Coliving and student housing benchmarks in Europe, 2026
The median furnished room in 25 European cities rented for €635 a month in Q3 2026, up 1% on a year earlier, and the median studio for €1,100, down 3.7%, according to HousingAnywhere's Rent Index (14 October 2026). Student beds remain scarce: JLL puts the provision rate of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) at 15% of students in continental Europe and 32% in the UK, and Bonard measured average European PBSA occupancy at 98% in 2024.
This page gathers coliving and student housing benchmarks for Europe in 2026, each with publisher, link and date. "Vivin's calculation" marks our own arithmetic, and older data is flagged as dated.
How much do rooms and studios rent for in Europe in 2026?
Median furnished rents on HousingAnywhere in Q3 2026 and the change on a year earlier (44,862 listings, Rent Index, 14 October 2026):
| Market | Unit | Median rent | Year on year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25-city index | Room | €635 | +1% |
| 25-city index | Studio | €1,100 | -3.7% |
| Lisbon | Room | €560 | +0.9% |
| Porto | Studio | €850 | -5.6% |
| Madrid | Room | €660 | +6.5% |
| Valencia | Room | €450 | +7.1% |
| Milan | Room | €650 | -4.4% |
| Milan | Studio | €1,100 | -8.3% |
By country, the median room was €690 in Germany, €635 in Spain, €610 in Italy and €900 in the Netherlands, and the platform counted 14.5 interested students per room and 27.1 per studio in August 2026. Official and portal indices measure whole homes per m², not rooms, but show where each market is heading:
| Market and measure | Value | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon municipality, new leases (median) | €17.79/m² (+5.1%) | INE, Q2 2026 (29 Sep 2026) |
| Portugal, new leases (median, 35,407 contracts) | €10.17/m² (+10.2%) | INE, Q2 2026 |
| Madrid / Barcelona city, asking rent | €23.4/m² (+4.8%) / €20.1/m² (-0.8%) | idealista, Sep 2026 |
| Spain, asking rent | €15.1/m² (+5.6%) | idealista, Sep 2026 |
| Paris intra-muros, unfurnished private stock (median, excl. charges) | €27.3/m² | OLAP, 2025 |
| London coliving, starting rents (all-inclusive) | £1,550-£1,750 a month | Savills, 2025 |
| London PBSA, average rent (lets of about 45 weeks) | £295 a week | Unipol/HEPI, 2024/25 |
PBSA rents keep rising at different speeds: about 9% in continental Europe in 2025/26 (JLL) against 2% in the UK (Knight Frank, Q4 2025), after +6.5% in 2023 and +5.4% in 2024 across 15 European countries (Bonard).
How big is the student bed shortage in Europe?
| Market | Supply and gap | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Continental Europe / UK | Provision rate 15% / 32%. Students to grow by 2.2 million to 21 million by 2029/30; stock to reach 2.9 million beds by 2030 | JLL, 16 Dec 2025 |
| Europe and UK | Shortage of 3 million PBSA beds, growing by 200,000 over five years | JLL, 7 Jun 2024 |
| Spain | About 107,000 beds; provision 7.4% (Madrid 7.8%, Barcelona 8.2%); unmet demand of about 434,000 students | Savills, 2024 |
| Portugal | 26,000 beds for 456,032 students; coverage 5.8% (Lisbon 4,500+ beds, Porto 5,400+) | Savills, 4 May 2026 (2024/25 data) |
| Italy, 15 cities | 59,742 beds; provision 10% (Milan 11%, Rome 9%); Milan and Rome about 150,000 beds short | Bonard, 25 Sep 2026 |
| Largest city gaps | Beds needed: Paris 195,000, London 180,000, Warsaw 107,000, Lisbon 78,000, Vienna 75,000, Rome 71,000 | Bonard, 13 Sep 2024 |
In Portugal, Spain and Italy, one student in ten or fewer has a purpose-built bed (5.8%, 7.4% and 10%), against about one in three in the UK (32%).
What occupancy do student housing operators reach in Europe?
| Market and measure | Value | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Europe, 15 countries: average PBSA occupancy | 98% in 2024 (95.7% in 2021) | Bonard, Sep 2024 |
| UK private PBSA: occupancy | 85.4% in 2025/26, down 5.4 points (95-98% before Covid) | StuRents via HEPI, Apr 2026 |
| UK PBSA: rental incentives | 4.2% of advertised annual rent (end Sep 2025) | Knight Frank, Q4 2025 |
The two figures come from different years and samples: read them as two markets, not a trend. We found no Europe-wide occupancy figure for coliving.
How common are rent arrears in Europe?
Eurostat's EU-SILC survey (2025 data) measures the share of the whole population behind on mortgage or rent, owners and tenants together, and the share of market-rent tenants spending over 40% of disposable income on housing:
| Country | Arrears on mortgage or rent | Market-rent tenants overburdened |
|---|---|---|
| EU | 3.0% (3.1% in 2024) | 18.6% |
| Spain | 5.2% | 26.8% |
| France | 4.9% | 18.7% |
| Germany | 2.2% | 13.2% |
| Italy | 2.0% | 22.3% |
| Netherlands | 2.0% | 39.5% |
| Portugal | 1.9% | 27.2% |
Sources: Eurostat ilc_mdes06 (updated 20 October 2026) and ilc_lvho07c (read 23 October 2026). In Intrum's 2025 survey of 20 European countries, 24% of consumers missed at least one bill in 12 months (Gen Z: 36%). We found no European source for student-housing late-payment rates.
