The average transaction price of new housing in Europe was the highest in Norway, whereas existing homes were the most expensive in Austria. Since there is no central body that collects and tracks transaction activity or house prices across the whole continent or the European Union, not all countries are included. To compile the ranking, the source weighed the transaction prices of residential properties in the most important cities in each country based on data from their national offices. For example, in Germany, the cities included were Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin. House prices have been soaring, with Sweden topping the ranking Considering the RHPI of houses in Europe (the price index in real terms, which measures price changes of single-family properties adjusted for the impact of inflation), however, the picture changes. Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway top this ranking, meaning residential property prices have surged the most in these countries. Real values were calculated using the so-called Personal Consumption Expenditure Deflator (PCE), This PCE uses both consumer prices as well as consumer expenditures, like medical and health care expenses paid by employers. It is meant to show how expensive housing is compared to the way of living in a country. Home ownership highest in Eastern Europe The home ownership rate in Europe varied from country to country. In 2020, roughly half of all homes in Germany were owner-occupied whereas home ownership was at nearly 97 percent in Romania or around 90 percent in Slovakia and Lithuania. These numbers were considerably higher than in France or Italy, where homeowners made up 65 percent and 72 percent of their respective populations.For more information on the topic of property in Europe, visit the following pages as a starting point for your research: real estate investments in Europe and residential real estate in Europe.

Hungary, Czechia, Poland, and Portugal were the countries in Europe where house prices increased the most between 2015 and 2024. The EMF house price index for all three countries measured more than 200 index points, indicating that home prices more than doubled since 2015 - the base year. Property prices are tightly connected with the supply of new homes. France, Poland, and Denmark are some of the countries with the most dwellings completed per 1,000 citizens in Europe.

The house price to income index in Europe declined in almost all European countries in 2023, indicating that income grew faster than house prices. Portugal, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands led the house price to income index ranking in 2023, with values exceeding 125 index points. Romania, Bulgaria, and Finland were on the other side of the spectrum, with less than 100 index points. The house price to income ratio is an indicator for the development of housing affordability across OECD countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 chosen as a base year. A ratio higher than 100 means that the nominal house price growth since 2015 has outpaced the nominal disposable income growth, and housing is therefore comparatively less affordable. In 2023, the OECD average stood at 117.4 index points.

Key information about House Prices Growth

• EU house prices grew 3.8% YoY in Sep 2024, following an increase of 3.0% YoY in the previous quarter.
• YoY growth data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2006 to Sep 2024, with an average growth rate of 3.6%.
• House price data reached an all-time high of 11.2% in Dec 2006 and a record low of -4.8% in Jun 2009.

Geneva, Switzerland, was the most expensive city to buy an apartment in Europe in the first quarter of 2024. The square meter price in Geneva was nearly 15,650 euros in that quarter, about 2,000 euros higher than the second city in the ranking, Zurich. Cost of rent Rents across the major cities in Europe increased significantly in 2023. One of the main factors driving high rents across European cities is the same as any other consumer-driven business. If demand outweighs supply, prices will inflate. The drive for high paid professionals to be located centrally in prime locations, mixed with the low levels of available space, high land, and construction costs, all help keep rental prices increasing. Mortgage rates The average mortgage interest rates across Europe in 2023 were all under five percent, except in Czechia, Romania, Hungary, and Poland. On an individual level, a difference of one percent would most likely mean thousands of euros in interest on the mortgage a person is paying, making timing key in house purchasing. Mortgage interest rates tend to be lower in Nordic countries due to the financial stability and reliability of its borrowers. Other factors that influence the mortgage interest rates include inflation, economic growth, monetary policies, the bond market and the overall conditions of the housing market. More stable markets also tend to have higher average prices.

How much more expensive are houses in European capital cities than in the rest of the country? Of all the capital cities in Europe, prices in Paris had the highest disproportion to the national average in 2023. A new house in the French capital cost more than three times the price of a house outside the city. This was followed by Barcelona, Munich and Athens.

In 2024, Poland, Bulgaria, and Russia exhibited the highest inflation-adjusted increase in house prices among the countries under observation. In the first quarter of the year, house prices in all three countries grew by over 10 percent in real terms, whereas globally, prices declined by one percent. The country with the highest price drop was Luxembourg, at almost 14 percent. France and Germany also experienced a notable decline in prices, at seven and eight percent, respectively. These figures are based on the development of the real house price index, with 2010 chosen as a baseline year. When looking at the long-term index development, Turkey observed the biggest increase in prices in the region. When looking at the average house price in the major European markets, Norway emerged as the country with the most expensive residential property. Meanwhile, cities such as Geneva, Zurich, and London had the highest average apartment prices.

