#accommodation

finding a flat when you arrive is very easy. the university has a partnership with student residences all over the city. it's TOAS. with this you are bound to get a flat. There are two types of accommodation, shared flats where you will be 2 or 3 students of the same sex. you will have a kitchen and a shower for your flat. you will also have a gym, a sauna and washing machines available for all the people in the building. the second type is to have a room in a student residence where you will only have a shower for yourself. the rest will be shared. The prices are very affordable, but sharing is more expensive than a room in a student residence. You can also find accommodation without using TOAS, but this is more complicated and directly more expensive.

Hey ! You've been accepted for a mobility in Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo) and you're thrilled about it but you don't know how to find an accomodation ? Don't worry :) First of all, you should look at the Polito's website because there is a all page with a lot of links for plateform which looks like "Air B and B" for flats (https://international.polito.it/practical_information/accommodation). On this plateform you can find a lot of offers. In my case I used Cercoallogio and also HousingAnywhere (I found my flat thanks to Housing Anywhere) and it was really useful. You also have the possibility to go in a student residence (EDISU) but you have to do a demand for it. Futhermore, there is also a lot of Facebook groups. Yous can find some useful links for these kind of groups on the website of ESN Torino (an Erasmus association) (https://torino.esn.it/en/incoming) ! Concerning the district, I will recommend you San Salvario, Marconi, near Piazza Castello, Porta Susa, they are really nice, living, dynamic and near everything. Your feet will be your best friends especially because public transports are not the best and finally, Torino is not so big !

Paris is such a big city, it is hard to choose the right neighborhood. It is important to live close to your university to reduce the time spent in the metro. But it is also great if you leave in a beautiful area : for example, the Latin Quarter is really nice but expensive, but the 13th arrondissement is a bit cheaper and very close. People often avoid the north part of Paris. If Paris is too expensive, don't forget you can find great flats in the suburbs. And keep in mind it is hard to get a flat for a student, even more as a foreigner...

Finding a flat in Prague is not difficult at all. There is an agency for Erasmus students that provides shared flats, which is a good way to avoid scams. In Prague, rent is around 400 euros per month to live close to the city center and all you need to do is to find other roommates and sign the contract. Otherwise, some universities offer cheaper accommodation in the dormitories but it is often far away from the center and less comfortable.

There are many international student flatshares in Sevilla as well as flatshares with Spanish people. Living with locals is the best way to learn the language and culture. For example, you can look on the Idealista website!

Finding a house in spain in not very complicated and not that expensive. As for Vigo, you can look on the websites : Mil Anuncios and idealista. Most of international students/ intern get a shared flat in Vigo. You can also contact ESN Vigo, they will help you get an accommodation. Some volunteers keep the contacts of many landlords that rent flat for a semester for international students. About prices, you can count between 200 and 350€ top per month. Most students live in the city center or around (the area between the city center and plaza america). I wouldn't advise to live close to the university. If you live in Vigo, there is buses that goes to the university campus (CUVI : Campus de la Universidad de VIgo) in around 30 minutes. The main bus stops are : Plaza España and Plaza America.

When I was Erasmus student at KTU, I was living in the student dorm. Good thing about dorms is that most of the Erasmus students are all in the same dorm. There are 2 corridors in each floor. Each corridor has its own kitchen, so you share kitchen with people on your side of the floor. Rooms are shared, 2 people in each. Some of them have their own bathrooms, so you share it only eith your roommate. While other are shared between 2 rooms, meaning 4 people, which is not that much. Rooms are fine, not brand new but also not too old or dirty. Cleaning service is every monday but they are cleaning only shared areas (kitchen and hallways). There is a basment with washing machines (4 at that time) and dryers (2 at that time). Also there is a common area between corridors where there are hangers for clothes if dryers are full. Monthly price for a room with shared bathroom is 100 euros.

the rent of the room is around 500 €

the rent of the room is around € 200/250

If you are a student looking for accommodation in Novi Sad, the best place to live is usually one of the neighborhoods called “Liman”. There are four of them, the first one is where the University is, but any of them are a great neighborhood for a student. Close to studies, close to the center, close to the clubs, I recommend

