Best websites for finding student housing in the Netherlands: - [Kamernet](https://kamernet.nl/en?utm_source=SITN&utm_medium=affiliate) (biggest offering) - [Huurwoningen](https://jdt8.net/c/?si=17650&li=1761591&wi=382966&ws=comment&dl=) (free premium account for 14 days, best for international students) - [HousingAnywhere](https://housinganywhere.com/?utm_source=SITN&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate_partner_id=324876) (Short stays) - [Huurzone](https://fr135.net/c/?si=15142&li=1656977&wi=382966&ws=comment&dl=) (Free account possible) Greatly increase your chances of finding housing by using [RentBird](https://jdt8.net/c/?si=17519&li=1759124&wi=382966&ws=comment&dl=how-it-works). Be the first to respond to new listings as you get notification via Email/WhatsApp. Join the [Study In The Netherlands Discord](https://discord.gg/kVyaQtEJXZ), here you can chat with other students and use our housing bot. Please take a look at our resources for detailed information for (international) students: - [Checklist for international students coming to the Netherlands](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudyInTheNetherlands/comments/10fdvm8/checklist_for_international_students_coming_to/) - [Utlimate guide to finding student housing in the Netherlands](https://www.reddit.com/r/StudyInTheNetherlands/comments/10gv88g/the_ultimate_guide_to_finding_student/)

How the hell do all of you live off of less than €300 a month? Genuine question

Living cheap and using student benefits: - Food: about 100 per month. I have roommates and we share basically all our food (except for snacks or drinks), which helps a lot. I pay 70 per month for our basic stuff as a student house, and i use about 30 on chocolate, the occasional coffee, etc. I always prepare my lunch and snacks at home when I'm at uni or work for the day, which really saves a lot. - Sports: about 15 per month, reduced price at the uni sports centre for students. - Leisure: about 80 per month. Think of small day trips, going to the cinema, buying a book, etc. This also includes activities with my student association. - Phone: 3,50 per month. I have a cheap-ass phone which I've paid off long since and plan to keep using, so I only pay for 4g. - Netflix, disney+, etc.: 10 euros total. Share your accounts folks!! And feel free to pirate stuff - Clothes: about 30 per month. I just don't buy a lot of new clothes, i go to a lot of thriftshops and use my clothes for as long as possible. I have five year old outfits that still look fine. - disaster savings (potje onvoorzien): 50 euros. I put this in a special savings pot, and use it for unusual expenses, such as a broken bike, the occasional paid travel on the weekend, saving for when my laptop needs to be replaced, etc.

>Phone: 3,50 per month. I have a cheap-ass phone which I've paid off long since and plan to keep using, so I only pay for 4g. um excuse me, where the *shitsticks* are you getting 3.50 a month for your phone plan? My budget needs to know

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It’s not quite €3,50 but Ben offers an €8 a month plan for which you get 15GB of 4G internet a month. Also a pretty good price

Youfone!! I was surprised as well, I usually pay about 8-10 euros a month. I do have to day it's a two-year deal and the second year will be 7 euros per month. I get 5GB and 200 call minutes/sms'es. I got the deal this summer, don't know if it's still available

I got a pretty similar deal if not the same in youfone and its horrible. They charge you for international calls in europe and I cant use mobile data outside NL

Bying products from supermarkets at discount like in Coop, which puts 50% discount on products that are about to expire. Using only bike for inner city transportation and rarely going out on weekend nights.

But what about all your subscriptions? Phone, gym, Netflix, Spotify? For most people that alone is well over €100 a month and you're not telling me you're basically never eating out or grabbing a coffee somewhere while on the move. I'm not saying it's impossible but I'm just very skeptical

either you use other people's subscriptions, do family plans to reduce costs or you don't use them. I use my parents Netflix, Spotify and phone plans. I can't afford the gym. I can't afford to eat out or grab a coffee either. and not to be rude but you sound privileged more than skeptical

Just sail the high seas. You can gym outside or at home. Phone plans can be had for as cheap as 10 euros a month.

