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Renting a room in Lisbon: neighbourhoods, prices and tips

Data updated on 27 October 2026

Lisbon is the most expensive city in Portugal to rent a room: the median asking price is around €550 a month, against about €505 across the country. Demand comes from students at several universities, people moving for work and foreigners, and supply is short.

Prices vary a lot within the city. Central parishes such as Santo António, Misericórdia and Estrela have the highest rents; the residential areas in the north, such as Lumiar and Santa Clara, are well below. Outside the municipality, Amadora, Odivelas, Loures and the south bank are cheaper and still connected by metro, train or ferry.

Lisbon in numbers

Room in a shared home (median)
€550/monthstable in a year · idealista
Home rents, new leases (median)
€16.89/m²INE, 2025
Listings on arrendaquartos.pt
0 rooms
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Lisbon neighbourhoods: from most to least expensive

Sorted by the median rent of new home leases in 2025 (INE, €/m²). It shows how expensive each area is: room prices follow these differences, but a given room's price depends on the home.

More expensive

  • Santo António

    €20.92/m²

    Avenida da Liberdade, Marquês de Pombal and part of Príncipe Real. The parish with the highest median rent in Lisbon: very central, with metro at Marquês, Avenida and Rato, but few rooms and expensive ones.

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  • Misericórdia

    €19.70/m²

    Chiado, Bairro Alto, Bica, Santa Catarina and Cais do Sodré. Nightlife and everything within walking distance, but old buildings, steep streets and noise at night. Cais do Sodré has trains to Cascais, the metro and ferries to Cacilhas.

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  • Estrela

    €19.28/m²

    Lapa, Madragoa, Santos and the area around the Estrela Basilica. Quiet, pretty neighbourhoods served by trams 25 and 28, close to ISEG. High prices and few shared homes.

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  • Campo de Ourique

    €18.88/m²

    A flat residential neighbourhood with local shops and the Campo de Ourique market. No metro station yet (people walk to Rato or take tram 28 and buses), but very popular.

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  • Baixa, Alfama e Mouraria

    €18.60/m²

    Santa Maria Maior covers the Baixa, the Castle, Alfama and Mouraria. It is the city's tourist heart, with lots of short-term rentals: few rooms for long-term rent, and old buildings.

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  • Parque das Nações

    €18.33/m²

    A modern riverside area with recent buildings, offices and Oriente station (metro, trains and buses). Popular with people working nearby; rooms are in new homes and expensive.

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Mid-range

  • Avenidas Novas

    €17.86/m²

    Saldanha, Campo Pequeno, Avenida da República and Avenida de Berna. Very central and well served by the metro, close to ISCTE, the University City and NOVA FCSH. Many large flats split into rooms.

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  • Marvila

    €17.14/m²

    A former industrial riverside area in transition, with new developments (which push the median up) next to cheaper neighbourhoods. Red line metro at Chelas and Bela Vista.

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  • Penha de França

    €16.42/m²

    A residential, working-class neighbourhood with good local shops, between Arroios and Graça. Prices below the centre and good bus links; the metro is at Arroios or Olaias.

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  • Arroios

    €16.36/m²

    Avenida Almirante Reis, Anjos and Intendente: multicultural, full of cafés and very popular with students. Green metro line (Arroios, Anjos, Intendente) and close to Instituto Superior Técnico.

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  • Olivais

    €16.00/m²

    Residential neighbourhoods with plenty of green space, between the airport and Parque das Nações. Cheaper than neighbouring Parque das Nações, with red line metro (Olivais, Cabo Ruivo).

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  • Alvalade

    €15.82/m²

    Avenida de Roma and Avenida da Igreja: a quiet, well-served neighbourhood right next to the University City and Campo Grande. Green and yellow metro lines. One of the best choices for University of Lisbon students.

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  • Benfica

    €15.78/m²

    A large residential area in the north-west, with the Colombo shopping centre, blue metro line (Colégio Militar, Alto dos Moinhos) and trains at Benfica station (Sintra line). Close to the Escola Superior de Comunicação Social.

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More affordable

  • Areeiro

    €14.95/m²

    Praça do Areeiro and its surroundings, next to Alameda and Técnico. Well served by the green metro line and, according to INE, with rents below neighbouring parishes: good value for the location.

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  • Lumiar

    €14.50/m²

    Telheiras, Alta de Lisboa and old Lumiar, in the north of the city. Residential, with more space and lower prices, yellow (Lumiar, Quinta das Conchas) and green (Telheiras) metro lines.

