Romania Romania’s student housing supply falls short

The four university centres have more than 361,000 students combined, representing 62 pct of Romania’s student population. Their public and private student accommodation stock totals approximately 80,000 beds.

Iasi has the highest level of provision, with approximately 3.5 students per bed, followed by Timisoara with 4.3, Cluj-Napoca with 4.6 and Bucharest with 5.1.

Across the four cities, the available accommodation covers approximately 22 pct of the student population. The coverage rate is highest in Iasi, at 28.9 pct, followed by Timisoara at 23.5 pct, Cluj-Napoca at 21.9 pct and Bucharest at 19.7 pct.

Public accommodation accounts for approximately 94 pct of the identified stock, while private purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) represents around 6 pct.

Bucharest has the largest student accommodation stock, with approximately 32,300 public beds and at least 4,700 private beds. The city has 187,677 students.

Iasi has approximately 16,500 mainly public beds for 57,006 students. Cluj-Napoca has around 14,800 public beds and 700 private beds for 70,617 students, while Timisoara has approximately 10,700 mainly public beds for 45,749 students.

Bucharest accounts for almost 90 pct of the private beds identified across the four cities.

Student numbers and the student-to-bed ratios are only part of the equation. The quality of the existing stock, rental levels, location, access to public transport, services and alternative housing options are equally important when assessing each market.
Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox

Romania compared with Poland and the Czech Republic

The study also compares student accommodation in major university centres in Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Across the eight Polish cities included in the study, approximately 83,200 public and private student accommodation beds are available for a combined student population of around 897,000. This corresponds to 10.8 students per bed, compared with 4.5 across the four Romanian cities analysed.

Private accommodation accounts for approximately 23 pct of the identified stock in the Polish cities, compared with around 6 pct in the four Romanian cities.

Among the Polish cities, Warsaw has approximately 255,700 students and 20,569 accommodation beds, equivalent to 12.4 students per bed. Krakow has 134,400 students and 15,521 beds, while Wroclaw has 127,850 students and 7,852 beds.

In the Czech Republic, Prague has approximately 132,000 students and 28,400 accommodation beds, including around 3,800 private beds. Brno has 68,236 students and at least 13,600 mainly public university beds. Together, the two cities have approximately 200,200 students and 42,000 beds, or 4.8 students per bed.

Accommodation costs

In Bucharest, public university accommodation rates identified for Romanian students range from approximately EUR 50 to EUR 80 per person per month. Private student accommodation ranges from more than EUR 100 to around EUR 300 per person per month.

For Poland, the study identifies an average monthly cost of approximately EUR 190 per person in public student accommodation and around EUR 550 per person in private accommodation, across the accommodation types covered by the research.

The figures are not directly comparable without considering differences in room layouts, quality, amenities and service levels. Student accommodation also competes with conventional rental housing and shared apartments, and the balance between these options varies between markets.