 01:31:12

Jemmy12
Active member
Jemmy12
From: Lommel
Registered: 2012-01-25
Posts: 84

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Firstly to BoneyM,
€600 per month will be enough to live on for food/Transport etc. but will not cover rent by a long shot.
A quick breakdown would be;
Food: €50 per week/€200 per month (provided you cook each night)
Transport: €30 per month (Onmi pass for the bus)
it's the other costs that will hit you hard, such as;
Rent:anywhere from €250 (dorm room) to €500 (small apartment/studio) per month
Electric/Gas: €60 per month (based on my experience in a small 1 be apartment when I first came to Belgium)
Internet/TV: Basic internet €20/€25 per month, plus TV etc €35 to €60 per month
Water: €20 to €60 per quarter depending on usage
Phone: Dependent on provider, anywhere form €15 to €100 per month
General costs: Bin bags/PMD bags etc. €12.50 for 10 large rubbish bags (Lommel) and I think around €3.50 or so for PMD
Socalising: varies from person to person, could be €20 per week or €200 per week

@Dave_88
If you are going to be earning €2000 per month after taxes then you will be able to live quite comfortably as a single guy in Belgium, as Schoolmum said the average Belgian wage is a fair bit below this, When I first got myself set up here I was earning less than that and living "quite" well. Keep an eye on your finances,spend wisely and you will be fine




 
 
 

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#12  2013-03-15 20:40:25

schoolmum
EB member +
From: Brussels
Registered: 2011-05-24
Posts: 545

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

I am just wondering who one PHD  student has only €600 a month  and another PHD student at the same university gets €2000 a month, several hundred euro above the average Belgian salary? No €600 is not really enough for anyone to live on if they have rent to pay, whereas it's enough if they have no rent.




 

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#13  2013-03-16 00:17:13

David_88
New member
From: New York
Registered: 2013-03-14
Posts: 5

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

I guess it quite depends on the program, on the professor, on fundings that the Lab has received. And I would also add that this is quite common in universities and research centers.

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#14  2013-03-17 02:45:01

rajivuwo
New member
rajivuwo
From: Brussels
Registered: 2013-03-08
Posts: 6

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

@ David: Just confirm that the 2000€ is not before tax, as, taxes are pretty high here. I myself did my PhD from North America and used to get ~2200$ (after taxes and all) but that was fellowship. You are right that stipend varies based on your advisor fundings and all but generally in europe they won't pay you that much. 2000 € a month here is almost close to 4000 € before taxes, thats close to a postdoc fellowship. Also, I am not sure that in academia they pay 13.93 salary. Just know all these details rather than getting disappointment later on. I had a phd offer from norway where they pay insanely high stipend but that's an exception. So, sort out all these before moving to brussels, however, if you will get ~2000 (after taxes and all) + other benefits, then you can live here comfortably smile

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#15  2013-03-17 15:44:07

David_88
New member
From: New York
Registered: 2013-03-14
Posts: 5

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Oh, are they kidding me? How can I confirm that? Is this the way European people are used to deal with!? I mean, could be that when I arrive then they will just give me less than 2000€ ??
This will be not fare at all and of course I have other possibilities. So , to sum-up when someone looks for PhD in Europe should find something around 4000€ !! Thanks a lot, rajivuwo!

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#16  2013-03-17 19:24:42

rajivuwo
New member
rajivuwo
From: Brussels
Registered: 2013-03-08
Posts: 6

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

Its all about the taxes, taxes are pretty high in Europe (especially in belgium). Maybe in academia (phd stipend and all), its not that bad. I remember that in my PhD stipend in US, taxes were ~14% but i guess in industry it's ~30-35% (US, depends on other factors too). I anticipate that its the same here too, nevertheless, talk to your department secretary who sent you the offer letter. You can ask her how much you will get in hand, after taxes and all. If he/she says that its ~2K € then that's great smile

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#17  2013-03-17 20:19:23

schoolmum
EB member +
From: Brussels
Registered: 2011-05-24
Posts: 545

Re: cost of living in Leuven,Belgium

The average Belgian salary is less than 2k GROSS per month, a graduate could not even expect 4k GROSS per month, even European civil servants don't have 4K starting salary!

It's your responsibility to to find out how much you are earning. Salaries are always quoted in GROSS because taxes depend on personal cicumstances and are not the 40% people so often say they are, yes indeed for some that is their tax rate but for anyone with children or non working spouses, taxes are lower.




 

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