The figures of existing own homes are related to the stock of existing own homes. Besides the price indices, figures are also published about the numbers sold, the average purchase price, and the total sum of the purchase prices of the sold dwellings. The House Price Index of existing own homes is based on a complete registration of sales of dwellings by the Dutch Land Registry Office (Kadaster) and the (WOZ) value of all dwellings in the Netherlands. Indices can fluctuate, for example when a limited number of dwellings of a certain type is sold. In such cases we recommended using the long-term figures. The average purchase price of existing own homes may differ from the price index of existing own homes. The change in the average purchase price, however, is not an indicator for price developments of existing own homes.

Data available from: January 1995 - 2017

Status of the figures: The figures are definitive.

Changes as of 21 February 2014: Price information for 2008 onwards has been revised because of an improvement in the weighting scheme. The weighting scheme is based on the stock of existing own homes instead of the stock of all existing homes. The effect of the revision is very small.

Changes as of 21 February 2018: None, this table has been discontinued. This table is followed by the table House Price Index; existing own homes 2015 = 100. See paragraph 3

When will new figures be published? Does not apply.

This page is no longer being updated. Please use the UK House Price Index instead.

Mix-adjusted house prices, by new/pre-owned dwellings, type of buyer (first time buyer) and region, from February 2002 for London and UK, and average mix-adjusted prices by UK region, and long term Annual House Price Index data since 1969 for London.

The ONS House Price Index is mix-adjusted to allow for differences between houses sold (for example type, number of rooms, location) in different months within a year. House prices are modelled using a combination of characteristics to produce a model containing around 100,000 cells (one such cell could be first-time buyer, old dwelling, one bedroom flat purchased in London). Each month estimated prices for all cells are produced by the model and then combined with their appropriate weight to produce mix-adjusted average prices. The index values are based on growth rates in the mix-adjusted average house prices and are annually chain linked.

The weights used for mix-adjustment change at the start of each calendar year (i.e. in January). The mix-adjusted prices are therefore not comparable between calendar years, although they are comparable within each calendar year. If you wish to calculate change between years, you should use the mix-adjusted house price index, available in Table 33.

The data published in these tables are based on a sub-sample of RMS data. These results will therefore differ from results produced using full sample data. For further information please contact the ONS using the contact details below.
House prices, mortgage advances and incomes have been rounded to the nearest £1,000.
Data taken from Table 2 and Table 9 of the monthly ONS release.

Download from ONS website

Affordability ratios calculated by dividing house prices for existing dwellings, by gross annual residence-based earnings. Based on the median and lower quartiles of both house prices and earnings in England and Wales.

Austria had the highest average transaction price of a new dwelling in Europe in 2023 at over 4,920 euros per square meter. Germany had the second-highest average transaction price at 4,700 euros per square meter. Bosnia and Herzegovina had the lowest average transaction price of the countries included, with 1,315 euros per square meter during the same period.

This table shows the average purchase price that has been paid in the reporting period for existing own homes purchased by a private individual. The average purchase price of existing own homes may differ from the price index of existing own homes. The average purchase price is no indicator for price developments of owner-occupied residential property. The average purchase price reflects the average price of dwellings sold in a particular period. The fact that de dwellings sold differs from one period to another is not taken into account. The following instance explains which problems are entailed by the continually changing of the quality of the dwellings sold. Suppose in February of a particular year mainly big houses with extensive gardens beautifully situated alongside canals are sold, whereas in March many small terraced houses are sold. In that case the average purchase price in February will be higher than in March but this does not mean that house prices are increased. See note 3 for a link to the article 'Why the average purchase price is not an indicator'.

Data available from: 1995

Status of the figures: The figures in this table are immediately definitive. The calculation of these figures is based on the number of notary transactions that are registered every month by the Dutch Land Registry Office (Kadaster). A revision of the figures is exceptional and occurs specifically if an error significantly exceeds the acceptable statistical margins. The average purchasing prices of existing owner-occupied sold homes can be calculated by Kadaster at a later date. These figures are usually the same as the publication on Statline, but in some periods they differ. Kadaster calculates the average purchasing prices based on the most recent data. These may have changed since the first publication. Statistics Netherlands uses figures from the first publication in accordance with the revision policy described above.

Changes as of 17 February 2025: Added average purchase prices of the municipalities for the year 2024.

When will new figures be published? New figures are published approximately one to three months after the period under review.

