Limoges is one of the most affordable student cities in France. Here are the main points to keep in mind before you move:
- ✓17,500 students for 130,000 inhabitants: a human-sized city.
- ✓2nd most affordable city in France for students, right behind Pau.
- ✓Studio apartments (T1) between €350 and €500 depending on the area, 1-bedroom apartments (T2) between €500 and €550.
- ✓€1 CROUS meals for all students since May 2026.
- ✓Free buses on weekends since July 2025.
- ✓9 main study hubs less than 20 minutes by bus from the center.
Located 3 hours from Paris by train and 2.5 hours from Bordeaux, Limoges welcomes 17,500 students for 130,000 inhabitants, meaning more than one in ten locals is a student. As the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne region and the second cheapest city in France for students (after Pau) according to L’Etudiant, the municipality ticks all the boxes for an accessible student life: a relaxed rental market, close-knit campuses, and cheap public transportation.
Here is an overview of the living conditions, academic programs, neighborhoods, and the best housing tips.
Limoges User Guide: A city you can cross on foot
The historic center can be crossed in fifteen minutes. The Bénédictins train station connects to Paris in 3 hours, Bordeaux in 2.5 hours, and Toulouse in 3 hours via the A20 highway. And all the city’s study hubs are less than twenty minutes by bus from the very center.
It is this geographical concentration that changes everything on a daily basis: no commuter trains to catch one after another, no housing chosen 45 minutes away from campus, and no transportation budget draining your monthly finances.
Walking, bus, and cycling: the trio that lowers your budget
Regarding transportation, the STCL network offers one of the lowest student rates (under 26) in France: €20 per month, €95 per year. Weekends have been free for everyone since July 2025, and a single ticket is capped at €1.50. For short trips, 655 V’Lim bikes available for long-term rental complete the offer at €1 per month at a reduced rate.
€20
monthly student bus pass.
€95
annual student bus pass.
€1
reduced rate per month for a V’Lim bike.
Studying in Limoges: from medicine to art ceramics
The University of Limoges, public and multidisciplinary, gathers the majority of the city’s students across five faculties and four study hubs. Around it, two engineering schools, several specialized institutes, and a higher school of art complete the landscape. The academic offering covers almost all major fields, from medicine to applied arts.
The five faculties of the University of Limoges
Two engineering schools and several specialized institutes
Public school, 860 students. Industrial ceramics, photonics, water engineering, mechatronics, materials, electronics, civil engineering.
Private school, 500 students in digital technologies and computer science.
Thirteen Bachelor’s degrees in Technology (BUT), André Maurois alley.
University School of Management, starting from the 3rd year of a Bachelor’s degree.
Preparation for civil service exams.
Teacher training.
Occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy.
Higher school of art. Ceramics, object design, contemporary art.
Limoges’ ENSA is one of the seven public higher schools of art in France to offer a curriculum entirely dedicated to art ceramics. This is a direct legacy of the porcelain factories that made Limoges world-famous, today recognized as a UNESCO Creative City for its ceramic craftsmanship.
Student life in Limoges: sports, culture, and nature
Studying in Limoges also means enjoying a city that is fully lived in. Student associations gather dozens of clubs and collectives, the cultural scene rivals much larger cities, and the Limousin region spreads its beautiful landscapes twenty minutes from the center.
The cost of student life in Limoges: why it really makes a difference
Limoges ranks second in the barometer of the most affordable cities in France, behind Pau and ahead of Poitiers. Three concrete levers explain this ranking.
In Limoges, with free weekends and the €1 CROUS meal, you can easily manage your monthly budget for about €80 in university meals. This represents nearly €1,200 in annual savings compared to the French average. For students under 26, the annual bus pass is only €95 (or €20 a month), drastically cutting down your transportation budget.
Eating is no longer a heavy burden
Since May 2026, the CROUS offers meals for €1 to everyone, regardless of income: enough to get through the week for about sixty euros.
