Lisbon student housing crisis: room rents exceed €500 as supply lags behind rising demand

September marks the start of the new academic year, bringing challenges for thousands of Portuguese students. For those entering higher education, one of the toughest begins immediately: finding accommodation.

According to DGES data, 49,991 students were placed in the first phase of the National Access Competition for Higher Education, 6,092 more than the previous year, a 13.9 % increase.

Within this group, thousands must leave their parents’ home to study in another city. The figures confirm the trend: Idealista reports demand for rooms rose 27 % in Q2 2026.

Beja saw the sharpest surge, up 160 % year‑on‑year; Coimbra rose 120 % and Porto 104 %, two of the largest markets where demand more than doubled. The portal also notes very significant increases in Évora, Viseu and Bragança.

Lisbon recorded a 17 % rise in demand for rooms to rent.

Setúbal, Vila Real, Faro, Braga, Castelo Branco and Portalegre were the only cities where demand fell versus the previous year.

Demand grew but supply did not keep pace: Idealista says the number of rooms on the market dropped 11 %.

“Porto (−43 %) and Coimbra (−48 %) experienced the largest contractions in supply — precisely the markets where demand more than doubled — which is increasing pressure on prices in these cities,” the platform stated.

Évora, Lisbon and Leiria also saw supply decline.

Demand rises but prices remain relatively stable

According to the platform, “room rents increased in 13 of the 20 municipalities analysed”, with the biggest rises in Funchal and Vila Real.

For those coming to Lisbon to study, the challenge goes beyond simply finding a room: the Portuguese capital remains the country’s most expensive city for room rentals, with median prices around €550 per month.

Next are Funchal at €500, Porto at €450, Ponta Delgada at €430, and Faro rounding out the top five at €420.

Rooms costing up to €300 can be found only in Leiria, Vila Real, Beja, Viseu, Castelo Branco and Portalegre. Guarda and Bragança are the most affordable, at €210 and €220 respectively.

By comparison, the August report from the Student Housing Observatory (source in Portuguese) indicated that renting a room in Lisbon averaged €500 last year, with a peak of €722. The same report showed the national average room rent was €416.

Students are not the only ones renting rooms

Although university students are a main driver of the rental market, the country’s current reality means they are not the only ones seeking rooms.

With rents rising and home‑buying becoming harder, this tough equation is also pushing up demand for rooms among the wider population, especially young people of working age.

“The data published in this analysis show that room rental is not a housing option only for students, but is also becoming the choice of young people in their first years in the labour market and, in some cases, later,” the statement reads.

“The current reality of the Portuguese rental market in major cities means that many single or divorced people cannot afford a whole home, making a room rental the most advantageous — and often the only — option.”

Student residences cannot keep up with demand

Renting a room on the private market is one option for those starting their studies, but there are also public and private student residences, although they are too few to meet demand.

The latest PBSA report by CBRE shows there are 27,700 beds in public and private student residences. Last academic year 147,000 Portuguese students lived away from home, plus 80,000 foreign students, indicating a shortfall of more than 100,000 beds.

In June 2026 the National Plan for Accommodation in Higher Education (PNAES) estimated the supply of accommodation for higher education students at 17,974 beds in residences belonging to public higher education institutions (source in Portuguese).

To help young people now starting their search for a room, DECO Proteste has launched a platform (source in Portuguese) that allows students to find accommodation offered by higher education institutions and to see which municipalities provide student accommodation or support programmes for students living away from home.

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