Rents in Germany continued to increase in all seven major cities in 2024. The average rent per square meter in Munich was approximately 19.8 euros — the highest in the country. Conversely, Düsseldorf had the most affordable rent, at approximately 13.1 euros per square meter. But how does renting compare to buying? According to the house price to rent ratio, house prices in Germany have risen faster than rents, making renting more affordable than buying. Affordability of housing in Germany In 2023, Germany was among the European countries with a relatively high house price to income ratio in Europe. The indicator compares the affordability of housing across OECD countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 chosen as a base year. Between 2012 and 2022, property prices in the country rose much faster than income, with the house price to income index peaking at 138 index points at the beginning of 2022. Slower house price growth in the following years has led to the index declining, as incomes catch up. Nevertheless, homebuyers in 2024 faced significantly higher mortgage interest rates, contributing to a higher final cost. How much does buying a property in Germany cost? Just as with renting, Munich was the most expensive city for newly built apartments. In 2024, the cost per square meter in Munich was almost 2,800 euros pricier than in the runner-up city, Frankfurt. Detached and semi-detached houses are usually more expensive. The price gap between Munich and the second most expensive city, Stuttgart, was nearly 4,000 euros per square meter.

This table shows the average House Price/Earnings ratio, which is an important indicator of housing affordability. Ratios are calculated by dividing house price by the median earnings of a borough.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is based on a 1 per cent sample of employee jobs. Information on earnings and hours is obtained in confidence from employers. It does not cover the self-employed nor does it cover employees not paid during the reference period. Information is as at April each year. The statistics used are workplace based full-time individual earnings.

Pre-2013 Land Registry housing data are for the first half of the year only, so that they are comparable to the ASHE data which are as at April. This is no longer the case from 2013 onwards as this data uses house price data from the ONS House Price Statistics for Small Areas statistical release. Prior to 2006 data are not available for Inner and Outer London.

The lowest 25 per cent of prices are below the lower quartile; the highest 75 per cent are above the lower quartile.
The "lower quartile" property price/income is determined by ranking all property prices/incomes in ascending order.
The 'median' property price/income is determined by ranking all property prices/incomes in ascending order. The point at which one half of the values are above and one half are below is the median.

Regional data has not been published by DCLG since 2012. Data for regions has been calculated by the GLA. Data since 2014 has been calculated by the GLA using Land Registry house prices and ONS Earnings data.

Link to DCLG Live Tables

An interactive map showing the affordability ratios by local authority for 2013, 2014 and 2015 is also available.

This dataset provides values for HOME OWNERSHIP RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The United Kingdom (UK) is the most expensive European country for annual costs of prime industrial rent at about 300 euros per square meter of industrial space in London Heathrow per year in 2023. Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Finland, and Luxembourg were the other European countries where the average annual cost of industrial prime rents in the capital city exceeded one hundred euros per square meter.

This table shows the price development of newly built and existing dwellings purchased by households. Aside from the price indices, Statistics Netherlands also publishes figures on the number, average purchase price and total sum of the purchase prices of the sold dwellings.

Data available from: 1st quarter 2015

Status of the figures: The figures in this table that are associated with existing homes (PBK) are final. The figures in this table that are associated with new dwellings (PNK) are one period provisional. The figures in this table that are associated with the number of sold dwellings and the average purchase price and related to newly built dwellings and total figures are four periods provisional.

Changes as of 2nd of October: New figures have been added for period 2nd quarter 2024.

Changes as of 27th of June 2024: The figures regarding new-build owner-occupied homes for the period 2023 have been corrected as a result of the application of a new methodology.

When will new figures be published? New figures are published in January 2025.

Portugal, the Netherlands and Austria are among the countries where house prices grew the most in comparison to income since 2015. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the house price to income ratio in the Netherlands and Austria exceeded 120 index points, indicating that since 2015, house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent. In Portugal, the index amounted to 153 index points in the same period. This was not the case in all countries in the ranking: In Finland, Bulgaria, and Romania, the opposite trend was observed, showing that incomes grew faster than house prices. The house price to income ratio is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by nominal income per capita, with 2015 chosen as the base year of the index. The ratio signifies the development of hosing affordability, with higher figures meaning housing is more unaffordable. There are other indices, such as RHPI (or house price indices corrected by inflation rates) which look at this as well.

Housing Index in Spain increased to 1972.10 EUR/SQ. METRE in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 1921 EUR/SQ. METRE in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Spain House Prices - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Affordability ratios calculated by dividing house prices for existing dwellings, by gross annual workplace-based earnings. Based on the median and lower quartiles of both house prices and earnings in England and Wales.