What does an empty room cost per day?
Monthly rent × 12 ÷ 365 gives the rent lost for each empty day (Vivin's calculation on HousingAnywhere's Q3 2026 medians):
| Unit | Monthly rent | Per empty day | 14 empty days | 30 empty days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room, 25-city median | €635 | €20.88 | €292.27 | €626.30 |
| Studio, 25-city median | €1,100 | €36.16 | €506.30 | €1,084.93 |
| Room, Lisbon | €560 | €18.41 | €257.75 | €552.33 |
| Room, Madrid | €660 | €21.70 | €303.78 | €650.96 |
| Room, Milan | €650 | €21.37 | €299.18 | €641.10 |
Each point of occupancy on a €635 room is worth €76.20 a year (Vivin's calculation).
How many coliving beds are there in Europe?
There is no reliable Europe-wide count after 2022. The most recent one we could trace to a published report, the ULI & JLL European Coliving Best Practice Guide, counted 24,500 operational coliving units and 70,500 in the pipeline in 17 countries in Q2 2022 (schemes of 20 beds or more). That data is now dated. For the UK, Savills counted about 9,000 operational units and 5,500 under construction in 2025. Higher Europe-wide figures circulate online, but we could not trace them to a report with a published method, so we leave them out.
What do these benchmarks mean for operators?
- Occupancy: 98% is the European PBSA average (Bonard, 2024); each point below it costs €76.20 a year on a median room.
- Turnover: mainstream coliving stays run 3 months to a year (ULI & JLL, 2022, dated) and HousingAnywhere's tenants seek 6-12 months (2026), so the gap between tenants matters: two empty weeks cost €292.27 on a median room.
- Pricing: room rents rose fastest in Valencia (+7.1%) and Madrid (+6.5%) while studios fell in Milan (-8.3%) and Porto (-5.6%), so price by city and unit type, not by European average.
- Collection: among the countries above, arrears are highest in Spain (5.2%) and France (4.9%), where deposits, guarantors and reminders are worth more.
How to benchmark your own portfolio
- Measure occupancy per unit as occupied nights over available nights, over 12 months.
- Compare each unit's rent with the medians above, like for like.
- Track the gap between tenants, and overdue rent by age rather than as one total.
In Vivin, rental analytics calculates occupancy, ADR, RevPAR and revenue by property, unit or owner from the bookings already in your account, and the Finance Overview shows debt by age. See the sales and analytics features, compare the best student housing software in Europe and the best coliving management software, or book a demo. For the investment case, read about the student housing opportunity and the best European cities for rental investment in 2026.
Sources and method
- Rents: HousingAnywhere (October 2026), INE (September 2026), idealista (October 2026), OLAP (2025), Savills (2025), Unipol/HEPI (December 2024), Knight Frank (Q4 2025), JLL (December 2025), Bonard (September 2024).
- Beds, occupancy, stays and arrears: JLL (June 2024, December 2025), Savills (2024, May 2026), Bonard (September 2024, September 2026), StuRents via HEPI (April 2026), ULI & JLL (2022, dated), Eurostat EU-SILC 2025, Intrum (November 2025).
- Method: "Vivin's calculation" figures are rounded to the cent. Coliving counts and stay lengths we could not trace to a report with a published method are left out.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average room rent in Europe in 2026?
The median furnished room across 25 European cities rented for €635 a month in Q3 2026, 1% more than a year earlier, and the median studio for €1,100, 3.7% less (HousingAnywhere Rent Index, 44,862 listings, 14 October 2026).
What is the occupancy rate of student housing in Europe?
Bonard measured average PBSA occupancy at 98% across 15 European countries in 2024, up from 95.7% in 2021. In the UK, private PBSA occupancy was 85.4% in 2025/26, down 5.4 points on a year earlier, against a pre-Covid norm of 95-98% (StuRents data published by HEPI, April 2026).
How many student beds are missing in Europe?
JLL estimated a shortage of 3 million PBSA beds across Europe and the UK in June 2024, growing by 200,000 over five years, and puts the provision rate at 15% of students in continental Europe and 32% in the UK (December 2025). The largest city gaps are Paris (195,000 beds), London (180,000) and Warsaw (107,000), per Bonard (2024).
How many coliving beds are there in Europe?
No reliable Europe-wide count exists after 2022. The ULI & JLL European Coliving Best Practice Guide counted 24,500 operational coliving units and 70,500 in the pipeline across 17 countries in Q2 2022, a figure that is now dated. For the UK, Savills counted about 9,000 operational units and 5,500 under construction in 2025.
How much does an empty room cost per day?
Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 365. At HousingAnywhere's Q3 2026 European median of €635, an empty room costs €20.88 a day, or €292.27 for a two-week gap between tenants; a €1,100 studio costs €36.16 a day (Vivin's calculation).
Benchmarks only help next to your own numbers. Measure occupancy, gaps and arrears the same way every month, and these figures become a yardstick.
