Singapore.

Campus life is lively, and the real social ritual is eating: friends gather over supper at hawker centres and late-night kopitiams. Nightlife runs from Clarke Quay's clubs to craft-beer bars in Tiong Bahru and rooftop spots by Marina Bay, though alcohol is pricey. Weekends mean island trips, East Coast Park or a hop across to Malaysia.

• Gather with friends over supper at a hawker centre like Old Airport Road or Maxwell
• Head to Clarke Quay for clubs, or Tiong Bahru and Haji Lane for a more relaxed night
• Ask the Singapore Studcasa group about exchange meet-ups and the cheap weekend flights people are booking

Singapore is the priciest city on this list, with a realistic student budget of €1,000–1,800 a month, driven mostly by rent and alcohol. The saving grace is hawker food, where a full meal costs three or four euros. Transport is cheap and efficient, and there's no need or expectation to tip.

• Eat at hawker centres, where a plate of chicken rice or laksa costs around S$4–6
• A room in an HDB flat runs roughly S$800–1,500 a month, the biggest single cost; university halls are far cheaper, roughly S$400–1,000
• Use an EZ-Link or contactless card for cheap MRT and bus fares across the island

Rent is the budget-buster. Most students rent a room in a government-built HDB flat or in a condo, ideally near their campus or an MRT line. University halls are limited and competitive, so start early, and be aware that many rooms come partly furnished with house rules attached.

• Search PropertyGuru, 99.co and Facebook groups for HDB and condo room rentals
• Look near your campus or any MRT station, since transport shapes everything here
• Ask in the Singapore Studcasa group, as outgoing exchange students often pass on rooms and deposits

The MRT metro is fast, cheap, air-conditioned and reaches almost everywhere, backed by an extensive bus network, all paid by tapping a contactless bank card or an EZ-Link. Grab covers ride-hailing when you need a car. With transport this good and car ownership astronomically expensive, you'll never want to drive.

• Tap a contactless card or EZ-Link on the MRT and buses, with no tickets to buy
• Use the Grab app for taxis and food delivery
• Download the Citymapper or MyTransport.SG app for live routes across the island

Singapore's heavyweights are the National University of Singapore (NUS) at Kent Ridge and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in the west, joined by the city-centre Singapore Management University (SMU) and the design-focused SUTD. Standards and workloads are high. Semesters run roughly August to December and January to May.

• NUS and NTU are large, research-heavy campuses, while SMU sits right in the city centre
• Expect a demanding workload and continuous assessment, so plan your term carefully

If you're enrolled full-time for a semester, you'll need a Student's Pass. The good news: your host university (NUS, NTU or SMU) applies for it on your behalf through ICA's SOLAR system before you arrive, so you're not navigating it alone. You register the application, pay the fees, and get an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter that lets you enter the country.

After you land you complete the formalities - usually a medical check and biometrics - and collect the physical Student's Pass card. Whether you also need a separate entry visa on top depends on your nationality (most Europeans don't; some nationalities do), so check ICA's list early. Don't overstay and don't work without permission: Singapore enforces its rules hard.

• Student's Pass required for a full semester - your uni applies via SOLAR/ICA
• Get your IPA approval letter before you fly
• Medical check and biometrics after arrival to collect the card
• Whether you need an entry visa too depends on nationality - check ICA's list

Food is the national obsession, and hawker centres are its temple, serving Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow, laksa, chilli crab, satay and roti prata, all cheap and superb. The city blends Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cultures, reflected in its festivals and neighbourhoods. Tap water is safe, and the durian ban on the MRT is real.

• Work through the hawker classics at Maxwell, Lau Pa Sat or Old Airport Road food centres
• Explore Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam for their food, temples and shops
• Start the day with a kaya toast and kopi breakfast set at a traditional kopitiam

Clementi and Dover suit NUS students, while Jurong and Boon Lay are handy for NTU. Bras Basah and Bugis surround SMU in the centre, Tiong Bahru is the hip café district, Holland Village is a relaxed expat favourite, and Katong or Joo Chiat offer colourful Peranakan streets.

• Clementi or Dover for NUS, and Jurong or Boon Lay for NTU
• Tiong Bahru or Holland Village for cafés and a younger crowd
• Bugis and Bras Basah for a central base near SMU and nightlife

Changi Airport and cheap carriers make Singapore an unbeatable base. Johor Bahru in Malaysia is a short hop over the causeway for cheaper food and shopping, the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan are an hour by ferry, and budget flights reach Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Bangkok and Phuket in a few hours.

• Cross the causeway to Johor Bahru for a cheap day of food and shopping
• Ferry to Batam or Bintan in Indonesia for beaches, about an hour away
• Book budget flights on Scoot or AirAsia from Changi to Bali, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur

Budget hard for rent and nights out, then eat like a local at hawker centres to balance it. Respect the strict laws, as fines for littering, jaywalking, eating on the MRT or bringing durian aboard are enforced. Carry a light layer for aggressive air-conditioning, and stay hydrated in the year-round humidity.

• Do your drinking at happy hours or bring your own, as bar alcohol is punishingly expensive
• Mind the rules: no eating or durian on the MRT, and no jaywalking or littering
• Pack a light jumper for over-cooled malls and lecture halls, and drink plenty of water