Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic and it’s a popular city for Erasmus students, expats, and digital nomads. For that reason, both short and long-term accommodation is in high demand.
Thanks to platforms like Flatio, Facebook Groups, and knowing the right Czech websites to look at it doesn’t have to be challenging to find a place to call home.
We personally find it important wherever you move (short or long-term) to find a place you can call home.
In this blog post, we’ve outlined how to find a place in Prague and what you need to look out for. With this guide, hopefully, you will easily be able to find a home in this beautiful city.
Finding affordable accommodation in Prague
In this post, we’ll go over some of our favourite platforms to at when finding your new home in Prague.
You will also be able to find some of the Czech apartment lingo that may seem (very) confusing if you’re not from the country!
Different types of rental options in Prague
When it comes to finding accommodation in Prague, whether short or long-term, you basically have two options: Finding a room in a shared apartment or finding your own place to call home.
Renting a room is often the easier and more affordable option and it requires less of a commitment as apartments often have a 12-month contract included.
But what if you don’t want to share a place with other people and also don’t want to sign a 12-month contract? Don’t worry, there is a way!
We all know Airbnb by now, but it has gotten to a point where it is just too expensive in Prague. However, there is an alternative.
The platform is called Flatio and it was created right here in the Czech Republic.
Finding your home through Flatio (good for short and long term)
With Flatio, you can book your next “home” for 5 days or more with no maximum duration.
During our last visit to Prague, we rented an apartment through Flatio. We stayed in a room in a shared apartment in Prague 10 (this one) and it was great!
We like Flatio because the homes (apartments, rooms, or houses) are fully furnished and provide everything to make you feel at home while you’re there.
Flatio was actually created specifically with digital nomads and remote workers in mind which makes it a lot more homey than some Airbnbs.
You are guaranteed fast wifi, a good workstation, and a place to cook.
If you’re looking for accommodation in Prague then Flatio is hands down the first platform to look at.
Flatshare Facebook Groups (good for mid-long term)
We personally think Facebook Groups are always hit or miss – but if you spend enough time in them you can find a total gem.
Most of the time these flatshare groups are people who already have an apartment and are looking for one person to fill a room for a given period of time.
There are definitely upsides and downsides to doing this as you may meet some really nice people and make some new friends moving into a flatshare.
There’s also a good chance that renting a room this way will be cheaper than through some of these online platforms.
However, it can also be tricky living with someone you don’t know or may not get along with. But if you’re on a budget and don’t care too much, this is a great option.
Again, it’s very hit or miss with flatshare and if that’s the way you want to go our best advice to you is don’t rush into one. Wait for the ‘perfect’ place to pop up with a person you get along with.
This is the Facebook Group we (and our expat friends) used back when we lived in Prague.
Using local Czech websites (good for long term rentals)
If you’re looking for an apartment for yourself or for you and your partner/friend there are a few options.
We usually use Bez Realitky because there’s no reality fee on this website.
There’s also S Reality where they show all the available flats in Prague by the specific area. It makes it easy to filter which areas you like or don’t like.
Unfortunately, on this site though, most apartments charge a 1 monthly realty fee for showing you the place should you decide to move in. Not ideal but that’s the way it is!
It’s something you have to get used to but unless you’re using Flatio it’s pretty common to have to pay a 1 month fee beforehand.
Cost of short and long-term rentals in Prague
The main thing to consider when moving to Prague is that the longer you stay somewhere, the more likely you are to get a better deal.
Sadly short-term travel can be a bit more expensive in certain places like Prague but that’s just the reality of it.
Below we’ve done a bit of a breakdown of costs for rooms or full apartments in Prague.
There are so many variables but this will at least give you a good idea of what to expect price-wise when moving here.
Flatio
Full apartment: 30,000 CZK / €1200 Euro and up (monthly)
Room in shared apartment: 21,000 CZK and up / 820 Euro and up (monthly)
With Flatio, you do pay a bit more than if you’re renting directly from a landlord but everything is included (wifi, utilities, etc.) and you have a proper contract that is signed by both the landlord and the tenant!
