Colby Gray, 24, grew up in a very rural and conservative community in San Luis Obispo, California. It wasn't until he moved up to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz that he had walked so far for the first time.

This is the beginning of Gray's new life-he doesn't know yet.

"Not many people in my town have passports. You haven't really traveled a lot, nor went to school," Gray told CNBC. "I was one of the people who went further and then when I went abroad to study, I was one of the first people to leave the country."

Gray lived on campus as a freshman started, but the shared 19th-day pandemic completely ruined his time there. By the second semester, Gray was forced to move for about a year. It was during this time that Grey explored studying abroad at San Luis Obispo.

Gray studied in Copenhagen for six months. That time has come, and he doesn't want to go back to Santa Cruz.

“The pandemic is in very good shape in (Denmark) and the vaccination rate is very high,” he said. “I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to do more.”

Gray completed a semester at sea and finally returned to California.

“When I returned to Santa Cruz, it was a real backcultural shock to me,” he said. “There was no housing there. The city was really not built for students.”

Back in Santa Cruz, Gray lives outside the campus of a two-bedroom apartment with three other roommates and is studying abroad with a consultant. According to documents reviewed by CNBC, Gray's rental share is $1,340 per month.

"I pay more than I pay abroad. I told myself that I can never do it again," Gray said. "I know (after completing it with an undergraduate, I will apply for a master's degree in Belgium."

Gray said his main motivation for wanting to leave the United States was that urban life there never resonated with him—he hated driving.

"That's one of the things I love to live in Europe, and I never felt like I needed a car to live," he said.

Gray was also unhappy with the quality of his education he received at UC Santa Cruz, mainly due to the expenses. During the 2024-2025 school year, the average cost of state students on campus is $44,160. Gray's course was cancelled for more than half a semester and he still had to pay for the whole thing.

“Even with a lot of federal and state funding, I don’t seem to get what I’m paying for,” Gray said. “I knew there had to be a better system and a better educational approach. Through my study abroad job, I realized that I could get a visa for one-sixth of the price and study as an international student.”

“I want to continue my education, but I want to use it as a way to live.”

Gray decided to earn his master's degree and considered plans in the UK, such as at the University of Cambridge, Oxford and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, but he could not justify the fee.

This leads to gray to Belgium Lunan This seems to be a perfect choice. The construction of Leuven is a "15-minute city", a concept of urban planning, where most daily necessities (such as shopping, health care, etc.) can be reached on a 15-minute walk or on a bicycle ride. The concept is gaining attention in other Belgian cities such as Brussels and Mechelen and exists in major cities such as Paris, France, Barcelona, ​​Spain and Melbourne, Australia.

In Leuven, cars are prohibited in the city center, which is easy (encouraging) to ride a bicycle.

"I fell in love with it and I also like the location of Belgium, so I can travel, too." He said that during the three-hour train trip, I had four different countries around me, which was very unique. ”

Ku Leuven University in Belgium offers a program for students seeking degrees called a search license. This license allows students or researchers to obtain a master's degree only from one university in the country and can work without restrictions. This is a one-year program with tuition fees of about €3,800 per year, or $4,310 per year.

"As a student, there is no better cost of living. There is no better economy in Europe. There is no reason to be debt here, so at this stage of my life, it makes sense."

Grey arrived in Belgium with two checked bags and a backpack and moved into the four-bedroom house with three others. He pays €500 or $567 a month for rent: "Great. I mean I'm going to pay a third of the price to get my own room."

He immediately set out to build a life in Leuven.

"When I first came here, it was intimidating. I knew I had no friends here and I was totally alone," he said. "I think it was the first time in my life that I felt like that. I really worked hard to make friends and make community here."

Gray graduated last summer and moved about 10 minutes of a bike outside the city. He pays 420 euros a month for rent, including utilities. His current housing also provides some toiletries and some food.

Grey's additional monthly fee includes a €236 grocery store, €154 dining out, €11 health insurance and medical treatment, €48 transport euro, €50 gym, €30 fitness euro, €30 fitness euro, €30 visa fee €20, €20 clothing and €10 order. Including his rent, Gray's total monthly fee is about 998 euros or $1,132 per month.

Gray lived in Belgium for nearly two years and said he loved the work-life balance he was able to find there.

“The community feels so strong here, and the balance between my work and family life is excellent,” he said. “The pace of life here is slower and really beautiful.”

Since its first visit to Europe in 2021 and relocated in 2023, Gray has traveled to 20 different countries. His family and friends were also here.

In 2024, Gray's family came to Belgium and they went to Tuscany. It was his first time returning to the United States in December.

Gray has seven months left to search the license and he is considering the next step, which could include a second master's degree and interns in Brussels or Portugal.

One thing Gray does know is that he is not ready to return to the United States.

"Living in America, I feel like I have a ticking clock inside, I have to go into the labor force, get the house, have a family, I think now I'm slowing down a little, just smelling the roses," he said.

The conversion rate from Oanda to USD was made from 1 Euro to 1.13 USD on May 8, 2025. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

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