Student apartments are becoming a very attractive asset for investors, as seen in the price increase in the market. Only Barcelona contains the prices of rooms for university students compared to last year, according to a study by the consultancy specialized in these rentals Live4Life, with an average of 600 euros both at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year and in the current 2026-2027 year.
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However, in Madrid prices grow by 12%, from the 550 euros recorded on average by the consultancy last year to 617 euros this year. The average price in Spain is thus set at 430 euros.
More discreet but also important are the increases experienced by this type of accommodation in Valencia, 9.5%, up to 437 euros; Alicante, the city that increased the most last year and which this year again raises its prices by 6.5%, up to 362 euros; or Seville, where these rooms have increased by 2%, up to 358 euros.
In Madrid prices grow by 12%, up to 617 euros this year.
The lack of housing supply in the rental market continues to weigh down the sector and drive prices up, point out the consultancy. “More housing is still needed, less market intervention and greater security for owners so that they put their homes on the student rental market,” demands Alberto Añaños, CEO of Live4Life.
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These increases contrast with the price drops being recorded in Europe. While prices rise in Spain, cities like Brussels or Bologna saw their prices fall by 7.7% and 4.6% respectively, according to the specialized platform HousingAnywhere. In Amsterdam, however, sharing an apartment remains very expensive, with an average of 1,073 euros per month, according to the same source.
European cities like Brussels or Bologna are lowering their prices
Prices rise and so does demand. Data from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities indicate that, in the last five years, university students enrolling in a province or country different from their family home have increased by 26% in Spain, up to 523,300 students. On the other hand, there are barely 132,000 places in university colleges and residences, which forces these students to look for shared apartments, much less affordable.
In this regard, the Government approved on July 28 in the Council of Ministers the urgent administrative processing of the draft Royal Decree for the direct granting of subsidies in university accommodation during the 2026 budget year. It will promote that between six and 10 public universities build, with co-financing from the State, accommodation for students and visiting researchers at affordable prices. The project, forged among three ministries since 2024, is structured through a decree of direct aid endowed with 45 million euros.
