4

I am applying for a Ph.D. exchange program in Jaén, Spain.

The coordinator is saying that the amount is 500 EUR/month.

Are 500 euros enough to survive in Jaén, Spain as a Ph.D. student?

Improve this question
5
  • 3
    Is your accommodation provided, or will the 500 EUR have to include rent?
    – Joe Malt
    Dec 14, 2022 at 23:33
  • @JoeMalt, I don't know yet.
    – user366312
    Dec 14, 2022 at 23:34
  • Note: the 500 Euro is about extra expenses. If you include food, you should remove food you buy on your home country. As exchange student, check if you can host an exchange student on your bedroom when you are in Spain, etc.
    – Giacomo Catenazzi
    Dec 15, 2022 at 9:25
  • How long? If you don't have accommodation and/or food, it is enough for a couple of weeks. If you have accommodation and food, it can last you months...
    – Ivan
    Dec 15, 2022 at 10:14
  • 2
    @user366312 You absolutely need to find out if food and or accommodation is paid for separately or if it comes out of the 500 EUR. It will make a huge difference as to whether it is enough or not.
    – DJClayworth
    Dec 16, 2022 at 16:26

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

€500 will be enough if you do not need to pay a place to stay. You might get by with €200 if you are very smart and only have to pay for your food, (that is, if you do not need to pay for your exchange program, commuting or going out, or clothing) but getting a place to stay near the university for only €300 will be hard if you do not get help from the institution (which they sometime do.)

So yes, it might be, but it will not be a lot and you have to be careful with shopping and going out, and have to get a cheap place to stay.

Improve this answer
1

Depends on your lifestyle. Try this:

  1. go to https://tinyurl.com/Jaen-Spain
  2. change the details to suit your lifestyle
  3. paste the results into a spreadsheet
  4. Enter some guesses for the question marks
  5. add the category subtotals
  6. read the page info about costs NOT included
  7. also consider that the numbers are derived from survey data contributed by people who supposedly live there or visited there and may not be current.

Over the seventeen months I spent in northern Spain, I spent an average of less than 2000 euro per month. But that included several flights between there and USA.

Improve this answer
3
  • The link says that I need more than 500 even if I stay in my room all day and buy nothing but food needed to survive barely.
    – user366312
    Dec 15, 2022 at 6:00
  • 2
    @user366312 That's probably including rent, which is usually the largest expense, so you ned to know if lodging is provided by the university or if they have cheap student lodging, otherwise at market prices for a short term lease it will definitely cost you most of that money. A quick search shows a minimum monthly rent of 350 euros (and more likely 400-450), but that's probably for a standard long-term lease.
    – jcaron
    Dec 15, 2022 at 13:11
  • And it may be that the person was telling you the minimum requirement for a visa. (Or the tuition?) The income requirement for a retired person's visa was three to four times the requirement for a student visa back when I was applying (2016). I still wonder why. I lived on much less than my requirement. And I had a friend with a different kind of visa who complained that she was required to raise support totaling much more than she was actually spending. Her piso in Estella was €300/month. Mine in Burgos was €400.
    – WGroleau
    Dec 15, 2022 at 18:07

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.