Door Rob van der Wal
By Rob van der Wal
Rob van der Wal
Rob begon als student-redacteur bij UKrant en is sinds mei 2023 terug als vaste medewerker. Hij schrijft nieuwsberichten, achtergrondartikelen – met een voorkeur voor wetenschap – en houdt zich bezig met internationaliseringszaken. Daarnaast werkt Rob als freelance wetenschapsjournalist. In zijn vrije tijd is hij drummer, radiomaker en moestuinier.Earlier this year, Beijk raising the prices of its soup, sandwiches, and sodas had us wondering: are they really that expensive? UKrant compared the prices of seventeen cafeterias staples – ranging from milk and sandwiches to bananas and salads – to those of eight other Dutch universities, as well as the medical faculty’s cafeteria at UMCG and the one at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
It turned out that several products – soup, fruit, a simple roll with cheese – at the UG are more expensive than at other universities. A cup of ‘fancy’ soup will cost you 2.50 at the UG, while other universities charge anywhere between 1.30 and 2 euros.
Prices for Basic soup
| Radboud University Nijmegen | 1,95 |
| University of Groningen | 1,8 |
| UMCG | 1,5 1 |
| Utrecht University | 1,5 |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | 1,4 3 |
| Hanze UAS | 1,37 |
| VU Amsterdam | 1,3 1 |
| Delft University of Technology | 0,95 |
| Tilburg University | 0,95 2 |
| Maastricht University | 0,85 |
| University of Amsterdam | – |
(1) Only one kind of soup on sale
(2) Large portion, also small for 0.65
(3) Only one kind of soup on sale. Large portion, also small for 0.95
Soup Vectors by Vecteezy
Interestingly enough, a bottle of mineral water is fairly cheap at the UG. Beijk charges 1.20, while other cafeterias charge between 1.50 and 2 euros. However, it must be noted that this is for the off-brand water at the UG. A bottle of Sourcy costs 1.75.
Tilburg University charges remarkably little for fruit. While the UG charges 95 cents for both apples and bananas, Tilburg only wants 55 cents. Maastricht also has cheap vitamins: 65 cents. Rotterdam, which charges 1.05 euro for apples and bananas, is the priciest.
The price of buttermilk varies the most: the UG charges 1.20 for a 250-millilitre carton, while the universities in Utrecht and Tilburg want 1,90 and 2 euros, respectively.
Price of a banana
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | 1,05 |
| Delft University of Technology | 1 |
| University of Groningen | 0,95 |
| University of Amsterdam | 0,95 |
| VU Amsterdam | 0,92 |
| Hanze UAS | 0,89 |
| Radboud University Nijmegen | 0,8 |
| UMCG | 0,71 |
| Utrecht University | 0,71 |
| Maastricht University | 0,65 |
| Tilburg University | 0,55 |
If you want a nice sandwich with fancy toppings, it will cost you 3.75 at the UG. This will get you a big bun with chicken curry, muhammara, or brie. Other universities charge similarly: sandwiches start at 3.50. The most expensive sandwiches, a ham sandwich at the UG, grilled chicken at Maastricht, and mackerel salad at Erasmus Rotterdam, will cost you upwards of 5 euros. The prices aren’t dissimilar to any normal sandwich shop.
But there are cheaper alternatives: Tilburg University only wants 2.75 for an egg salad or steak tartare sandwich, and the VU Amsterdam charges 3.10 for a roll with ham, cheese, and egg. We didn’t compare any of the cheaper sandwiches.
If you’re ever in the neighbourhood of the UMCG, you’d do well to pop in. The medical faculty’s cafeteria at the Antonius Deusinglaan 1 sells cheaper soup than Beijk. All soup is priced at 1.50 as opposed to the UG’s 1.80 or 2.50. Milk, sodas, fruit, and snacks are all also far cheaper at the UMCG.
Price of a glass of milk
| Utrecht University | 2 2 |
| Radboud University Nijmegen | 1,8 |
| Delft University of Technology | 1,8 1 |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | 1,45 |
| University of Groningen | 1,2 |
| Tilburg University | 1,1 |
| University of Amsterdam | 1,05 |
| VU Amsterdam | 0,96 |
| UMCG | 0,94 |
| Maastricht University | 0,8 |
| Hanze UAS | – |
(1) packet of Alpro soya, no cow’s milk for sale
(2) including deposit
Milk Vectors by Vecteezy
But the UMCG also sells more expensive food. Rolls with fancy toppings or salads aren’t necessarily cheaper than at the UG. However, 5.64 will get you a meal-sized salad, while the 4 euros you pay at the UG only gets you a small container that you can fill yourself.
Another interesting thing is that machine coffee at the UMCG is 2 euros, much more expensive than the UG’s coffee (1.25) and even more expensive than the UMCG’s own freshly brewed coffee, which costs 1.95. That makes it the most expensive machine coffee out of all the cafeterias we compared. The most expensive fresh coffee can be found at the Delft University of Technology. Their coffee bar charges 2.30.
If you’re at Zernike, going to the Hanze won’t save you from having to spend a pretty penny: the only thing even remotely cheaper is the salad, which costs 3.23 euros at the university of applied sciences and 4 euros at Beijk. The rest of their range is similar in price – the Hanze charges 2.47 euros for soup – or even more expensive.
Beijk doesn’t sell warm meals in every cafeteria. Many other universities do, in part because of their international students. The type and price vary both within and between universities, making them hard to compare.
Price of a full meal
| Utrecht University | 10.7 |
| Hanze UAS | 10.15 |
| University of Groningen | 9.95 |
| Radboud University Nijmegen | 9.7 |
| Maastricht University | 9.68 |
| Tilburg University | 9.5 |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | 9.47 |
| UMCG | 8.83 |
| Delft University of Technology | 8.75 |
| University of Amsterdam | 8.3 |
| VU Amsterdam | 7.49 |
We decided to put together our own (cold) meal and compare that across institutes. UKrant compared prices for a fictitious meal consisting of a cup of soup, sandwich, an apple, and a soda. At 9.95, the UG is the second most expensive university, topped only by Utrecht University (10,70). It’s important to note, however, that the quantity of the soup varies across universities, and not every sandwich has the same type or number of toppings. We therefore calculated the mean of all the sandwiches for each cafeteria.
In this comparison, the cheapest cafeteria can be found at the VU Amsterdam. The above meal will only cost you 7.49. Interestingly enough, the VU cafeteria is run by Eurest, the same catering company that runs the cafeteria in Utrecht, which we’ve determined is the most expensive one.
Back in Groningen, the UG is not actually the most expensive institute. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences charges a total of 10,17 for the meal. At the UMCG, it’s cheaper by more than a euro, costing 8.83. So if you work or study near the hospital, it might be worth taking a little walk.