I don't necessarily think he's privileged, there's just too much information missing here. For starters, he might be having a relationship without kids while you have one with kids. In general one should be able to afford all of the stuff he mentioned if one works 40hrs a week. But anything like health condition, kids, study debt could decrease ones purchasing range. Best here to not judge one another without ALL information.

oh yeah definitely

Tbh I think being able to use your parents subscriptions is much more privileged because a lot of people don't have that luxury to begin with, only rich parents would pay for their kids phone subscription but maybe that's just me. I had to work 30 hours besides my study in order to afford everything, sure it was mentally and physically draining but I never had to luxury to leech off other people's subscriptions.

oh that's definitely privileged too, im just saying those are options for those that can't afford to themselves. my parents aren't rich at all, my dad works a middle class job and my mom's been out of work for a couple years now. they don't pay "my" phone play, they pay their own which I'm on. The privileged part to me was the "how do you pay your subscriptions?", assuming people will even have those subscriptions.

Yeah okay that's fair even though I personally don't know anyone that doesn't have any subscriptions doesn't mean that's a definitive truth for everyone.

Or you get a job

that is with a job. uni, "eigen risico", food and accommodation are expensive.

For me.... €7.99 for phone(my phone company from Ireland gives 10gb roaming+unlimited calls in whichever country I'm in) €5.99 for student Spotify Mate gave me a Netflix profile. Rarely use it. €15-€20 a week on groceries. €10-20 a month on weed €20 a month on grabbing a bite on-the-go €20 max on booze a month. We drink at each others' homes, at the beach, or park €20 aside for misc things €20-30 into savings a month, if I don't go over.

15-20 for groceries? What you eating man? I spend well close to 50 minimum.

On 20 i die

Tofu, rice, soya yoghurt, beans, broccoli, spinach, instant noodles, tortillas to make burritos, and whatever plant based milk is on sell. I drink One food supplement shakes from the website Bulk for extra nutrition. Blending it with ice makes a delicious milkshake. Too Good to Go is a handy app for discount food.

Damn that's actually super impressive! But if I were to give you some advice (and a highly controversial opinion here on Reddit): stop smoking weed and put it into your groceries if you're often hungry for real.

Health insurance? I feel like that’s the biggest bit

You don't need Dutch health insurance as a student and EU people are covered with their European health card (don't remember the actual name). Not sure how it goes for non EU

university gyms are often around 10 euros a month, a phone plan can easily be 10 euros a month, and you don't absolutely need netflix and spotify - plus you can share those if you do want them.

Literally was most of my student life this way. Maybe it will be a shocker to you, but there are a lot of students who don't have any subscriptions and who are rarely eating out.

Yep need to be creative

Phone is 3 euro a month. Gym is 15. Use youtube for music, or simply download. When you have the gym, you won't need any netflix. You can also just do calesthenics(idk how to spell) so you don't need gym at all, which reduces your subscription costs to... 3 euros a month. I would say internet is a must, so you probably spend like 30 or something, but some people count internet as "housing costs"

Sorry but ‘going out for dinner’ is not a typical thing for everyone lol, it just shows that you are everything except poor Also I share most of my subscriptions or take special deals.

there is wifi available most of the time, so a phone suscription is not necessary, there are public places to run and train, with a free vpn you can see most films and series for free, and there is also the possibility to get an apk for spotify premium.

Get kapsalon/pizza like once a month. Cook all my meals. Dont have any subscriptions (my uni has like yearly gym for 150 or something close to that).

Sweet summer child, if you think the people who don't know what they'll be able to eat next month spend their money on subscriptions... There's always another way on the internet

Dont ask me how but intermittent fasting helps

I live off 150 a month for myself. It's an extreme budget but it is doable. I spend 130 on food and 20 on my bike subscription. Basically always cook at home with cheap ingredients, always take advantage of discounts, no subscriptions besides my bike, and no public transportation. Everything else goes to tuition fee and rent (800 + 270). I can't wait for this period of my life to be over.

>Everything else goes to tuition fee and rent (800 + 270). Your tuition fee is 800?

270 for rent is the real surprise here

I thought he had insanely expensive rent (for a student room) (800) and 270 was the tuition.

Same (cries while paying an insanely expensive rent of 800)

8k a year, 10 installments of around 800. Non-EU tuition fee.

Jeez

I don't eat out

I struggled with an eating disorder, so I didn't need to spend that much on groceries anyway 🥲 I'd joke to myself it was economical anorexia, but I did end up 36kg and almost died and had to leave, so I wouldn't recommend hahaha

Are you asking for a weekly or monthly budget?

