# Research sources

Checked 2026-10-12. Undated guidance is not assumed to use current-year prices. Partial figures, minimums and point estimates are not complete ranges.

## switzerland/zurich

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Single-person ETH staff guidance. Room range, not an entire apartment. Remaining entries are point estimates, not measured ranges.

Source: https://ethz.ch/staffnet/en/employment-and-work/international/services-and-downloads/cost-of-living.html

## singapore/singapore

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

NUS off-campus single-student essentials. Utilities and insurance are not separately priced. Personal includes telecommunications; avoid counting them twice.

Source: https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/cost-of-living/

## japan/tokyo

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

UTokyo international-student guidance. Housing is a small one-room apartment. This is a partial budget; other costs remain unpriced.

Source: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/finance-living.html

## united-kingdom/oxford

Scope: city. Period: 2026–27. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Single student without dependants. Published total includes study costs and other expenses, so it differs from the six-category planner. Insurance and transport are not separately priced.

Source: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/fees-funding/living-costs

## united-kingdom/manchester

Scope: city. Period: 2026–27. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Private house-share range includes average bills. Food combines groceries and takeaways. Personal covers socialising and clothes only. Host eligibility and council tax need checking.

Source: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/cost-of-living/

## australia/brisbane

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

UQ off-campus/student accommodation guide. Utilities combine household bills and mobile/internet. Check inclusions before adding them. Transport has a lower bound only and is not shown as a bounded range.

Source: https://study.uq.edu.au/university-life/living-in-queensland/cost-living

## denmark/copenhagen

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

EK exchange-student budget. Phone is priced, but other utilities are not; the utilities category is therefore not supplied. Insurance is not priced.

Source: https://www.ek.dk/english/exchange/application-and-guidance/financial-matters

## Germany

Scope: country. Period: Undated live guidance; supporting survey 2023. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National student benchmark, not a city quote. Includes rent, food, clothing, learning materials, insurance, telecoms and leisure. Large-city costs can be higher.

Source: https://www.daad.de/en/studying-in-germany/living-in-germany/finances/

## Netherlands

Scope: country. Period: Undated live guidance; item averages Nibud 2024. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National student benchmark; housing varies by city and inclusions. Amsterdam can be more expensive. Health insurance eligibility depends on work and residence status.

Source: https://www.studyinnl.org/finances/daily-student-expenses-and-cost-of-living-in-the-netherlands

## Finland

Scope: country. Period: Updated 18 September 2026. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National recommended student living budget including food, accommodation and travel. Tuition and insurance requirements must be checked separately.

Source: https://www.studyinfinland.fi/funding-your-studies/fees-and-cost-living

## Austria

Scope: country. Period: Student Social Survey 2025; IHS 2026. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National student-residence benchmark; Vienna can be more expensive. Other categories are not supplied as bounded ranges.

Source: https://studyinaustria.at/en/live-and-work/living-costs

## South Korea

Scope: country. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Government student living-cost guide; country-level benchmark, not a Seoul housing quote. Confirm insurance and accommodation eligibility.

Source: https://cdn.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/life/livingExpense.do

## Belgium

Scope: regional. Period: Page includes 2025–26 tuition context; living figure undated. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Flanders and Brussels student benchmark. Covers accommodation, food, study materials, transport, insurance, telecoms and personal spending. Not a guaranteed fellowship budget.

Source: https://education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe/countries/belgium/flanders

## New Zealand

Scope: country. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National guide. Food is converted from NZD 80–120/week using 52/12. Housing compares a shared-room starting price with a catered hall, so no single comparable housing range is supplied. Electricity is for a private house, not a per-person allocation.

Source: https://www.studywithnewzealand.govt.nz/en/plan-with-new-zealand/cost-of-living

## ireland/dublin

Scope: city. Period: Updated April 2026. Checked: 2026-10-12.

UCD per-student low/high guide. Total includes books and miscellaneous costs beyond the six-category calculator; insurance is listed separately as an annual cost, so obtain an eligible policy quote. Food includes clothing/hygiene here to match daily needs.

Source: https://www.ucd.ie/global/study-at-ucd/scholarshipsfinances/livingcosts/

## portugal/lisbon

Scope: city. Period: Undated; current market validity unconfirmed. Checked: 2026-10-12.

ISEG published student guide. Prices may be old; check current rental listings before using them. The source total includes books, while utilities and insurance are not separately priced.

Source: https://www.iseg.ulisboa.pt/en/live-iseg/living-in-lisbon/

## France

Scope: country. Period: Page updated 24 October 2025. Checked: 2026-10-12.

European Commission national student benchmark. Paris is generally more expensive. Student discounts may be assumed; this does not establish eligibility for a visiting fellow. Check actual housing and insurance.

