RE: Converting Europe Into Open Air Museum (Real Estate Mania) .:. Late Night Blogging

You have raised quite a few questions here.
As for studying, it's similar for me. My older son is studying in a big city. We were lucky enough to get him into a dorm where he has a room for €150 a month. If he had to go to a private room, it would be somewhere around €250.
But we live in a small town, let's say medium touristic for Slovenia, there are plenty of rooms available, but they all go through Airb'n'b. And mainly for foreign workers who rent it for extended periods. But there is also a debate here; for example, in the bigger cities, there is a housing shortage, and because it is a left-wing government, they have made it illegal by law to issue rooms on a short-term basis, i.e., through Airbnb or Booking. If that will solve the housing problem, I very much doubt it.
I have a flat, so I do not have to pay rent. My parents and my wife's parents have two old houses, but they need to be maintained, which is a considerable expense. They are not worth selling in a small town, so I don't know what we are going to do with them at the moment—not even enough for a one-bedroom flat in a bigger town.