Living in Lithuania

Sukurta: 04 April 2019

Cost of living

Be realistic while planning your expenses during your stay in Lithuania - it is essential that you have enough money for the whole duration of your study period!

The likely monthly living costs are provided below. These costs are based on a student who lives in Vilnius or Kaunas and has no dependents. Tuition fees, residence permit expenses and trips to your home country are not included.

The estimated cost of living per month:

Accommodation at VU dormitories	> EUR 44–174
Food	> EUR 175
Materials for studies (stationery, textbooks, printing and photocopying, other materials)	> EUR 43
Social/leisure (~6 EUR for a movie ticket + 25 EUR for other activities like theatre)	> EUR 31
Public transport (with student discount)	> EUR 5.80
Personal care (hygiene, medicine, haircut)	> EUR 35
Other	> EUR 60
TOTAL	> EUR ~458.80

It may seem that living in Lithuania can be quite expensive but there are few ways to ensure yourself a good living (although please keep in mind that you must be able to maintain financial stability during the whole study period even without these options). The first option for you would be to get a student loan (if you are an EU student) or get a scholarship. The other option for you would be to get a part-time job.

Public transport

Public transport is the cheapest way to travel around Vilnius and Kaunas (and it is good for the environment too!).

Public transport in Vilnius

Trolleybuses and buses start running at 5:00 in the morning and stop running at midnight. There are as well night buses that run overnight. The timetables can be found on the official Vilnius Public Transport website http://www.vilniustransport.lt/en/ or on mobile applications such as “m.Ticket” or “Trafi”. The apps are easy to use and give the most accurate timetables so they are highly recommended for you.

There are two ways to buy your tickets for public transport:

> Buying a paper ticket from the driver onboard (currently unavailable in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection).

This option is recommended when you do not use public transport as often and are likely to have your mobile device off during your travelling. The price for students is 0.50 EUR – it is only applied when the students have their LSIC (LP) card with them (the full cost is 1,00 EUR). Remember to mark the ticket after you purchase it from the driver! Keep in mind that only tickets purchased from the driver are valid for night buses.

> Buying an e-ticket

You could use e-ticket which is already integrated into your LSIC (LSP) or purchase a public transport card “Vilniečio kortelė” for 1,50 EUR. You can as well buy your tickets on the previously mentioned apps “m.Ticket” and “Trafi”. Buying an e-ticket is cheaper and more convenient.

Students get a discount for public transport if they have their LSIC (LSP) card with them. These are the prices for public transport in Vilnius (when using e-ticket):

Types of tickets		Regular price (EUR)	With the student discount (EUR)
30 minute e-ticket	Trafi, m.Ticket or Vilniečio kortelė /LSIC (LSP)	0,65	0,33
60 minute e-ticket		0,90	0,45
1 day (24h) e-ticket		5,00	2,50
30 days e-ticket		29,00	5,80
90 days e-ticket	Vilniečio kortelė /LSIC (LSP)	72,00	14,40
Single one journey ticket in paper form (purchased from the bus driver)		1,00	0,50

Remember to activate your e-ticket when using the transport services, otherwise, you will be charged a fixed amount. E-ticket readers are available onboard of public vehicle.

You may buy the “Vilniečio kortelė” card or top-up your LSIC at the newspaper stands or in the places marked by the special sign “Vilniaus viešasis transportas” (VVT) (Vilnius Public Transport). In order to do that you need to give it to the seller at any point of sale and accurately specify what type of tickets you would like to purchase. You must always have your card when getting on the means of transport.

More important information regarding getting around in Vilnius could be found HERE.

Public transport in Kaunas

Trolleybuses and buses start running at 6:30 in the morning and stop running at 22:00 in the evening. There are as well night buses on weekends and festive days. The timetables can be found on the website www.stops.lt/kaunas/#kaunas/en or on mobile applications such as “Trafi”. It is easy to use and gives the most accurate timetables so we would highly recommend it for you.

There are two ways to buy your tickets for public transport:

> Buying an e-ticket

You could use e-ticket which is already integrated into your LSIC (LSP) or you purchase a public transport card “Kauno kortelė” for 1,50 EUR (highly recommended). Buying an e-ticket has a lot more advantages because it is a lot cheaper and convenient.

> Buying a paper ticket from the driver on board

This option is only recommended when you do not use public transport as often and are likely to have your mobile device off during your travelling. You do not need to mark the ticket. Keep in mind that for night buses only valid tickets purchased from the driver.

Remember to activate your e-ticket when using the transport services, otherwise, you will be charged a fixed amount. E-ticket readers are available onboard of public vehicle.

You may buy and top-up the card “Kauno kortelė“ at the newspaper stands or in the places marked by the special sign “Kauno Viešasis Transportas” (KVT) (Kaunas Public Transport). You must always have your card when getting on the means of transport.

Telephone

For those who want to use a mobile phone in Lithuania may choose between three mobile phone companies: Telia, Tele2 or Bite. It is much cheaper to use a pre-paid card of one of these companies than to use the services of your home country.

You could get the pre-paid card in most of the grocery stores or the specialized company shops. There you could also get information on the best ways to use your card. Please find the addresses of subdivisions of these companies by following the provided links.

Here you can find information that is important before your arrival to studies.