Student housing in Lausanne: shared flat, residence or studio?

As a student in Lausanne, you have three options: a room or studio in a student residence, a shared flat in an apartment, or a home rented alone on the open market. Residences are the simplest solution but places are scarce. The shared flat is often the best compromise, and the apartment of your own the most expensive option.

The market is very tight. On 1 June 2026, Statistique Vaud counted only 3,907 vacant homes in the whole canton, 1,172 of them available for sale only, a vacancy rate of 0.87%, far from the 1.5% threshold that corresponds to a balanced market. Advertised rents have also started rising again: according to the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (June 2026, Wüest Partner indices), they rose 10.9% in four years in the canton, after falling between mid-2014 and early 2022.

The University of Lausanne puts it bluntly: the market is very closed in the Lausanne region and, at the start of term, it is very hard to get a rental through an agency, especially when arriving from abroad. Hence the value of starting early and trying several leads.

Shared flats in Lausanne: how they work

A shared flat gives access to apartments that few students could afford alone. On the open market, expect between 1,500 and 2,200 CHF per month for a 2-room apartment and between 2,000 and 3,000 CHF for a 3-room apartment in mid-range neighborhoods. For two people in a 3-room apartment, each share therefore falls between 1,000 and 1,500 CHF, excluding charges. Charges (hot water, heating, upkeep of common areas) are added to the net rent, generally between 100 and 300 CHF per month depending on the size of the home.

There are two options:

• Taking over a room in an existing shared flat. This is the fastest: listings circulate notably on the Unil-EPFL listings portal, reserved for students, where you can find homes to rent or share.
• Renting an apartment as a group. Letting agencies then ask for an application for each flatmate and check that the rent remains affordable: the rule generally applied is that rent including charges should not exceed a third of gross income. For students, a guarantor residing in Switzerland is often required.

In all cases, put the split of rent, charges and deposit in writing, and check who is on the lease. In the case of a sublease, make sure the main tenant has the property manager's agreement.