Rental prices for student housing near Greece's major universities remain high this year, according to new data from ReDataset, part of the Resolute-CEPAL group, even as the pace of increases has begun to slow.
The analysis tracked asking rents over the past three years for apartments of up to 50 square metres located within 1.5 kilometres of eight major universities in Athens and Thessaloniki. It found that supply of small flats remains low relative to demand, keeping prices elevated across most areas studied.
Piraeus sees sharpest rise
The steepest increase was recorded around the University of Piraeus, where asking rents rose 29.2 percent, roughly double the increase seen near any other university included in the study. The average price there climbed from 10.6 euros per square metre in the first half of 2023 to 13.7 euros per square metre in the first half of this year. That puts the average monthly cost of a 50-square-metre flat at 685 euros, a sum ReDataset described as prohibitive for a large share of students.
Panteion and Harokopio in Kallithea
Apartments near Panteion University, in the Kallithea area of Athens, command the same 13.7 euros per square metre, though the three-year increase there was lower, at 11.3 percent. The area benefits from proximity to a metro station as well as to the Koukaki and Acropolis districts, driving strong competition for rental housing.
Nearby Harokopio University, also in Kallithea but further south, offers little relief, with rents at 13 euros per square metre after an 8.3 percent rise. ReDataset noted one positive sign: rents there appear to have plateaued, having stayed unchanged since the second half of 2025.
Students compete with other renters
According to the analysis, rents have stayed high largely because students are competing for the same small flats with singles, young couples, single-parent families and even digital nomads. Unlike in the past, demand for small apartments is now much higher, partly because the total monthly rent on a small flat is lower than on a larger one of 70 to 90 square metres, even though the price per square metre may be similar.
AUEB, West Attica and Athens University
Around the Athens University of Economics and Business on Patission Street, rents have risen 15.1 percent over three years to reach 12.2 euros per square metre. In 2023, the area was priced level with Piraeus at 10.6 euros per square metre, illustrating how sharply rents around the port city have since climbed.
A large increase of 23 percent was also recorded near the University of West Attica, where the average asking price rose from 10 euros to 12.3 euros per square metre, pushing the monthly cost of a 50-square-metre flat from 500 euros to 615 euros.
Rents near the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens stand at 12.3 euros per square metre, having held steady since the first half of 2025. The overall increase there over the past three years has not exceeded 6 percent, the smallest rise among the Athens universities surveyed.
Thessaloniki remains more affordable
In Thessaloniki, the most affordable housing was found near Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where rents do not exceed 11.8 euros per square metre, about 2 euros per square metre, or 100 euros a month on a 50-square-metre flat, less than around Piraeus or Panteion. Rents near the University of Macedonia rose 10 percent to reach 12 euros per square metre.
