Cost of living

Former students have informed us that they were surprised by the high cost of living in Belgium. Beware of potential misconceptions. Costs such as restaurant visits, food, public transport and recreation are certainly not cheap. For example, a simple dinner at a restaurant can easily cost 35 € all included; a movie theatre ticket amounts to 13 €; a regular round-trip train ticket to the capital Brussels costs 16.80 €.

Overview of the costs at IOB:

• Tuition fee: detailed information about the tuition fee is available here.
• Study materials: a total amount of approx. EUR 400 needs to be budgeted for the purchase of books, lecture notes, copies, etc.
• Accommodation: the rent of a student room with common facilities (kitchen and sanitary) amounts to EUR 370 until EUR 450 per month. The rent of a student room or studio with private facilities amounts to EUR 450 until EUR 550 per month. Students should budget two months of rent for the deposit.
• General expenses: besides the above expenses, students need to budget about EUR 400 per month for expenses for food and beverage, medical costs, recreation, visits and personal expenses.
• Health insurance (compulsory by law): membership fee will be paid by the University for VLIR-UOS scholarship students. Other students can register at a health insurance company for EUR 100 a year. The health insurance covers up to 60% of medical expenses (doctor’s visits and medicines). The health insurance only reimburses expenses; this means that students always need to advance these costs.
• Conclusion: it is estimated that a single student will be able to live in Antwerp on a monthly budget of EUR 1000. This monthly budget is a guideline.

Student job

Studying at IOB is a full-time activity. In all fairness: most international students find it hard to combine a full-time study programme with a job. However, working during the holidays or on the weekends may be feasible after a while. Basic knowledge of Dutch is often required though.

More information about the work permit is available here.​

Weather

The Belgian weather is very unstable and erratic. During the month of September, the weather should still be pretty nice, although by the end of the month the rainy autumn season begins. October and November can be quite chilly, even though the real cold usually only gets to Belgium by the end of November. December, January and February can be very cold (between 10°C and -5°C) as winter then arrives with its hail and possible snow. Winter lasts until 21 March when spring starts. From then on, the weather should get sunnier and less chilly. The highest temperatures (around 25°C) are reached during the summer months July and August. It often rains in Belgium and it can get quite cold, especially for people who are used to tropical temperatures, so a useful advice is to bring along some warm clothes, rain protecting clothes and an umbrella.

Language

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French and German. The northern part of Belgium (north of the capital Brussels) is Dutch-speaking. The southern part of Belgium (south of Brussels) is French-speaking. A small part in the east of Belgium is German-speaking. Belgium’s capital Brussels is bilingual: Dutch and French. You will be staying in the Flemish part of Belgium, where Dutch is the lingua franca. Although most Flemish people speak fairly good English (especially young people), we have received complaints from former students about communication problems with local Belgians. We will offer an online crash course Dutch language in order to allow you to learn some basic words that come in handy in everyday life.

Information about Belgium (history, politics, health, economy, education, etc.) is available on http://www.belgium.be/en/ and www.visitbelgium.be