This is a very safe way to rent an apartment in Prague whether it’s for a short period of time or long term.
And keep in mind that with Flatio you do not have to pay a realtor fee so compared to other long-term accommodations, you save up to 1 month’s rent.
All communication will also be in English which is a huge bonus, and should you ever have any issues with the landlord (which you probably won’t as all apartments have been inspected), Flatio is there to help you out.
Flatshare Facebook Groups
Full apartment: 25,000 CZK / €990 Euro and up (monthly)
Room in shared apartment: 12,000 CZK and up / 480 Euro and up (monthly)
9 out of 10 times, you can get the cheapest deals in Facebook Groups – especially if you’re looking just for a room to rent in Prague.
The downside is that there are tons of scammers out there and you don’t always know who you’ll be moving in with properly before you move in.
Again, there are pros and cons of this but there are definitely great places to rent in Prague in these groups – sometimes you just have to dig a little bit!
Local Czech websites
Full apartment: 13,000 CZK / €1200 Euro and up + utilities (monthly)
Room in shared apartment: n/a
Local Czech websites like Bez Realitky and S Reality are great if you’re looking to find a long-term home in Prague.
As you can see, you can definitely find some good deals here as well but as a foreigner, the reality is that those cheaper places can be harder to get.
Both because landlords often prefer renting it out to locals and because not everyone speaks English.
These local sites are great if you’re looking for a long-term rental in Prague but keep in mind that these apartments are pretty much always +1 year commitment.
Some apartments come furnished and some come unfurnished – it totally depends.
In most cases, the gas, electricity, and internet will be transferred to you but sometimes an estimate is also included in the rent. You can see the amount when browsing the apartments.
Like in most cities, the price varies depending on how close to the center you want to live and how many bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. you want!
If you’re in Prague with a few friends who are all looking for a place, it will likely be cheaper to get a 2-3 bedroom place together than each renting a 1 bedroom for yourselves through a Facebook Group or Flatio.
Apartment terminology – what do you need to know?
Speaking of apartments, let’s talk about the terminology for a second…
We were so confused the first time we saw all these ads for different apartments. They all said “2kk”, “1+kk”, “2+1”, and we had no idea what this all meant.
Don’t worry! We’ve figured it out by now and can share the magical translation of what this all means in English for when you look for an apartment.
Apartments in the Czech Republic have some specifics when it comes to their description.
They do not word their flats as “2-bedroom flats” or “studios”. They have 2+1 and 1+kk. So let us explain what that means…
There are 2 parts of the apartment size that you should understand: The ones that end in ‘+ and a number’ and the ones that end in ‘+kk’. It’s actually fairly simple once you understand.
Let’s take 2+1 as the first example:
- The first number (2) means how many rooms there are in the apartment in total. It includes both the bedrooms and the living rooms. Most flats in Prague will mostly have 2 bedrooms.
- The second number after the plus (1) indicates the number of kitchens. It is common for Czech apartments and houses to have only one kitchen.
- In this case, it could be one bedroom and one living room and a kitchen or it could be two bedrooms and a kitchen. You can look at the images of the apartments to figure out which one it is.
You may also come across some flats that have +kk instead of a number. Kk stands for kuchyňský kout = kitchen corner.
That means that the kitchen is not a separate room and the whole cooking area is placed in one of the rooms. This is quite often when the kitchen and the living room are connected.
So, let’s say you have a 2+kk:
- That means you have 1 bedroom and 1 room which happens to have a cooking area in it as well. So basically you would have 1 bedroom and 1 living room with a kitchen attached to it.
- If you’re looking at a studio you’d be looking for a 1+kk, your bedroom area and kitchen would all be in one room.