Source: https://education.ec.europa.eu/da/study-in-europe/country-profiles/france

## United Kingdom

Scope: country. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

British Council student benchmark for the UK outside London, without dependants. Includes accommodation, bills, groceries and other living costs. Visiting fellows may have higher costs and no student discounts.

Source: https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/moving-uk/cost-studying

## united-kingdom/london

Scope: regional. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

British Council London student benchmark, without dependants. Includes accommodation, bills, groceries and other living costs. No borough-specific estimate or guaranteed room availability; verify short-stay rates.

Source: https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/moving-uk/cost-studying

## switzerland/geneva

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

UNIGE student budget. Student housing and insurance eligibility are not guaranteed for visiting fellows. The insurance entry is a minimum, not a complete range.

Source: https://vie-de-campus.unige.ch/campus-life/daily-life/living-geneva

## australia/sydney

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

University student guidance, with broad accommodation and lifestyle assumptions. Phone does not cover household energy. OSHC eligibility depends on visa status.

Source: https://www.sydney.edu.au/study/fees-and-loans/other-costs/living-costs.html

## australia/canberra

Scope: city. Period: 2026 estimated-cost table. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Single-person ANU guide. Weekly amounts converted using 52/12. Shared accommodation selected; the separate non-sharing scenario is not combined into a range.

Source: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments/estimated-cost-of-living-in-canberra

## australia/melbourne

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance; Victorian rental median cited by university. Checked: 2026-10-12.

One-bedroom flat median, not a shared room or a market range. Weekly rent converted using 52/12. Other property types are not merged into a synthetic range.

Source: https://study.unimelb.edu.au/student-life/cost-of-living

## united-kingdom/cambridge

Scope: city. Period: 2027/28 forecast, prepared May 2026. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Future university maintenance forecast. Accommodation includes utilities. Personal allowance includes local transport and health-related spending; do not count those twice. Not a clinical fellow insurance quote.

Source: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/maintenance

## united-kingdom/edinburgh

Scope: city. Period: 2026–27. Checked: 2026-10-12.

University single-undergraduate monthly living allowance. A published total does not provide six comparable category ranges; fees excluded.

Source: https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding

## united-states/san-francisco

Scope: city. Period: 2026–27 student cost of attendance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

UCSF off-campus monthly student allowances; shared housing assumptions. Insurance is not separately priced in this basket. Clinical employment benefits can differ.

Source: https://finaid.ucsf.edu/application-process/student-coa

## canada/toronto

Scope: city. Period: Undated exchange fact sheet. Checked: 2026-10-12.

University of Toronto St. George student guidance. Utilities and phone/internet combined arithmetically. Tenant insurance is not health insurance and is excluded from the health category.

Source: https://learningabroad.utoronto.ca/inbound-visiting/student-exchange-fact-sheet/

## switzerland/bern

Scope: city. Period: Undated live guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

University student allowances. Phone, internet and household fees are additional and unpriced. Health premiums depend on age, deductible and residency status.

Source: https://www.unibe.ch/studies/organizational_matters/student_financing/financial_matters/index_eng.html

## belgium/ghent

Scope: city. Period: Undated international staff guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Single international PhD researcher guidance. Shared-room scenario selected. Personal includes phone; utilities include internet. Health contribution is not a full private insurance premium.

Source: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/talent/welcoming-new-staff/costoflivingghent.html/

## belgium/brussels

Scope: city. Period: 2026–27. Checked: 2026-10-12.

VUB standard student room, subject to eligibility and availability. Does not represent private-market accommodation. Energy and internet included in rent.

Source: https://www.vub.be/en/studying-vub/practical-info-for-students/student-housing/practical-housing-information

## france/strasbourg

Scope: city. Period: Undated guidance; meal information references May 2026. Checked: 2026-10-12.

University mobility guidance. Rent spans several accommodation types. Phone/internet excludes energy; insurance is supplementary cover, not a complete health plan.

Source: https://international-welcome.unistra.fr/funding-your-mobility-in-strasbourg/budgeting/

## france/lyon

Scope: city. Period: Undated researcher housing guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

Espace Ulys visiting-researcher housing guidance. Furnished studio minimum, with no published upper bound; short stays may cost more.

Source: https://espace-ulys.universite-lyon.fr/parc-udl/ulys/site-francais/reseaux-sociaux/faq/foire-aux-questions-124924.kjsp?RH=667325380208634

## Japan

Scope: country. Period: JASSO 2023 student survey, reproduced in live official guidance. Checked: 2026-10-12.

National student benchmark, not a city estimate or current quote. Utilities exclude phone; medical/insurance combines several expenses and is not a standalone premium.

Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/life/cost-of-living/