The Great Student Housing Survey 2022
A new study of 270 halls of residence with almost 33,000 student housing units in Copenhagen and the surrounding area reveals that the vast majority of student housing can be paid for with SU, leaving a disposable income despite rising rent prices among private players.
The comprehensive study conducted by kbh-kollegier.dk, shows that 53.5% of the halls of residence have a monthly minimum rent below or up to DKK 3,800 per month, which can be paid with the SU and leave a disposable income of approx. DKK 2,000 each month without taking into account any housing support.
84% of student accommodation rents start below DKK 5,800 per month, while there are around 22,000 homes for a maximum of DKK 4,500. Over 10,000 student homes have rents below DKK 3,000, with the cheapest starting at DKK 1,500 per month.
“The survey surprises by revealing the existence of so many affordable student accommodations in Copenhagen“, says founder of kbh-kollegier.dk, Rasmus Berthu Damkjær.
The study also reveals that 84% of the dormitories in Copenhagen and the surrounding area have a minimum rent below DKK 5,800 per month, which for most people is equivalent to SU after tax when the free card is used.
The trend is towards rising average rent prices, as newly built homes become more expensive and there are annual increases in rent, while older dormitories and student housing remain affordable. In Copenhagen, there are 10 departments that rent homes for less than DKK 2,000 per month. These include the older dormitories: Elers Kollegium, Borchs Kollegium, Valkendorf Kollegiet and Scharlings Studiegaard.
The study also reveals that if you want to have a disposable income of at least DKK 2,000 per month, 53% of the halls of residence in Copenhagen and the surrounding area have a minimum rent of DKK 3,800 per month, which releases DKK 2,000 in the budget of the SU income after tax when the free card is used, but excluding any housing subsidy.
“Our research shows that most student housing in Copenhagen is affordable with SU – especially if you include housing benefit. However, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive student accommodation is quite large. This means that students will have quite different financial living conditions depending on which student accommodation they get. Some can easily live on the SU alone, while others have to work quite a lot alongside their studies to make ends meet,” notes Rasmus Berthu Damkjær.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ll find Store Kongensgade, Urban Rigger and Lærkevej, with the former starting from DKK 9,800.
“It is of course interesting that so many providers are keeping rents down at this level outside of the general increases in the rest of the housing market,” says Rasmus Berthu Damkjær.
Østerbro and the inner city are home to many of the older dormitories, which have historically been some of the cheapest due to subsidies from foundations and municipalities. These dorms have a long history of traditions and missions that many want to support and continue. However, this also means that the newer and commercial buildings with student housing are some of the most expensive as investors, pension funds, etc. are looking for a financial return. Especially in Amager, where the market has grown significantly, private and commercial companies are building homes in areas where the city is growing. e.g. Amager Strandpark, Femøren and in Ørestad. This also means that the trend is an upward average rent for the future, where new student housing will continue to be significantly more expensive to live in compared to older dormitories. This means that students will experience higher housing costs, which can be difficult or impossible to pay with SU.
According to the survey, about 90 out of 270 dormitory departments have increased in price over the past few years. Of these, the largest increase is almost 1,600 (Socialt Kollegium), which has risen from DKK 2,200 per month in 2018 to DKK 3,772 per month in 2022. Another dormitory has also increased from DKK 3,248 per month to DKK 4,548 per month since 2018 (Collegium Juris). to DKK 4,548 /md. since 2018 (Collegium Juris). Since 2018, most accommodations have only increased between DKK 100 and 600 per month. In addition, it appears that many of the student residences that are increasing in price are already the student residences with the highest rent. In addition, according to the survey, approx. 25 halls of residence have fallen in price, of which the largest decrease is DKK 600 per meter. on a dormitory that has fallen from DKK 2,400 per month. to 1.800 kr./md. (P. Carl Petersen Kollegium).
D ifficult to navigate the Copenhagen student housing market.
It can be difficult to figure out where to look to find student accommodation with rents as low as 1,500-1,800 DKK/month. But the fact is, there are plenty of affordable student housing options. It’s just a matter of looking in the right places, and a membership at kbh-kollegier.dk helps you do that.
As a young student in Copenhagen, there are many options for finding a student residence. New student housing is being built all the time and there is a constant turnover of existing student housing, making room for new students. At kbh-kollegier.dk, we help you navigate between the 284 halls of residence in Copenhagen and the surrounding area that we have gathered on our site, thus making your search for a hall of residence much easier.
The survey was conducted in the spring and summer of 2022 and is based on figures on rent and number of homes from 270 departments in Copenhagen and the surrounding area. Student housing is defined here as housing where it is a requirement that the resident is a student.
The data is primarily based on the data that is available from the dormitories, departments or administrators’ websites. Be it rents and the number of homes. In cases where this information has not been publicly available, direct contact has been made with the rental managers to obtain this information. Whether the rent is inclusive or exclusive of utilities, such as electricity, water and heating, is not always stated, and therefore this can vary from property to property in the survey.
In some cases, these websites have provided a rent range and listed a range of homes of different sizes. Wherever possible, assumptions have been made here about the number of of homes in the specified rent ranges, to the extent that this has been assessed to be within reasonable limits. For the same reason, the average rent for neighborhoods is calculated by the number of student housing units and not a weighted average of the number of student housing units in each unit. At the same time, the average rent is based on the lowest rent from each dormitory department. The survey includes both halls of residence, student housing and youth housing, but common to all of them is the requirement that you must be a student to live there.
Become a member today and get an overview of Copenhagen's dormitories
Introductory
3 days for 44 DKK.
Cancel your membership at any time.
Intermediate Package
14 days for 185 DKK
Cancel your membership at any time.
The Large Package
4 weeks for 249 DKK
Cancel your membership at any time.
