Students in Amsterdam can expect to pay almost 500 euros per month for a room in the capital, research by news site Sargasso and news agency ANP has revealed.

Price per square meter

The research was compiled by comparing the price per square meter of a room in 15.000 rooms offered online. At 493 euros per month a student in Amsterdam will pay an average of 36 euros per square meter, per month.

On the other end of the scale lie cities such as Tilburg, Groningen and Enschede where the average payment is 20 euros per square meter, per month, some 45 percent cheaper than in Amsterdam.

Severe shortage of student rooms

Large student cities such as Amsterdam and Utrecht have a severe shortage of student rooms, allowing landlords to charge high rents and still find tenants. "You often end up paying much too much for your room," Kai Heijneman, president of the Dutch National Students' Union (LSVb) says.

National Action Plan

In 2011 a National Action Plan was introduced which hopes to provide 16.000 rooms by 2016 with the collaboration of student housing authorities, local municipalities and the Dutch government.

While 5.000 rooms were built in 2012, the LSVb wants more empty office spaces converted into student housing in order to speed up the process of availability.

Source: Volkskrant