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  • Santa Clara

    €12.42/m²

    Ameixoeira and Charneca, at the northern edge. The parish with the lowest median rent in Lisbon. Further from the centre, but with metro at Ameixoeira (yellow line).

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Alternatives outside Lisbon

  • Oeiras

    €15.02/m²

    On the river and the Cascais train line, home to Taguspark and a Técnico campus. Cheaper than Lisbon and handy for NOVA SBE students in Carcavelos.

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  • Amadora

    €12.76/m²

    Right next to Lisbon, with blue line metro (Reboleira, Amadora Este) and Sintra line trains. One of the most popular options for paying less.

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  • Odivelas

    €12.50/m²

    Linked to the centre by the yellow metro line (Odivelas, Senhor Roubado), about 20 minutes to Campo Grande.

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  • Loures

    €11.58/m²

    Cheaper still, especially in areas near Lisbon such as Sacavém and Moscavide, with trains and quick access to Parque das Nações.

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  • Sintra

    €11.06/m²

    Some of the lowest rents in the metropolitan area. Agualva-Cacém, Queluz and Massamá have direct trains to Lisbon (Sintra line).

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  • Almada

    On the south bank, linked to Lisbon by ferry (Cacilhas–Cais do Sodré), Fertagus trains and buses. Home to NOVA FCT, in Monte de Caparica.

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For students

The University of Lisbon has most of its faculties in the University City and Campo Grande (Law, Arts and Humanities, Medicine, Pharmacy, Psychology, Sciences). Alvalade, Avenidas Novas and Areeiro are a few minutes away on foot or by metro. Instituto Superior Técnico is at Alameda: Arroios, Areeiro and Penha de França are the most convenient areas.

ISCTE is on Avenida das Forças Armadas, next to the University City. NOVA University is spread out: Campolide (Rectorate, NOVA IMS, Law), Avenida de Berna (FCSH), Carcavelos (NOVA SBE, better to look along the Cascais line) and Monte de Caparica (FCT, better to look in Almada). Universidade Católica is in Palma de Cima, near Sete Rios.

Higher education students up to 23 can apply for a free public transport pass (passe sub23), which makes living further from the centre a real option.

Getting around

The metro has four lines (blue, yellow, green and red) and covers the centre and north of the city well. Carris runs buses and trams; CP trains link Lisbon to Sintra, Cascais and Azambuja, and Fertagus crosses the 25 de Abril bridge to the south bank. Ferries connect Cais do Sodré and Terreiro do Paço to the other side of the river.

The Navegante Municipal pass covers Lisbon only; the Navegante Metropolitano, at around €40 a month, covers all transport in the 18 municipalities of the metropolitan area. That is why a room in Amadora, Odivelas or Almada near a station can be worth it.

Tips for renting a room

  • Visit the room (or do a video call) before paying anything. Be wary of anyone asking for a deposit before showing the home, or of prices far below the area's.
  • Ask for a written contract and rent receipts. Landlords must issue electronic receipts on the Tax Authority portal (Portal das Finanças), and they let you deduct part of the rent from your income tax (IRS).
  • Check what is included: bills (water, electricity, gas, internet), cleaning of shared areas and house rules, such as guests and pets.
  • The deposit is usually one or two months' rent. Agree in writing on when it is returned and take photos of the room when you move in.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a room cost in Lisbon?

The median asking price for a room in Lisbon is around €550 a month (idealista, Q2 2026). Expect to pay more in the historic centre and Parque das Nações, and less in the northern parishes and neighbouring municipalities.

What is the cheapest area to rent a room in Lisbon?

Within the municipality, Santa Clara, Lumiar and Areeiro have the lowest median rents, according to INE. Outside Lisbon, Sintra, Loures, Odivelas and Amadora are cheaper and have metro or train links to the centre.

What is the best area in Lisbon for students?

It depends on the faculty. For the University City and ISCTE, Alvalade, Avenidas Novas and Areeiro; for Técnico, Arroios, Areeiro and Penha de França; for NOVA SBE, the Cascais line; for NOVA FCT, Almada.

Is it worth looking for a room outside Lisbon?

Often, yes. The Navegante Metropolitano pass covers the whole metropolitan area for the same price, and some municipalities have rents roughly 25 to 35% lower within 20 or 30 minutes of the centre, such as Amadora, Odivelas or Sintra.

Guides to other cities

Sources

idealista prices are asking prices in listings, not rents actually paid. INE's rent per m² refers to whole homes and is used to compare areas.