Studying in Spain, Madrid the perfect city
Pleasant climate, international students, lively nightlife and the dolce vita. In the space of just a few years, Madrid has become the preferred destination for students in search of rich and unique experiences. Find out in this article why Madrid attracts so many students.
Why choose Madrid for your studies?
Studying in a European capital will be an emotional experience. On a personal level, you can look forward to many changes (greater self-awareness, greater autonomy, learning a new culture and language).
On a professional level, too, you’re likely to take on an internship and develop your ability to work with different cultures (an asset much sought-after by recruiters).
Madrid is one of the most sought-after cities, and more and more international students are looking to the Spanish capital for a unique experience.
To help you prepare for your future year of study in Madrid, and to encourage you to work hard to secure your place, we interviewed two students who have chosen Madrid to study.
1. Studying in Madrid changed my life
Mary D. / Communication studies
Why did you choose Madrid as your study destination?
I’d always dreamed of being able to live and study in a foreign country, so studying in Madrid was a golden opportunity to live the experience.
I’ve often traveled to Europe with my family, so the idea of living in Spain to study didn’t displease me.
When I saw the list of partner universities and cities, I was overjoyed to see that Madrid was one of them. Spain was my number 1 destination, my friends wanted to go to London or Rome, but I knew that Madrid would be the ideal place to live a unique experience.
So I applied, and thanks to my decent level of Spanish, I was accepted!
How do I find student accommodation in Madrid? How easy is it?
Moving to a new city isn’t easy, and the idea of changing countries was both exciting and stressful for me.
I didn’t speak Spanish very well (enough to take university courses) and I had to find an apartment in less than two weeks on a tight budget. So I spent hours and hours looking for apartments online on Spanish ad sites, which gave me a good idea of the prices of rentals in different neighborhoods.
I finally found a large flat-share near Puerta Del Sol, with a total of eight of us: 2 French, 3 English, 2 Italians and me! Living with so many people from all over the world was like traveling every day.
Looking back, finding an apartment wasn’t very complicated, and landlords are pretty accommodating when it comes to guarantees.
To give you an order of magnitude, renting a room in a large, well-located shared apartment will cost you between 550€ and 650€, although you can find cheaper accommodation outside the city center.
You can expect to pay between 900€ and 1,500€ for a studio.
How much does it cost to live in Madrid as an Erasmus student?
The cost of living in Madrid is quite low, allowing students to make the most of their studies without eating pasta every day.
I went out very regularly and despite everything my budget didn’t explode, which is partly due to the low cost of drinks in Madrid’s bars. Madrid’s nightclubs are rather inexpensive and the girls are often invited.
Shopping costs average between 200€ and 250€ per person per month, but it’s hard to go below 180€, as chains like Lidl and Mercadona offer quality products at low prices.
Before leaving to study in Madrid, I think it’s important to do a minimum of research into the expenses you’ll incur.
Going out and enjoying student life in Madrid
Madrid has so many nightclubs that it’s hard to name just one.
The great thing about this city is that there’s something for every taste and budget. If you’re looking to party in trendy, select clubs, then you’ll find them in the Salamanca district, often free for girls, where you’ll find house music, commercial and chic.
The craziest nights I’ve spent were in Chueca, where the parties are great, the atmosphere is top-notch, and the prices are right.
What about your level of Spanish?
Speaking Spanish is essential in everyday life, and it’s hard to find anyone in Madrid who speaks good English.
The best advice I can give you is to prepare yourself for Spanish 2 / 3 months before your experience. This will help you enormously, especially for university or school, as classes will be mainly if not totally in Spanish.
In general, Spanish people are patient and will help you if you don’t understand what they’re saying.
2. Student life in Madrid - Every student's dream
Mathew L. / Marketing studies
Why did you choose Madrid as your study destination?
My older brother studied in London at the celbre King’s college.
I went to see him several times and literally fell in love with student life in England, the à la carte courses, the parties, the unique encounters and a life of total freedom. So I decided to live the experience, but in a warmer country.
When my school’s destinations were announced, I had a choice between Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon or Rome. The choice was extremely difficult.
In the end, I was not selected to go to Barcelona, but it was my second choice that was chosen, Madrid! It was perfect timing, as I didn’t know the city and many of my former students had spoken very highly of it.
How do I find accommodation in Madrid?
A friend of mine had recommended the Idealista app for finding accommodation. It’s an app for finding apartments to rent.
Very easy to use, I found the flat-sharing I wanted in the Latina district, right above the bars and restaurants.
I went through an agency, and one of the team spoke English and helped me enormously with my move. I was able to get a reasonable rent of 590€/month with a 12-month contract. Internet was included and utilities were 75€/month.
To give you an idea of rates and accommodation in Madrid, my friends in a shared flat paid between 480€ and 680€, while those who had their own apartment paid around 950€ in the city center and just under 800€ outside the city center.
How much does it cost to live in Madrid as a student?
Food is not very expensive and of very good quality, I generally spent between 250€ and 390€ per month.
For going out, it depends on the type of party. For local bars, 20€ is more than enough to have a good time, whereas in the big nightclubs you’ll need 85€.
Before I left to study in Madrid, I worked for a few months at Zara, which enabled me to save money and live well.
Going out and enjoying student life in Madrid
Going out in Madrid was my favorite thing to do! I spent some of the best parties of the year there, making friends very quickly and the atmosphere is top-notch.
There are a lot of nightclubs in the city and it’s generally very easy to get into them. One of my favorite nightclubs is Kapitale, a multi-storey nightclub with a different style of music on each floor.
A lot of international students go there. Another nightclub I liked was Théatro Barcelo, a little more select than the others, but a nice place to spend a good evening.
Do you need to speak Spanish to study in Madrid or Barcelona?
I had a really hard time with Spanish for the first few weeks. I couldn’t understand the shopkeepers and teachers at my university very well, and some of them had accents that were hard to understand.
My university offered Spanish courses for students who needed a refresher, so I went for three months, and it helped me enormously. By the end of my year in Madrid, I was almost bilingual in Spanish!