Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's top medical universities, consistently ranking in the global top 10 for life sciences. Thousands of international researchers arrive each year — for postdocs, visiting positions, sabbaticals, and project collaborations.
The good news: KI has invested in researcher housing. The challenging news: demand still outstrips supply.
KI Housing Options
🏢 KI Residence Solna (Primary Option)
Opened in August 2021, KI Residence Solna is a modern facility on the KI Solna campus with 408 rooms and apartments of various sizes. It includes social common areas and is specifically designed for international students and researchers.
- Contract: Up to 1 year, with extension up to 9 additional months
- Eligibility: International researchers and students at KI
- Apply: As early as possible — even before you have all documents
- Location: On campus in Solna, walking distance to labs
🏛️ Wenner-Gren Foundation Apartments
The Wenner-Gren Foundations offer furnished apartments to foreign guest researchers with a PhD working at Stockholm institutions.
- Quality: Well-maintained, central locations
- Wait time: Currently around 30 months
- Pro tip: Apply even if you won't need it for years — the queue time starts counting immediately
- Deadline: Apply within 6 months of arriving in Sweden
When You Don't Get KI Housing
The KI Postdoc Association has an excellent housing guide that reflects the real experience. Here's a summary:
⚠️ Stockholm Rental Market Reality
- Public queue (Bostadsförmedlingen): 7–11 year average wait. Requires personnummer.
- Campus Roslagen (Norrtälje): Available but ~1.5 hours commute to KI Solna. Only if desperate.
- Subletting: Most common option. Use Qasa (verified), Blocket, or KI's own subletting board.
- Private room (shared apartment): 4,000–9,000 SEK/month
- Studio: 7,000–20,000 SEK/month depending on size and location
KI Campuses & Commute
KI has two main campuses — this affects which housing makes sense:
| KI Campus | From Täby | From City Center | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| KI Solna | ~40 min | ~15 min | Main campus, most labs |
| KI Flemingsberg | ~55 min | ~35 min | Huddinge Hospital campus |
| SciLifeLab | ~40 min | ~15 min | Adjacent to KI Solna |
| Danderyds Sjukhus | ~15 min | ~25 min | Clinical research |
If you're at KI Solna or SciLifeLab, living north of the city (like Täby) is actually more convenient than many central locations — you avoid crossing through T-Centralen during rush hour.
If you're at Flemingsberg, you'd ideally live along the pendeltåg (commuter rail) line south of Stockholm.
What KI Researchers Need (But Rarely Get)
Based on the researchers we've hosted who work at KI:
- Fast internet for data transfer — genomics, imaging, and computational work requires serious bandwidth. Our 1 Gbps fiber handles this.
- Quiet environment for writing — postdocs spend evenings and weekends writing papers. A student corridor isn't ideal.
- Kitchen for actual cooking — not a shared kitchenette but a real kitchen with an oven, dishwasher, and fridge.
- Short-term flexibility — conference travel, fieldwork, and project timelines don't align with rigid 3-month minimums.
- Partner-friendly — many postdocs arrive with a partner who also needs a comfortable space while job hunting.
Coming to Karolinska?
Our rooms in Täby are 40 minutes from KI Solna and 15 minutes from Danderyds Sjukhus. 1Gbps fiber, full kitchen, workspace, garden, and sauna — from 5,900 SEK/month. We provide receipts for institutional reimbursement.