A student pays on average from 450 PLN to 1200 PLN for a student dormitory. The price is determined by the standard

Ten post dostępny jest także w języku: polski

In the main academic centres in Poland there are 80,300 places for students in student dormitories of public and private universities. Prices vary. The cheapest is in public university dormitories, where the average fee is 446 PLN per month. In private centres of this type, a month costs around 1195 PLN – according to CBRE data. The difference in price results from the standard offered. The most expensive are modern micro-apartments in private dormitories, although in this type of facilities one can also find rooms at a price similar to that offered by public universities. Despite the pandemic, the fees for a place in public and private dormitories have increased.  

– In our last report on student halls of residence, we reported that accommodation costs account for 39% of the student budget. What’s more, almost 3 out of 4 students pay for accommodation out of their own pockets. It is no wonder that students want to rationalise these costs, but increasingly not at the expense of standard. Young people want to live well, so they often pay attention to how a place looks and what it offers. This is where private dormitories, which are more expensive but have all the amenities, come to their aid. There will be more and more such facilities in our country. Especially since only one in ten students can count on a student hall of residence. This is why young people so often rent flats – says Marcin Jański, head of the alternative investments department at CBRE.

Living in a student residence pays off

In the eight main academic centres in Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Tricity, Lublin and Katowice), the average fee for a place in a student house belonging to a public university is 446 PLN per month. This is 3% more than in 2020. The average monthly fee in most of these cities is in the range of PLN 400-500. However, the cost of dormitories at individual universities varies and largely depends on the standard and the number of people in the room. The arbitrary administrative decisions of a particular university are also significant.

In the case of places in private student dormitories, the average monthly fee is around 1195 PLN per month. This is 19% more in comparison with the year before. This increase is attributable, among other things, to the launch of further modern high-standard facilities, but also to the need to incur additional costs due to the pandemic. In private halls of residence the variation in fees per place is greater than in the case of student residences belonging to public universities. The higher the standard offered, the more expensive it is.

– In the case of the cheapest options the prices in private halls of residence are similar to those in public ones. The most expensive are modern micro-apartments with many additional services. Still, the average price of a private dormitory is lower or close to the prices of renting a flat in the indicated markets. And often for young people, a student house is a better option, because it gives access to student life, allows constant contact with other young people, which a private flat does not guarantee – says Marcin Jański, head of the alternative investments department at CBRE.

Not enough dormitories in Poland

In our country, places in public university dormitories and in private dormitories provide accommodation for only 9.9% of all students. However, the number of such places will increase. There are currently 7 student residence projects under construction and 39 in various stages of planning. According to forecasts, in the next few years up to approx. 15 thousand new places in private dormitories. This is more than there are now in all the facilities in operation (the current offer is 10.2 thousand places). However, based on current construction sites and projects at an advanced planning stage, the actual new supply over the next 2-3 years will probably not exceed 3.5 to 5 thousand places.

Source: CBRE