Looking for a flat in Aix turned out to be a real challenge. Although I started searching a few months before my arrival, the small size of the city and the large number of students enrolled at the university meant that the offer did not reflect the actual demand. Therefore, despite the fact that I was very reluctant to take a room in the university residence, a couple of weeks before my arrival I had to accept the International Relations office's offer of a room in a Crous residence. Despite the limited size of the room, it was very functional and well organised. With a private bathroom and mini fridge, the only thing to share was the kitchen. Fortunately, my floor was so empty (due to Covid and distance learning) that the kitchen was used by me and a few other people. Nevertheless, I still managed to get to know a few people and especially to cook and dine in the company of some of my fellow Master's students. Another very positive aspect was the cost of rent. I was paying 250€ per month and with state housing aid (APL) I paid more than 50€ less per month. Therefore, if you plan to stay a short time in Aix and get to know people quickly and low-cost, the Crous residence is probably an ideal choice.

Living in France as a student has turned out to be much cheaper than expected. In fact, students and young people in France are generally entitled to various financial aids. Although the bureaucracy is long and frustrating, the results are very satisfying. If, like me, you choose to opt for a university residence, when you sign the contract and pay the monthly fees, you will be given a sheet with the details to communicate when undertaking the procedures for APL (rent aid). If you rent a flat, do not hesitate to ask the landlord if the flat is eligible for APL. First of all, you will have to register on the CAF website, wait to receive your 'allocataire' number and password by post and then proceed to the 'aide au logement' application on the website. You should also take out a housing insurance policy including student liability via the website assurances-etudiants.com. Thanks to this advantageous formula, I paid only 27 euros for a year, although I only needed it for a few months. Then, arrange health insurance for foreign students via the etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr website. With this registration you can access various health services for free. In fact, during the pandemic, I was able to take antigenic tests for free. Finally, get a free, rechargeable transport card that will allow you, if you are under 26, to travel for 24 hours in the surrounding areas for 2 euros, being able to go as far as Marseilles for example.

Living in Madrid is not that pricey, but you have to be careful to control your budget. The most expensive thing in Madrid is probably the rent. In fact, the average price for a room in the city centre is between 400-600 euros. Personally, I paid 490 without bills, and about 520 with bills. In the peripheral areas of Madrid you can also find accommodation from 300 to 400 euros, but obviously there will be fewer facilities than in the centre. The monthly transport card is only 20 euros for those under 26 years old (Abono Joven) and you can take all metro, buses and trains throughout the metropolitan region of Madrid. If you are over 26 years old, the price of the monthly card starts at 54.60€ and increases depending on how many zones you add to your purchase. However, if you live with or near your friends, you can share an Uber or Cabify at very affordable prices. Eating and drinking out in Madrid is probably the most convenient thing. Tapas and cerveza are an almost daily appointment for Spaniards. For example, a place to enjoy bocadillos and cerveza at student prices is 100 Montaditos, which on some days has an 'everything for 1€' promotion. For my monthly shopping I spend around 100€, trying to go to cheaper supermarkets such as Lidl, Dia and Mercadona. Going out in Madrid can be surprising. In fact, there are many clubs with free entry especially for Erasmus students and more chic discos, where entry is around 15€.

Having arrived in Madrid in early 2020 to pursue my master's degree, I started looking for a flat on-site. In fact, several people had told me to go in person to visit the flats before renting them. This is because you can find many scams and the photos often do not reflect reality. After about ten visits, I finally found the flat that fully met my expectations. In fact, apart from having a large, well-organised and furnished space, I shared the apartment with two international flatmates (an American and an Argentinean). Despite the fact that my experience in Madrid was short-lived due to the onset of the pandemic, I can say that I lived that flat to the fullest. Located a few steps away from the La Latina district, more precisely in Puerta de Toledo, the movida area, the city markets and the main square were within a maximum 20 min walk. A quiet area with parks and gardens where you can relax after a busy day at university.