Where renting costs least: rooms in Valencia for 450 euros, studios in Athens for 750
HousingAnywhere's new rent index compares 25 European cities. Rooms are cheapest in Valencia and studios in Athens and Budapest, while Amsterdam and Rotterdam top the price table.
Symbolic image · Photo: Marylinalcyonova / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Anyone looking to rent a furnished place in Europe pays least in Valencia. According to the International Rent Index published on Oct. 14, 2026, by rental platform HousingAnywhere, a room in a shared flat there cost a median 450 euros a month in the third quarter of 2026 – though that was 7.1% more than a year earlier. Stuttgart followed at 540 euros (up 10.2%), then Lisbon at 560 euros, Florence at 600 euros and Vienna at 619 euros. The index covers 25 cities in 11 countries, mostly popular student cities.
For one-room apartments (studios), Athens and Budapest lead at 750 euros each, followed by Porto at 850 euros. Prices fell 6.3% in Athens and 5.6% in Porto over the year but rose 9.5% in Budapest. Rooms are most expensive in Amsterdam (1,000 euros), Rotterdam (884 euros) and Hamburg (850 euros); a studio in Rotterdam costs 1,700 euros, 28.4% more than a year earlier. Across all cities, the median was 635 euros for a room (up 1%) and 1,100 euros for a studio (down 3.7%).
"Room rents were stable across European student cities this summer," HousingAnywhere CEO Antonio Intini said. The company said the index is based on 44,862 listings by private landlords and agents that drew tenant interest; about 99% were furnished and two-thirds included bills. Housing corporations are excluded, so the index mainly reflects the market for students and newcomers rather than average rents.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.