Student housing costs more
The cost of student housing has shot up significantly this year, with Athens recording rises of more than 53% on average, in relation to 2017, in the cost of rent. Nationwide, prices compared to 2017 have grown 44.5%, while on an annual basis the rise is 14.5%, well above inflation.
According to the annual Student Housing Values Observatory of the Geoaxis Property & Valuation Services company of chartered surveyors, the biggest annual increase in the rental prices for student accommodation – apartments ranging in size from 25 to 65 square meters and located near universities – is in Patra that registers an impressive 20%. An increase of 16.9% compared to last year is also noted in the asking rates in Athens, around Zografou, as they are at 7.4 euros/sq.m per month, from €6.34/sq.m. a year ago.
The corresponding cost in 2017 did not exceed €4.84/sq.m., though then the rate was not considered “normal,” since it was even lower than in the city of Komotini, where the cost at that time amounted to almost €5/sq.m. Athens’ primacy in terms of cost is not challenged by any other city with a significant student population.
Geoaxis head Yiannis Xylas argues that “there are clearly fewer student apartments available compared to 2017.”