- When you are looking for an apartment, make sure you consider the size of the apartment in square meters, too. If you are not sure how the metric system works, you may use Google to convert the numbers to square feet or whatever system you’re used to.
- For example, a 72 m2 (square meters) apartment will convert to 775 f2 (square feet).
The different neighbourhoods in Prague
One thing you’ll likely want to consider when looking for a place to call home is the neighbourhood.
We have some neighbourhoods that we absolutely love here in Prague!
We’ve actually lived in multiple different apartments all over the city over the span of three years, so we have a bit of experience with the different areas and what each one has to offer.
The list below is to give you a bit of an idea of where you may want to live.
All of these areas are expat-friendly and we’ve either lived there ourselves or have friends who at some point in time used to live there.
Prague 1 – Old Town
(Downtown Prague)
Pros:
- You’re in the middle of the city
- Close to everything
- Public transport everywhere
Cons:
- Not many parks nearby
- Can be noisy
- A bit more expensive
Prague 2 – Vinohrady
(This is where we lived for two years). Also, Vinohrady was actually nominated as one of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2023 by TimeOut.
Pros:
- Expat community. This is where a lot of expats live
- Close to 2 amazing parks; Riegrovy and Havlicek
- Beautiful streets
- Yummy cafes and restaurants everywhere
Cons:
- Apartments can be pricier
Prague 3 – Zizkov
Pros:
- Expat community. This is where a lot of expats live
- Close to JZP (Jiřího z Poděbrad) with lots of cafes, a park, and a farmers market
- Close to the parks Riegrovy and Parkurarka
- By the beloved TV tower
Cons:
- It can get quite busy and noisy
- Lots of traffic
- Further down in Zizkov there are often homeless people walking around
Prague 7 – Holesovice
Pros:
- Can find a bit cheaper rent than in other parts of town
- Close to Letna Park and Beer Garden! Great place to spend time in the summer
- A hip part of town close to good cafes and restaurants
- Away from all the crowds and tourists
Cons:
- A bit further away from the center than other neighbourhoods
- Less expat than other parts of town but still a young vibe
Prague 8 – Karlin
Pros:
- New up-and-coming part of town
- Full of students and expats
- Great restaurants and cafes
- Lots to do right in Karlin
Cons:
- Can be hit or miss with the apartments. Some are still super old and run down
Other random things about renting an apartment in Prague
One thing that really stood out to us is that when you go look for an apartment lots of them will actually have agencies managing them.
As we mentioned before, oftentimes when you find a place you like you have to pay that agency a “1-month fee” for helping you find an apartment.
That is IF you decide to move into that apartment. (Something you don’t have to pay if you use Flatio).
So to save that “1-month fee” it’s a lot better if you can either take over someone else’s lease or just find a room for rent where you don’t have to pay that fee.
It’s also to get a feel for the landlord because it’s really hit or miss in Prague.
Some landlords are great, friendly, and super easy to deal with. On the other hand, some can be the complete opposite.
So if you know someone who lives in a building with a great landlord try and ask them to ask their landlord if they have a new unit up for rent in the near future.
If you’re going on a Zivno visa from the US, you’ll need your landlord’s help with their signature for your visa, so better find someone who’s willing to do that.
Most landlords are willing to help you with this though. For more information on moving to Prague, check out our e-book here.
You may also like…
- The Ultimate Prague Packing List in 2024
- Cost of Living in Prague – Everything You Need to Know
- 8 Reasons Why You’ll Love Living in Prague
- Move to Prague to Teach English
Summary of renting an apartment in Prague
It may seem like there’s a bunch to look over before finding a new place to live but it’s better to be over-prepared when it comes to finding a place to live.
It’s a place where you spend a lot of your time so it’s good to do your research and pick a place you truly enjoy.
Good luck with your apartment hunting in Prague and we hope you find a place that you truly love.
If you have any questions about anything feel free to comment on the post or DM us on Instagram and we’ll try to help you out!
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