Getting around costs little
Buses have been free for everyone on weekends since July 2025, and V’Lim bikes can be rented for €1 a month (or €10 a year) at a reduced rate.
Going out remains affordable
The bars around the covered market have moderate prices, the Zénith and the Grand Théâtre de l’Opéra offer an entire season at student prices, and Lake Saint-Pardoux remains accessible for free for a swim or a mountain bike ride.
Few student cities offer such a balance between budget and quality of life.
Student neighborhoods in Limoges
Five areas structure student life in Limoges. Each with its profile, its rent prices, and its distance from study hubs. Here is how to choose between them.
| Neighborhood | Commute to center | Student profile | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historic center | On-site, walking | Law, IAE, humanities | Pedestrian, bars, markets |
| Carnot-Marceau | 10 min walk | All fields | Residential, near train station |
| Vanteaux | 15 min by bus | Humanities, Social Sci, ILFOMER, ENSA | Quiet, green |
| Marcland / Beaublanc | 10 min by bus | Medicine, pharmacy | Near Univ. Hospital (CHU) |
| La Borie / Ester | 20 min by bus | Sciences, engineering | Technopole |
To start your search, Carnot-Marceau remains the most balanced area: a ten-minute walk from the train station, with rents 10 to 15% lower than those in the very center, and markets, food halls, and buses nearby. For a denser nightlife, the historic center wins. To study sciences or medicine, it is better to get closer to the respective hubs to save daily commute time.
Finding student housing in Limoges: three options
The rental market in Limoges remains relaxed, far from the pressures of Paris or Bordeaux. However, the best places go fast: aim to search between May and June for a September start. Three types of housing share the offer, with very different profiles.
The student residence
Private student residences offer a furnished studio, internet, laundry facilities, a gym, and coworking spaces included. The entry ticket is around €500, all-inclusive. This is the simplest option for moving in for the first time.
Standard rental
The private real estate market offers studios and small apartments in old or renovated buildings. The offer is more varied but requires more daily management.
Student shared housing
Nearly a quarter of students in Limoges choose shared housing. 2- or 3-bedroom apartments (T3 and T4) are rented by the room, around €350 including charges, which allows you to live in a larger apartment at a lower cost.
Twenty Campus Limoges Rectorat: settle in the city center
Twenty Campus Limoges Rectorat Residence
If you are looking for student housing near the Limoges law faculty or a student residence right in the city center, Twenty Campus Limoges Rectorat is ideal.
Located at 1 rue Eugène Jamot, the residence puts the law faculty, IAE, the Turgot site, and the IUT a maximum of fifteen minutes away, all accessible on foot or via the bus stop less than 300 meters away. This means you can forget about waking up at 6 AM to chase after a bus.
Apartment amenities
Each studio is rented furnished and ready to live in. An equipped kitchenette with a stovetop, fridge, and microwave, a bathroom with a toilet, a desk area for studying, a 120×200 bed, and roller shutters in the bedroom, plus unlimited Wi-Fi everywhere. Water, heating, and electricity are included in the charges: no subscriptions to take out when you arrive, no bills to manage during the year.
Services that change daily life
The spacious cafeteria has a terrace, an ideal place to meet with friends or grab a quick meal. The gym and the coworking space remain accessible seven days a week. A laundry room is available on-site to make washing clothes and daily life more practical, packages are received during the day, and a secure bike room awaits two-wheelers. Video surveillance, badge entry, and an on-site manager complete the security setup.
The application file is submitted online, directly on the Twenty Campus website.
FAQ – Student housing and life in Limoges
Limoges, a student city: the right calculation
Limoges combines a comprehensive educational offering, a cost of living among the lowest in the country, and a city you can walk across. Affordable rents, free buses on weekends, university catering for €1 since May 2026: all material conditions are met so you can focus on what matters most: your studies and student life.
Moving to Limoges for the 2026 academic year
Twenty Campus Limoges Rectorat is opening its applications online. A few minutes are all you need to submit a file, with a spot right in the city center at stake.
