Student housing in Alicante: shared flat, residence or apartment?

Shared flat, residence or apartment: the options for a student in Alicante, 2026 rents and the neighbourhoods to look at.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

21 July 2023

Updated on

6 October 2026

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As a student in Alicante, you have in practice three options: a room in a shared apartment, a student residence, or an apartment rented on your own. A room in a shared flat is by far the most common option: according to the portal Idealista, cited by Cadena SER in April 2026, a room in a shared apartment rented for an average of €370 per month in the city of Alicante in the first quarter of 2026, up 4% over a year.

Renting alone costs markedly more. According to Idealista, reported by COPE in October 2026, the average asking rent in the city reached €13.9 per square metre per month in September 2026, double its June 2018 level (€6.9). Alicante is the large Spanish city where rents have risen the most over the period. For a student, an apartment on their own is therefore rarely justified, unless it is shared.

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Room, residence or apartment: what each option costs

The room in a shared flat

This is the most common and most flexible option. The figures converge around €360 to €370 per month on average: €370 according to Idealista, €362 according to an analysis by the company LIVE4LIFE, which specialises in room rentals for students, published by COPE in July 2026. That same analysis estimates that the price of a room has almost doubled in five years, from about €190 in 2021. Supply is growing too: Idealista counted 43% more room listings over a year in the first quarter of 2026.

Always check what the price covers: co-ownership charges (comunidad), water, electricity and internet are sometimes included, sometimes split between flatmates.

The student residence

Residences offer furnished rooms with services, but places are limited and book up early. Compare the all-inclusive price with a shared flat before committing, and read the cancellation terms.

The apartment on your own

Expect between €600 and €850 per month for a studio and between €900 and €1,150 for a one-bedroom apartment depending on the neighbourhood. According to the Idealista figures reported by CBNoticias, the asking rent in the city rose by 5.9% between September 2025 and September 2026, and by 7.1% across the whole province, which reaches €12.7 per square metre. Sharing a two- or three-room apartment remains the simplest way to cut the bill.

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The neighbourhoods to look at

San Vicente del Raspeig: next to the campus

The University of Alicante campus is in San Vicente del Raspeig, a neighbouring municipality. According to the analysis published by COPE, a room there rents for an average of between €300 and €360 per month. Students who choose this area avoid daily travel.

Centre and Playa de San Juan: city life, at a premium

In central Alicante and at Playa de San Juan, the same source puts rooms at around €380 to €420. Competition with tourist rentals and young professionals pushes prices up there. Expect a longer journey to the campus.

Benalúa, Carolinas and San Blas: the most affordable

Benalúa, a traditional residential neighbourhood close to the centre, and the Carolinas, to the north, quieter and with good value for floor area and price, offer rents below the city average. San Blas, working-class, is well served by city buses. These are good leads for a shared flat in a whole apartment.

Ensanche-Diputación

A central, modern neighbourhood, well connected, close to Postiguet beach. Rents there are at the top of the range: worthwhile mainly with several people.

Paperwork, contract and pitfalls to avoid

To sign a lease in Spain, landlords in practice ask for the NIE (foreigner identification number). Start the process as soon as possible: allow one to four weeks. Also prepare an ID, proof of enrolment at the university and proof of resources (scholarship, bank statement or parents' commitment).

Identify the type of contract. The Spanish urban leases law (LAU) distinguishes the housing lease, for a main residence, from the rental "by season", classed as a use other than housing and less protective. Many student rentals for the academic year fall into this second category: read the exact wording of the contract.
Know the amount of the deposit. The LAU requires a deposit (fianza) of one month's rent for a housing lease and two months for a use other than housing. For a housing lease, an additional guarantee can be requested, capped at two months' rent for contracts of up to five years.
Do an inventory with dated photos of each room on move-in: it is your best protection for getting the deposit back.
In a shared flat, check who signs the contract, how bills are split and what happens if a flatmate leaves during the year.
Pay nothing before viewing the home, in person or through someone you trust, and checking the landlord's identity.
Search at the right time. In summer, part of the supply shifts to tourist rentals. Searching is easier between September and May, but for the start of term, you need to start early.

Getting help to search remotely

From France, it is hard to view, compare listings in Spanish and react fast enough. A Remoters home finder based in Alicante can search for you according to your faculty and your budget, view rooms and apartments, prepare your application and review the contract before signing. The first conversation and the quote are free.