I made a student cost-of-living estimate. What expenses did you underestimate before moving abroad?

I’m working on a small cost-of-living checklist for international students and wanted to sanity-check the categories with people who have actually moved abroad for school.

The goal is to separate tuition from monthly living costs before choosing a city or signing a lease.

For anyone who has already moved abroad: what expense did you underestimate the most?

I’m especially curious about:

- housing deposit

- temporary housing

- health insurance

- phone plan

- public transport

- groceries

- bedding and kitchen supplies

- bank fees

- winter clothing

- first-month setup costs

I’m just looking for practical examples from people who have gone through this, so I can make the checklist more realistic before I keep building it.