The 24 -year -old moved to Belgium and lives at $ 1132 a month

Colbey Gray, 24, grew up in a very conservative and conservative community in San Luis Obebiso, California. It was not even a two -hour move to the University of California, Santa Cruz, that he had traveled to this time for the first time.

It was the beginning of a new life for the fine – he did not know it yet.

“Many people in my city did not have passports. She didn’t travel much and did not go to school too far.” “I was one of those who went further, and then when I studied abroad, I was one of the first to leave the country.”

Gray lived on the campus at the beginning of his first year, but the Covid-19 pandemic completely disrupted his time there. By the second semester, Gray was forced to return home for about a year. During this time in Saint -Luis Obebiso, Gray explores his studies abroad.

Gray studied in Copenhagen for six months. When that time ended, he did not want to return to Santa Cruise.

“Denmark managed to the epidemic well and have a very high vaccination rate,” he says. “I fell in love with her and decided to want to do more.”

Gray completed a semester in the sea before finally went to California.

“When I went back to Santa Cruz, it was a real cultural shock to me,” he says. “No housing is left there. The city is not based on students.”

Once again in Santa Cruz, Gray lived off the campus in two bedrooms with three of his colleagues in the room and worked as a consultant abroad. Gray’s share of rent was $ 1,340 per month, according to the documents reviewed by CNBC Make that.

“I was paying more to live in Santa Cruz more than I was paying to live outside. I told myself that I could no longer do that,” says Gray. “I knew that after I finished (with the first university level), I will apply for a master’s degree in Belgium.”

Gray says that his primary motivation for his desire to leave the United States is that life in cities there has never hesitated with him – and he hated driving.

“That was one of the things I loved to live in Europe, and I never felt that I needed a car to live,” he says.

Gray was also not satisfied with the quality of education he received at the University of California, Santa Cruz, mainly due to the cost. For the academic year 2024-2025, Average cost For students in the country who live on the campus is $ 44,160. Gray chapters have been canceled for more than half of one semester and still have to pay for the entire matter.

“It doesn’t seem as if I was getting what I paid for a lot of federal and state funding,” says Gray. “I knew that there should be a better system and a better way to get education. Through my job abroad, I realized that I can only get a visa and study as an international student at the sixth of the price.”

“I wanted to continue my education, but I wanted to use this as a road towards residency.”

Gray decided to go to obtain a master’s degree and look at programs in the United Kingdom, as at Cambridge University, Oxford University, Edinburgh University in Scotland, but he could not justify the cost.

This led to gray to Louvin, Belgium, Which seemed to be the perfect choice. Leuven was built to be a “15 -minute city”, which is a concept of urban planning where most daily necessities such as shopping, health care and more can be reached within 15 minutes on foot or bike riding. This concept acquires traction in other Belgian cities such as Brussels and Michelin and is found in major cities such as Paris, France, Barcelona, ​​Spain and Melbourne, Australia.

In Leuvin, cars are banned in the city center and easy – and are encouraged – wrapping the bike.

He says: “I fell in love with her and loved that Belgium was in a central location, so I can travel too,” There are four different countries around me during a three -hour train trip, and that was very unique. “

Co Leuvin University in Belgium offers a program for students looking for certificates called a research permit. This permit allows students or researchers to stay for a year and work is not restricted as long as they obtain a master’s degree from a university in the country. It is a year for a year, and the cost of tuition fees is about 3800 euros annually or $ 4,310.

“As a student, though, there is no better cost to live. There is nothing better economically than to be in Europe. There is no reason to enter debt here, so it is logical at this stage in my life,” he says.

Gray arrived in Belgium with two specific bags and a back bag, and moved to a four -bedroom house with three other people. He paid 500 euros or $ 567 a month: “It was great. I mean, I was paying a third of the price to get my own room.”

He proceeded immediately to build life in Louvin.

“When I got here for the first time, it was hard. I was aware of the fact that I had no friends here and I was completely alone.” “I think this was the first time I felt in my life. I worked hard to make friendships and form a society here.”

Gray came out last summer and moved about 10 minutes to the bike outside the city. He pays 420 euros a month for rent, including facilities. His current residence also provides some cleaning tools and some food as well.

The additional monthly expenses of Gray include 236 euros in grocery stores, 154 euros in eating abroad, 11 euros in health insurance and medical visits, 48 ​​euros in crossing, 50 euros for the gym, 30 euros on wellness, 20 euros with visa fees, 20 euros in clothes, and 10 euros in subscriptions. Including its rent, the total monthly Gray expenses are about 998 euros per month or $ 1.132.

Gray lived in Belgium nearly two years ago, and he says he loves the balance between work and life that he was able to find there.

“Society feels strongly here and I have a great balance between my working life and my home life,” he says. “It is a slower pace than life here and it is really beautiful.”

Since Europe’s first visit in 2021 and moved in 2023, Gray traveled to 20 different countries. All members of his family and friends also came.

In 2024, the Gray family came to Belgium and took a trip to Tuscany. He returned to the United States for the first time in December.

Gray seven months remained on his research permit while he was thinking about his next steps, which can include the second master’s degree Training In Brussels or Portugal.

The only thing that Gray knows is certainly that he is not ready to return to America until now.

“I was living in the United States, I felt that there was an hour of time inside me as I had to enter the workforce and get a house, and I have a family, and I now think I have slowed a little and a kind of smell of roses a little more,” he says.

References were made from the euro to the US dollar using the Oanda 1 euro transfer rate to $ 1.13 on May 8, 2025. All amounts are round to the nearest dollar.

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