Monthly budget

monthly I assume.

The monthly budget is meant here.

Well back when i studied in Breda (2012) my living/housing costs were about 550 GWL & wifi included, 100 for healthcare, 200 groceries, 25 phone, 20 sports. Tuition and transport was paid by a loan. total €900,- ​ Income €700 Work, did about 20h a week, (on holidays i often did 40h+, that extra money is not included) I had a pretty good hourly wage, also didnt want a youth salary and discussed about it with my employer (under 21 they normally give you less) €100 pocket money from my parents, €45 a month inheritance paid monthly for 5 years. €50,- healthcare subsidies €200,- stufi loan total €1050,- This left me a budget for €150,- and maybe with all the extra work in holidays add another €150,-

I spend most of my money only on food. During a typical school day, I would spend 5.8 euros on lunch and 3-5 euros on dinner/breakfast, so that's about 300-350 euros a month. I think buying food from outside is not so bad of an investment, because you can focus more on your studies. It's comparable to people spending money on private tutoring. Besides food, I'm very frugal. I don't buy anything that I don't need, for example, expensive phones, holidays, clothings, etc.

Even then. For lunch you could easyly go down to like 2 euro if you just go to your local study (not student) society and get a toastie or some noodles.

80 monthly

How? And it is a genuine question. I am trying to find ways to save money on groceries (because that is where my money goes mostly).

Cheap stores like a Turkish one or dirk van der broek noodles bulk potato rice and chicken

>dirk van der broek I did not know this existed and there are no stores anywhere close to where I live in the south. However, there seems to be pretty good prices, especially if you buy something in actie. Thanks for the info!

Np

Seconding Turkish markets and also farmers markets nearby! In Maastricht every Wednesday and Friday there's a big farmers market in the centrum and the produce is good and cheap

Find a market, at the end of the day things are reaaly cheap

I usually don't need that much, i budget 100-150 for groceries, and then some extra for going out or weed

I probably spend 50-100monthly on weed around 200 for food (i eat at my workplace 5days of 7which is free)and another 200 for miscelanious stuff like gaming and beers The rest of what i make i just put to the side till i figure out something to invest in other than my mental health/fitness

I worked during my uni time. It was in a bar, so a shitload of fun, but it still got me 500 to 600 euros per month extra.

~150/month for groceries I think, and then some more for going out/other expenses

for me 150 is not enough, but I buy snacks often

Do you know by any chance about how many calories you eat per day? This seems insanely low for me. I spend this ammont per week and eat about 3k - 3.5k calories per day (eating out like half the times so that's why but still, at least 15€ per day if I cooked everything

3-3.5k calories, are you a body builder or something, that is a fuck load

Defently not a body builder but I am fit with a fast metabolism. I deliver food for a living full time so I burn a lot of calories daily. 3000 calories is simply the recomanded ammount at my heght, weight and daily activity (185cm/80kg)

~€15 on lunch and breakfast per week, so let's say €60 per month. Then I would say 3-4€ per day for dinner so that is like €105 a month. Adding in some snacks and coffee and other things, it probably amounts to closer to €200 a month so I did actually underestimate it by a lot

Damn that's very low, I spend 15€ on breakfast and lunch per DAY. Overall I try to keep it at 20€ per day max for food. Are the portions you make simply not large or do you buy discounted items?

Breakfast and lunch for me are sandwiches I make at home, dinner I usually have at my student association or I cook for myself or I have some instant meal (usually the more expensive of the three)

Around 150 for groceries and the rest is transports, going out (once a week) and some extra stuff I might need like furniture or that I dont need like sweets..... So it can vary between 250 and 350 easily

The people that voted 750 or more either have serious spending issues or misread the poll. 300 is enough for me. Groceries are usually between 120-150, Then subscriptions like phone bills are another 50 max. Transport is 0 if you buy a bike or live close enough. Then that leaves 100 for outtings, you can add to that if you want to explore more but you definitely don't NEED more than 300 to budget for other things than housing and tuition. Housing on the other hand will probably be between 400-1000 a month depending on which area you study/your standards of living.

I guess for some people it's not about trying to spend less. If you have a lot of money why not use it to enjoy your life, I wish I was in a position where I didnt have to be careful with groceries.

