Surging dorm fees to squeeze student budgets in Czechia

Housing is getting more expensive nationwide, and students in Czechia who will begin the academic year in a little over six weeks may need to prepare to pay hundreds – if not thousands – more crowns for their university dormitory. 

A study by Czech media outlet Deník N has found that dormitory rent prices at major Czech universities around the country will rise from next year. A single-bed room at a dorm at Brno’s Masaryk University, for example, will rise from CZK 6,334 to CZK 6,576 per month. The increase is even higher at Charles University’s dormitories, where the average price for a one-bed room will go up from CZK 6,240 to CZK 6,750. 

The Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (ČZU) sees the biggest increase – from CZK 8,073 to CZK 8,970 for a single room. School directors say that the rent rises are part of a national trend and are unpreventable. "Unfortunately, ČZU has no way to influence the reasons leading to the price adjustment and [we] will not profit from them in any way,” Karla Mráčková told Deník N, pointing towards “external economic influences.”

The rise in rents, however, does not impact demand. Masaryk University spokesman Radim Sajbot has said that in recent years, the number of applicants for dorms has consistently exceeded capacity, and this trend is expected to continue in the upcoming academic year. 

Similarly, Brno University of Technology (BUT) spokesperson Kamila Šmídková confirmed that there is no decrease in demand for dormitory accommodation, with 1,500 more applications than available beds. Due to the high demand, BUT will be unable to provide 200 beds to students from the Veterinary University in Brno this September as it usually does.

Charles University also reports unyielding interest in dormitory housing, with “a growing number of foreign students applying.” According to spokeswoman Petra Klusáková, the university fills its dormitory capacity every year. Indeed, the growing number of foreign students in Czechia – around a 40 percent increase since 2012 – contributes to the issue of high demand and low supply.

Research portal Educations.com found that, in comparison, Germany has comparable levels of student dormitory prices, despite having much higher salaries. Student halls of residence owned and maintained by Studentenwerk (Student Services Organization) – present in every university town – average around EUR 240 (CZK 6,000) per month.

Some Polish university dormitories also have seemingly cheaper rents. The University of Warsaw, for example, offers shared dormitory rooms for the equivalent of about CZK 3,800. Over in Slovakia’s Comenius University Bratislava, single rooms cost around EUR 108 (CZK 2,738 per month).

Even Austria compares to Czechia. A dormitory offered by Johannes Kepler University in Linz costs EUR 324 for a single room (CZK 8,200).

Rising dormitory rent prices are microcosmic of increasing property prices nationwide. Last year, experts estimated that rents rose by between 5 and 10 percent across the country in 2023. The Deloitte Rent Index for the first quarter of this year found that rental prices in the capital – unsurprisingly by far the highest in the country – are now at CZK 400; a 7 percent increase year on year.

This year, housing experts and realtors expect property prices to rise by up to 10 percent nationwide due to higher demand caused by lower mortgage rates. This, in turn, will affect rent levels: hurting students who are unable to secure a dormitory spot and are instead pushed into the private sector this September.