Cost of Living

Money and Banks

The currency is EURO. Although it is now obsolete, references to the old currency Belgian 'frank' or BEF are still made (€ 1,- = 40,3399 BEF).

Kredietbank-Cera (KBC), ING, BACOB, Fortis Bank (Gemeentekrediet, ASLK), Generale Bank (GB) have local branches in almost every town area.

In general, banks are open on weekdays from 9 to 12 and from 14 to

16 hrs, and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Some banks are open on Saturday morning and have late opening hours once a week. Weekends, you can use the ATM machines (Bancontact, Mister Cash) to obtain money.

We advise you to open a bank account upon your arrival. To do so, you will need your passport and a local Belgian address. It may be useful to take written proof that you are staying here in the context of an international student exchange programme.

Once you have opened your account, you can apply for a bank card (annual cost approx. € 10,-), which will give you access to the ATMs. Most bank cards also have a Proton chip, which can be charged at those very same ATMs. This comes in handy for small purchases in most shops. You can pay with your bank card at supermarkets and in most other shops without extra charge.

It takes 5 days before your account is accessible and your bank card can actually be used.

General Expenses

Studying in Antwerp does not cost foreign students more than it does Belgian ones.
Single students should be able to live in Antwerp on a monthly budget (excluding travel, tuition fees and clothing) of minimum € 500,-. This amount can be divided as follows:

• accommodation € 200,-
• meals € 140,-
• public transport, leisure € 100,-
• course material etc. € 60,-

Make sure you have enough money on arrival. Especially the first month can be expensive, since you may have to pay a deposit for your room.

Shopping

The supermarket chains Colruyt/GB/Delhaize/Aldi etc. have generic brand lines which considerably cut prices, especially of staple goods such as bread, milk, rice and so on. Dairy products, especially cheese, can be bought cheaply at local markets. The same goes for fruit and vegetables. Small grocery shops are a little more expensive. They are usually open between 9.00 and 18.00 hrs and sometimes even later, and closed on Sundays, but there are exceptions. Look for ‘wekelijkse rustdag’, which means Closing Day.
Night shops can be found all over town (they are rather expensive). Second-hand goods can be bought at special markets or shops.

Meals

In Flanders, people usually have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch (often sandwiches) and an evening meal. The latter tends to be a hot meal and is eaten from 18hrs onwards.

Typical Flemish dishes are steak and chips, Flemish stew, rabbit with beer, Gent Waterzooi - a kind of chicken/fish stew - and so on. Afternoon coffee is occasionally taken with pancakes or waffles. Over the last decades, food tastes have become increasingly international and there are many exotic restaurants in Antwerp.

Prices in - lower bracket - restaurants and snack bars vary from € 4,- to

€ 8,- for a main course. (see also http://www.resto.be/ )