PeerAbroad started from a simple frustration: most cost-of-living websites are built for expats, digital nomads, or families — not for a student planning a semester abroad with a limited budget and no time to waste.
When I was planning my exchange semester, I spent hours trying to understand what everyday life would actually cost — rent in a student neighbourhood, a cheap meal, public transport, groceries, and going out.
The information was scattered across different websites, based on different lifestyles, and often felt disconnected from the reality of studying abroad.
So I built PeerAbroad.
The idea is simple: bring practical cost comparisons and student-submitted exchange experiences together in one place, so students can compare destinations and make a more informed decision before they go.
Cost estimates are gathered from multiple public sources and organised around the things students are most likely to spend money on. Student reviews add the personal context that numbers alone cannot provide.
We're still in the early days — with 100+ cities live across Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, more being added, and a growing community of students helping keep the information useful and accurate.
To give exchange students the practical clarity they need to choose their destination with confidence — and arrive better prepared for what life there will actually be like.
Every decision we make — from the data we collect to the features we build — starts with what is genuinely useful for students.
We do not adjust figures to make cities look more affordable or complete. We explain estimates, sources and important limitations.
Reviews are submitted by community members and manually moderated by PeerAbroad before publication; they are not supplied by agencies.
Exchange students go everywhere. We're building out coverage city by city, starting with the most popular destinations.
Built to help students make better exchange decisions.