Student Rents Surge in Czechia: Dormitory Waiting Lists Hit Record Highs

Rental prices for students in Czechia have risen sharply ahead of the new academic year. According to data from Sreality.cz, the country's largest property portal, the steepest increase was recorded in Pardubice, where the median cost of a room in a shared flat climbed 14% over the year to reach 7,700 crowns a month. In Prague, a comparable room now costs around 12,000 crowns, while in Brno it runs about 9,500 crowns.

Renting an entire flat is even pricier: a small apartment in Prague will set a student back roughly 21,000 crowns a month — a sum that, according to Sreality.cz analyst Štěpán Matějka, is extremely difficult to cover with casual part-time work.

Where it's cheaper — and where it's not

Housing is one of the biggest budget items for the roughly 300,000 students enrolled at Czech universities. Prague and Brno remain the most expensive cities, while prices elsewhere in the country are noticeably lower: a room in a shared flat typically costs around 7,000 crowns a month, and small apartments range from 12,000 to 14,000 crowns.

Students pay the least in Opava and Ústí nad Labem, where the median room price stays below 6,000 crowns, and a small apartment can be found for roughly 10,000 crowns a month.

Foreign students are driving demand

This year's price rise is largely fuelled by strong demand from international students, particularly Slovaks. "They want to live comfortably and don't want to rely solely on dormitories. Many plan to spend the summer in Czechia, travel around, find work here — often both at once," said Hendrik Meyer, executive director of the property platform Bezrealitky.

As a result, interest in rentals started climbing unusually early this year — already by mid-July — with the traditional peak expected around the turn of August into September. "Now is exactly the time to look for housing," noted Dominik Ženatý, a realtor with Doma realitní makléři. According to Meyer, those who put off their search until September risk paying several hundred crowns more per month than they would in summer.

Dormitories are overflowing

University dormitories remain a more affordable alternative to private rentals. Prices there have also risen, but far more slowly — typically by just a few percent. A month in a dormitory costs around 4,000–5,000 crowns.

Conditions in dormitories tend to be less comfortable than in flats, and students frequently complain about the state of the buildings and sanitary issues. Even so, demand for this type of housing remains high — beyond the lower price, it also offers a more active involvement in student life.

At many universities, spaces are already fully booked, with waiting lists running into the hundreds. At Masaryk University in Brno, for instance, 775 applicants are currently on the waiting list. "Over the past two weeks, thanks to spaces that opened up, we managed to offer accommodation to 38 students," said university spokesperson Gabriela Peringerová.

Read also: Rental scams in Prague: how to spot fraudsters

Source: novinky.cz