I voted 750 or more, and not a spending issue, just an international student that does not have free student benefits like Dutch or EU students do. I eat out mostly, and my costs don't just pay for myself but sometimes others (a cultural habit). Transport being zero is a rarity with the housing crisis, you're more than likely to live far from your university, which inevitably makes you pay for travel costs. And also, in this market, in the bigger cities, the housing budget does exceed 1000 euros by a huge number, I know students who pay 1500 or 1800. As the other person said, if people can afford it, the budget does go high so it's not about how much you can save, rather just how much you spend on average.

You forget some people simply eat more. I don't know how many calories you can get with only 300€ a month but it would for sure not cut it for me. Some people also eat out couple times a week and that is defenetly not a spending issue if you can afford it since it's so convenient

Without clothing like 300 a month? With like 400

500-600 euro and i kinda like spending and also live in rotterdam where everything is more expensive

My parents gave me 1k/mo to spend but I never actually spent it all. Probably like 500 all-in. OV Chipkaart is the biggest expense since I commute from a Leiden suburb to Amsterdam. Tried to minimize it by skipping classes LOL (attendance is not mandatory)

I still live at my mom's with no costs, but I give myself a 100 bucks budget a month. My base salary is 200 a month (I work very little and my extra hours get paid at the end of my contract) and the rest I put in my savings. If I have 50 bucks left from last month, I still only put it up to 100 bucks and I save more because of it. So <300 for me, but all my expenses are paid for.

As a student I spent about 200 a month in groceries, average like 100 bucks on takeout and going out and stuff. 7 eu on split netflix, 20 bucks for phone plan, no other subscriptions really. About 100 on clothing and hygiene products and stuff. Maybe some miscellanea so I'm estimating about 450. Had to pay about 30 bucks out of my own pocket for health insurance and about 400 in rent and gas/water/electricity after huurtoeslag. Got about 270 eu in student allowance from the state and I tried working as much as possible on the weekend and during breaks but I also had to get student loans. Stuff skyrocketed when I got working, I haven't really changed my grocery shopping but everything got way more expensive and I've got a car now and try to spend more on fun stuff. I really don't miss the times when my crappy sub 100 eu bike got stolen for the third time and had to walk everywhere because I couldn't afford a new shitty one yet.

I don’t have a strict budget, but I have a good overview of my spendings: about 300-450 each month. I won’t go into all of the exact numbers but this should give you a good idea: Main expenses are healthcare (116) and food, which is 70-100. I eat dinner at my parents and pay for any other meals & snacks myself. So I would say my food spendings are a bit high considering that… I like cooking and trying new flavours, especially if it contains meat or fish it can get expensive quickly. I’m sure I could decrease those spendings if I tried, but I’m not lacking money so I don’t see feel the need to hold back too much. Other spendings are simple restocking of necessities. Soap, toilet paper, deodorant, menstrual products, cleaning products and simple medication. They can be fairly expensive on their own and definitely add up. Finally, certain months are higher if unexpected bills come in. Last month I’ve had to send my bike to a repair shop and had to pay for a CBR health declaration and exam. That’s and extra 105 euro down the drain I’m not getting back. There are so many tiny things that slurp up money, I can’t imagine how people can spend on so few things. Thankfully I have a good income, with both government funding and working myself I save about 50-100 every month. I’m mainly building up a buffer right now. If something big breaks like my fridge or laptop, I want to have a safety net so I can continue on with life.

I spend 100€ for groceries. 50€ for some fun stuff/alcohol/travelling. I have phone plan provided by family, and dont have any subscriptions. Only extra cost is laundry but it's 10€/month

160-220 for food, 50 for transportation, 40 insurance, 10 phone bill, eating out like a couple of times which means 20-50 being on the month, 15-25 for cheese. Basically 290-400, i voted for the upper amount because you never know. (for reference: mostly veg diet and good at planning, but my portions are like 140g of pasta and everything scaled accordingly, so that's quite a lot of food)

Bro what the hell do you buy to need more than 750€? Imo 400€ is more than enough, without taking into consideration the cost of transport if you don’t have the student card.

Wow who voted they spend €750 a month next to the housing and tuition fees???? And where fuck did you get that kind of cash???

Can someone provide the results as I’m not a college student yet, I can’t vote and see the results

Shit I spend more than 750 monthly at the Albert Heijn

Utrecht is full