study in Daugavpils
Latvia's second city, in the far south-east — the cheapest place to study in the country, with a small regional university and a distinctly different character.
Daugavpils sits near the Belarusian and Lithuanian borders and is Latvia's second-largest city. Daugavpils University is a small regional institution covering humanities, sciences and education, with limited English-taught provision compared with Riga.
The city is culturally distinct from the rest of Latvia: it has a large Russian-speaking population and a nineteenth-century fortress that is one of the best-preserved in northern Europe. Living costs are the lowest in the country.
The honest framing is that this is a narrow option. The programme choice is limited and the local job market is very small, so it suits a student whose specific programme is here and whose priority is cost.
One small regional university.
Daugavpils University
Humanities, natural sciences, education and social sciences, with limited English-taught provision.Daugavpils is the cheapest place to be a student in Latvia by a clear margin. What that buys, and what it costs you, is straightforward: less choice, a smaller market, and a long way from Riga.
Against the other cities we cover in Latvia, Daugavpils is one of the cheaper. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
Living costs across Latvia run roughly €350–850 a month — with Riga at the upper end and dormitories far below the private market anywhere.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
More continental than the coast — colder winters than Riga, and the same long Baltic darkness.
Getting around
A small, walkable city with trams. Riga is about three hours away by train or bus.
Housing
The cheapest in Latvia, with student accommodation available and a very low private market.
Working
The national twenty hours applies, but the local market is small and Russian or Latvian speaking.
Language
Russian is widely spoken alongside Latvian — the city is culturally distinct from the rest of the country in this respect.
Scale
Small and quiet, with a remarkable fortress and a Mark Rothko art centre — he was born here.
Living costs across Latvia run roughly €350–850 a month, and Daugavpils sits firmly at the bottom of that range.
What the saving does not change: the residence permit, the subsistence figure and the twenty-hour work right are all national — no Latvian city changes any of them
The cost saving here is real and the national rules are unaffected — your permit, your subsistence requirement and your work rights are identical to a student in Riga. What is different is choice: a small university with limited English-taught provision, three hours from the capital, in a very small local economy. Choose it because a specific programme you want is here, not because it is cheap — the difference against Riga is not large enough to outweigh studying the wrong subject.
Daugavpils is one of 3 cities we cover in Latvia. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.