In Italia, the cost of a hotel room has risen by 50 per cent over six years

In Italia, the average rent for a room is 575 euros a month, almost 50 per cent higher than six years ago. The increase for studio flats is more modest (+29 per cent), but the average rent is higher: 682 euros a month. For students, particularly those studying away from home, access to the private rental market is therefore becoming increasingly difficult. On top of these figures, one must also factor in the costs of utilities, services and, more generally, the cost of living in their chosen city.

Rents have reached record levels: according to Idealista’s May 2026 survey, the national average stands at 15 euros per square metre per month. Despite the first signs of a new phase of saturation and stabilisation, particularly in major cities, structural imbalances between supply and demand remain significant, exacerbated by the scarcity of available properties and the growing prevalence of short-term lets which – particularly during the period of peak expansion – have helped to remove thousands of homes from the traditional rental market. Against this backdrop, Milan remains the most expensive city for a single room, with an average rent of 704 euros per month, whilst in Rome the average rent is 615 euros, according to Immobiliare.it Insights’ July 2026 survey. However, the sharpest increases since 2020 have been recorded in Florence (+54 per cent) and Padua (+52.8 per cent). When it comes to studio flats, Florence has overtaken Milan as the most expensive city: the average cost is €927 per month compared to €864 in the Lombard city, although rents in some areas of Milan can exceed €1,000. Turin is also worth noting, as it has seen the most sustained growth in studio flat prices (+48.5% over six years).

If we take Milan as an example and compare accommodation fees with those on the open market, the latter appear, at first glance, to be lower than both the cost of a subsidised room in a private student hall of residence (750 euros per month) and that of first-class accommodation (1,600 euros per month). However, the comparison changes when additional costs are taken into account. In fact, utility bills (electricity, gas, water, Tari and Wi-Fi) must be added to private rents. According to an analysis by Cushman & Wakefield Italy carried out for *Il Sole 24 Ore*, these costs in Milan amount to between 80 and 130 euros per month per student. The actual cost of a private room thus rises from €704 to around €784–€834 per month. In this case, in Milan, private rent is already more expensive than the cost of a bed in an affiliated student hall of residence. Furthermore, these halls of residence often include services in their fees that the private market generally does not offer – cleaning of communal areas, maintenance, study and fitness facilities, or security services – the economic value of which for standard accommodation is estimated at between 200 and 300 euros per month. If these costs were added to the average rent for a room on the open market in Milan, the figure of €704 would rise to between €900 and over €1,000 per month. In the top-tier accommodation, these services are complemented by tutoring, workshops, social dinners and cultural events.

Looking beyond the comparison with student accommodation, the private rental market now appears to be entering a different phase. Following the boom of recent years, the first signs of a slowdown are emerging, indicating a market that appears more mature and, in some cities, close to saturation. Between 2025 and 2026, rents for single rooms are set to fall by an average of 6.2 per cent, driven by declines in Bologna (-7.5 per cent) and Milan (-3.8 per cent). This reversal follows years of virtually uninterrupted increases. Rome and Florence remain bucking the trend, with rents continuing to rise.

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