Renting a room in Lisbon as a student: a practical guide
When to start, what it costs, where to look, what to check in a room and how to avoid problems, for students moving to Lisbon from elsewhere or abroad.
Finding a place to live is one of the biggest challenges for students moving to Lisbon. In 2025, a room in Lisbon cost on average about 500 euros a month, and many students start looking months before classes begin. This guide helps you search better and avoid the most common mistakes.
When to start
- Demand peaks from June to September. The earlier you start, the more choice you have.
- Also apply for your institution's student residences and any housing support you are entitled to. Places are few and fill quickly.
- Decide in advance the most you can pay per month, including bills and transport.
Where to look
- Your university's social services and housing office, which often keep lists of rooms.
- Student associations, ESN (for Erasmus students) and older students.
- Property portals and student room platforms.
- Consider the municipalities around Lisbon with good transport links: the metropolitan travel pass covers the whole metropolitan area.
What to check in a room
- Damp and mould, especially in the bedroom and bathroom. See the guide to damp.
- A window and daylight in the room. An inside room without a window is a very different thing.
- Heating: Portuguese homes are cold in winter. Ask what there is and how bills are split.
- How many people share the bathroom and kitchen.
- Internet and a place to study.
- Noise: street, bars, neighbours. See the guide to noise.
- Distance and transport to your faculty, at real times of day.
Contract and payment
- Ask for a written contract. Many students live without one, which leaves them unprotected if something goes wrong.
- Ask for rent receipts.
- Agree in writing what is included: water, electricity, gas, internet, cleaning.
- Never pay before seeing the room or confirming who owns it. See the scam warning signs.
If you are far away: if you cannot visit, ask for a live video call (not a recorded video) where the person shows the home, the street and the building entrance. And search the address on SherlockHomes before deciding.
Help the next student
Viewed some rooms? Use SherlockHomes to record what you saw, with stars and no sign-up. That is how we build, for everyone, the information that does not exist today.