Student housing in Tenerife: 3 options to find your home

As a student in Tenerife, you have three options for housing: a room in a flatshare, a studio or small apartment for yourself, or a place in a University of La Laguna (ULL) residence. A flatshare is the most common solution: according to an elDiario.es report published in late August 2026, a room in La Laguna costs students between 300 and 500 euros per month.

For a ULL student, the two logical areas are San Cristóbal de La Laguna, the island's university town, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the neighbouring capital. The market there is tight: the students interviewed describe rents that rise every year, old homes offered at high prices and scam attempts as the start of term approaches. Residence places are half as numerous as applications.

Here is what each option costs, where to search and how to avoid the pitfalls before signing.

Flatshare, studio or residence: what each option costs

A room in a flatshare

This is the most accessible arrangement. In La Laguna, a room rents for between 300 and 500 euros per month according to elDiario.es. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the average price of a room reaches 430 euros per month according to the idealista portal (September 2026), the second-highest price among capitals outside the big markets, just behind Pamplona.

The advertised price sometimes includes charges (water, electricity, internet), sometimes not. Always ask what is included: according to our city page, these charges come to 100 to 180 euros per month for a whole home, to be split between flatmates.

A studio or apartment for yourself

The gap with a room is large. According to idealista, a one-bedroom apartment rents for an average of 887 euros per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 979 euros across the province. Our city page gives consistent ranges: from 600 to 800 euros for a studio or T1 in the north of the island, from 850 to 1,200 euros for a two-bedroom apartment. In the tourist south (Los Cristianos, Costa Adeje), count 800 to 1,100 euros for a studio, too far from the university for a ULL student.

With two people in a two-bedroom apartment in the north, each person's share drops to between 425 and 600 euros, roughly the price of a room. The Canary Islands remain one of the most expensive regions in Spain to rent in, at 15.2 euros per square metre on average in September 2026 according to idealista, behind Madrid, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.

The university residence

The ULL has 574 places spread across the colegios mayores San Fernando, San Agustín and Santa María and the Parque de las Islas residence, according to Canarias7. It received 1,274 applications within the ordinary deadlines for 2026-2027, more than two applicants per place. The public rate for the colegios mayores, meals included, is 720.62 euros per month, but it is reduced through a system of discounts based on family income. Apply as soon as the university's calendar opens and keep a fallback in the private market.