Rooms for rent in Portugal: prices rose 8% in the last year.

The new 2025/2026 academic year is starting, and with it comes a new rush for rooms to rent by university students, as well as by other displaced professionals. However, those looking to rent a room will encounter a more expensive market, as the price of rooms for rent increased by 8% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to an analysis by idealista, the leading real estate marketplace in Portugal. In the previous quarter, the cost of renting a room in shared houses had already risen by 4%, confirming a trend of continuous appreciation in recent months.

Room rental prices increased in 13 out of the 20 municipalities analyzed. Bragança recorded the highest increase, with rooms becoming 15% more expensive than in the same period last year.

It also became more expensive to rent a room in Guarda (13%), Castelo Branco (13%), Coimbra (12%), Ponta Delgada (10%), Funchal (10%), Viseu (8%), Viana do Castelo (8%), Vila Real (6%), Évora (4%), Portalegre (4%), Leiria (4%) and Setúbal (3%).

In Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Faro, Lisbon, and Santarém, room rental prices remained stable during the analyzed period. In Porto, however, rooms on the rental market became 3% cheaper in the last year.

Where did room rental prices rise the most?
Variation in prices between the second quarter of 2025 and the same period of the previous year:

Which are the cities with the most expensive rooms for rent?
Lisbon continues to be the city with the most expensive rooms for rent in Portugal, with prices around €550 per month. Next is Funchal (€440/month), Porto (€430/month), Faro and Ponta Delgada (both at €400/month), Setúbal (€375/month), Aveiro (€360/month), Viana do Castelo (€350/month), Évora (€350/month), Braga (€350/month), Coimbra (€335/month), and Santarém (€300/month).

For less than €300 per month, there are rooms to rent in Leiria (€290/month), Viseu (€270/month), Castelo Branco (€250/month), Vila Real (€250/month), Portalegre (€250/month), and Beja (€250/month).

The most affordable cities to rent a room are Guarda (€200/month) and Bragança (€230/month), according to idealista data.

Room rental prices in major cities
Median price of rooms for rent in Q2 2025 (euros/month):

Room rentals: an option for students (but not only)
The data published in this idealista analysis reveals that room rentals are not only a housing option for students but have also become the preferred choice for young people in their first years in the job market, and in some cases, even later.

The current reality of the Portuguese rental market in large cities makes it difficult for many single or divorced individuals to afford the cost of a house, making room rentals the most advantageous option.

On the other hand, house sharing continues to appeal to many young people eager to become independent and leave their parents’ homes—a trend that is expected to grow in the coming years.

Rooms for rent in Portugal
(Freepik image credit)

Methodology
For this analysis, only cities with a stable base on idealista during the analyzed period and with a minimum of 30 listings were considered.

Idealista has become a reference point for anyone looking to share a house, both for its ease of use and the quality of information. The option provided by idealista to search for a roommate and begin the housing search process together has been very successful among both Portuguese and foreign users moving to our country and looking to secure a room from their places of origin. One of the main advantages is the variety of language options available on idealista: in addition to Portuguese, the platform is accessible in English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Danish, Chinese, and Greek.