Living in Leuven

Hi,

Are you looking to live in a house? most likely right? I am going to study in Leuven as well for my Masters but i am single, so when i was looking at one bedroom apartments they ranged from $500 euros to $600. So i may not be the best person to tell you about housing, though my boyfriend lives in another city and for his one bedroom apartment he spends about $1500 a month. In terms of groceries...in Leuven there are a few expensive grocery stores (ie. Match and Carrefour express) but for me living with my partner we spend on average, once a week, about 80-100 euros to do groceries. Not sure what your plans are, but Leuven is very bike friendly, and you can easily get a 2nd hand bike for $40 euros.

Some other things you may want to consider for the kids;
Library  card- is $6 euros for a year. It costs additional money to rent out dvds, css
Train - to go from Leuven to Brussels or to other cities via train will cost about $8 for an adult. Not sure how much kids are.
Activities-  there are free festivals in Leuven and there are discounts to go see the museums. A lot of greenery and gardens are nearby for free.

Im sorry this isn't the worlds best answer but maybe just a little something may help you?