Student housing in Greece: rents are rising, options under €300 have almost disappeared

Search student housing in Greece it is becoming increasingly difficult: rent is rising in Athens, Thessaloniki and the regions, and options up to €300 have almost disappeared from the market.

The search for student housing in Greece before the new academic year is once again turning into a race for survival. Small apartments are becoming more expensive, there are fewer affordable options, and budget apartments up to €300 per month in large cities have practically disappeared.

According to the Panhellenic Network E-Real Estatesasking rents for student housing in 2026 continue to rise. In Attica the average increase is around 7% by 2025, in Thessaloniki – about 9%in 21 student cities of the periphery – also about 7%. In Patras the growth is estimated at approximately 5–6%.

The main problem is no longer only the price, but the disappearance of available options. Apartments up to 50 sq.m. with rent up to €300 per month have almost disappeared from advertisements. That is, formally there is a market, but for a student with an ordinary family budget it is increasingly looking like a museum: you can look, but you cannot live.

Athens: there are almost no cheap options left

In the center of Athens the situation is particularly harsh. Among the available apartments with an area of ​​up to 50 sq.m. already 70.1% are offered with rent over €500 per month. Another 13.1% are in the €451–500 range. Options up to €300 are only 0.2%.

This means that almost the entire market of small apartments in the center of the capital has gone above the psychological limit of €400–500. For a family that sends a child to study in Athens, rent is increasingly becoming not a separate expense item, but a second mortgage, only without owning an apartment. A great market innovation, just like the chart people love.

Options are even more limited for those expecting rents of up to €300. In the center of Athens there are 0.2% of such options left, in Piraeus – 0.29%, in Thessaloniki – 2.56%. In the southern and northern suburbs of Attica, availability in this category is virtually zero.

Earlier, Athens News wrote that student housing in Greece has been rising in price for several years now, and the search for an apartment for first-year students increasingly begins immediately after the announcement of exam results. Searching for student housing in Greece: instructions and recommendations.

Attica: the market goes above €400

The same trend is visible outside the center. In the western suburbs, almost 9 out of 10 available apartments are up to 50 sq.m. cost more than €400. In Piraeus, more than 73% of offers already exceed €500. For an area that until recently was perceived as a more affordable alternative to the center of Athens, this is a very encouraging demonstration of how quickly the market can ruin people’s plans.

In the northern and southern suburbs the situation is even more complicated: cheap student apartments there have practically disappeared. Options up to €300 are not fixed, and housing up to 50 sq.m. in most cases it costs above €500.

The general increase in housing costs in Attica is not only due to student demand. The market is being pressured by tourism, short-term rentals, investment purchases and a general shortage of affordable apartments. The Athens News explored this background in detail in an article that housing prices in Greece have increased by about 85% since 2016. IMF: housing prices in Greece have risen by 85% since 2016.

Thessaloniki and regions: only hope is getting cheaper

In Thessaloniki 80.18% available apartments up to 50 sq.m. are offered for more than €400 per month. In 2025, this figure was 69.96%. More than 44% of offers are already above €500.

In the regions, rent is also growing. The increases are especially noticeable in apartments with an area of ​​30–45 sq.m. In Patras, on the contrary, the prices for the smallest properties – up to 25 sq.m., are increasing more, because they remain the main choice for students with a limited budget.

It is especially difficult for students in tourist cities and islands. In Chania, Rethymno, Kerkyra, Rhodes and Chios, the student rental market competes with short-term tourist rentals. As a result, many owners either prefer more expensive seasonal schemes or rent out housing to students only for the academic year, leaving the summer for tourists.

Athens News wrote separately about the impact of short-term rentals on the housing crisis: Airbnb: new procedure for issuing permission to rent out apartments.

What can you find under €300

With a budget of up to €300 per month, the available options, according to the study, are mainly limited to very small apartments of up to 20 sq.m. or unrenovated objects up to 25 sq.m. And even such proposals are few.

In practice, this means that the student’s family must either increase their budget, look for housing further away from the university, or consider renting together. The third option is becoming increasingly popular, although it turns student life into a small dormitory with a lease agreement and disputes over who didn’t take out the trash again. Progress as it is.

Why student housing is becoming more expensive

The growth in rent is due to several factors. Firstly, the supply of small apartments is limited. Secondly, part of the housing goes into short-term rental. Thirdly, owners focus on the general increase in real estate prices and try to shift repairs, taxes and expectations of future profits onto tenants.

The fact that demand for student housing arises sharply and in one period – after the announcement of admission results – also plays a role. Parents and students start looking for an apartment at the same time, and the owners are well aware that time is against the tenant.

Previously, Athens News published material about how the number of available apartments for students has sharply decreased and why finding housing has become “not a task for the faint of heart.” Finding student housing is not for the faint of heart.

What should parents and students do?

Market experts advise not to delay your search and check in advance not only the price, but also the total cost of living: utility bills, heating condition, transportation costs, Internet, availability of furniture and rental period.

It is especially important to read the contract carefully. In Greece, it is not uncommon for landlords to only offer 9-10 month rentals to students, especially in tourist areas. This is convenient for an owner who wants to rent out an apartment to tourists in the summer, but can become a problem for a student who needs stable housing.

Athens News also examined how tenants in Greece can be caught using hidden clauses in the contract and why it is necessary to check the terms, costs and conditions of termination before signing. Lease agreement in Greece: how a tenant is caught using hidden clauses.

Main conclusion

Student housing in Greece has ceased to be a separate affordable market category. It is increasingly subject to the general logic of the housing crisis: few small apartments, high demand, pressure from short-term rentals and owners who focus not on the student budget, but on the maximum price.

For parents, this means one thing: the cost of a child’s education now starts not with textbooks and transportation, but with rent. And if previously a student apartment was a modest start to independent life, now it is increasingly becoming the first serious financial test for the whole family.

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