Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL)

I come from Metro Manila, Philippines... low cost of living + huge gap between rich and the poor = several people who feel like kings here yet are middle class citizens all over the world. OK, breakdown of WHY: premise A: If I had lived a non-extravagant life (food + travel + party), I would have basically incurred the same expenses a normal class AB guy in the Philippines would have incurred. premise B: Even at these prices, Portugal was very cheap for me. Think of the price as a tad bit higher than USA prices in the basic amenities and necessities department but pale in comparison with USA prices in the area of luxury. For Food: a. I cooked more for myself only = less people to spread amongst the expense b. used more premium ingredients c. ate out at restaurants more For Telephone: a. it can be avoided (even placed at a minus by using Skype), but my smart phone was locked to a local Filipino company so... I decided against my better judgment to use it instead... b. if you buy a local SIM (I did for local calls and texts), the cost will be equal with that at home... assuming you are a class AB citizen of Manila who is on a postpaid account c. If Skype is not you cup of tea, or your laptop's mic broke or etc. etc., ask the residence reception for your room's extension number. Skype to landline calls are EXTREMELY cheap. For Housing: I don't rent at home. But rent is around 160-190 Euros for the uni. dorm and anywhere around 200-500 Euros at a normal flat in the city. For travel: It is Erasmus... say yes to everything travel-related

Basically, I was trying to enjoy my stay as much as I could. As I knew my parents would support me in this, I tried not to worry about money too much - without wasting it of course.

I spent more because it was the first time I was leaving by my own, not in my family anymore. I had to pay everything. I travelled a lot, and called often my friends in Lisbon and my family. But in general, life was cheaper in Lisbon than in Brussels.

Portugal is more cheap than Spain, I know that I had no so much money so I tryied not expend so much and I did a lot of thing (travel, dinner outside...) with no so much money.

Housing is really expensive in Lisbon! Only food items are really cheaper. All the rest is more or less equal to the prices in Belgium.

portugal in some kind is cheaper, but this seduces you to spend more money. My main point of expenses was housing, where I always found pretty cheap commodities in Austria but not in Lisbon