Portugal’s Student Housing Supply Remains Tight as Rental Listings Fall 25% Nationwide
As Portugal prepares to announce the results of the latest round of higher education admissions, student accommodation is once again coming into focus. Recent data shows that the number of rental listings across Portugal fell by more than 25% year-on-year in August, while demand for student housing remains strong, further highlighting the shortage of purpose-built student accommodation.
According to data from Imovirtual, Portugal recorded an average of around 3,627 active rental listings per day in August 2026, down 25.2% from 4,850 during the same period in 2025. Average asking rents remained broadly stable, edging up from €526 to €527.
Supply pressures were even more pronounced in Portugal’s main university cities. In Lisbon, the average number of active daily listings fell from 2,827 to 1,975, a year-on-year decline of 30.1%, while the average rent rose to €568. In Porto, listings dropped by 41.8%, from 752 to 438, with average rents standing at around €491.
Coimbra recorded an average of approximately 245 active listings per day, down 19% year-on-year, while average rents increased to €387. Braga has a relatively smaller rental supply, with around 56 active listings per day, up 7.7% year-on-year, while average asking rents increased by 4.3% to €390.
Public Student Accommodation Continues to Expand
To ease pressure on student housing, Portugal is expanding its public accommodation supply through the National Plan for Accommodation in Higher Education (PNAES). The programme is expected to add nearly 19,000 beds, although only around 5,094 have been completed so far.
A total of 72 projects are currently under development, involving new construction, conversions, renovations and property acquisitions. As these projects are gradually completed, the supply of public student accommodation is expected to increase further.
However, at present, the additional capacity remains insufficient to fully meet market demand.
Significant Supply Gap Remains in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation
According to CBRE, around 227,000 students in Portugal require purpose-built student accommodation, including approximately 147,000 Portuguese students and another 80,000 international students.
By comparison, the current supply of beds in public and private student residences remains limited. Estimates vary depending on the methodology used, but the existing supply stands at approximately 28,000 to 33,000 beds, leaving a substantial gap between potential demand and available capacity.
JLL has described Portugal’s student accommodation market as facing a structural supply shortage. Purpose-built private student accommodation now accounts for more than 40% of the country’s professional student housing supply, rising to around 60% in Greater Lisbon and 75% in Greater Porto.
At the same time, new purpose-built student housing projects continue to enter the market. Porto currently has around 1,390 private beds under construction, with a further 660 in the pipeline. Lisbon has approximately 570 beds under development, while Aveiro is also set to welcome a new private student residence. Coimbra and Braga, meanwhile, continue to be characterised largely by refurbished properties and smaller-scale operators.
Overall, Portugal’s student accommodation market is gradually shifting from traditional private rentals towards more professionally managed and purpose-built housing. The decline in rental listings, the large student population and the limited supply of dedicated beds all point to a persistent supply-demand imbalance in this segment. As the number of international students grows and more professionally operated projects enter the market, student accommodation is expected to remain an important segment of Portugal’s real estate market.
Reference link: https://sapo.pt/artigo/preco-de-quartos-para-arrendar-atinge-527-euros-com-oferta-a-cair-25-6a8555b784f850b171e6de57
For more details, please refer to: https://adlinvestment.com/en/about/