Geneva stands out as Europe's most expensive city for apartment purchases in early 2025, with prices reaching a staggering 15,720 euros per square meter. This Swiss city's real estate market dwarfs even high-cost locations like Zurich and London, highlighting the extreme disparities in housing affordability across the continent. The stark contrast between Geneva and more affordable cities like Nantes, France, where the price was 3,700 euros per square meter, underscores the complex factors influencing urban property markets in Europe. Rental market dynamics and affordability challenges While purchase prices vary widely, rental markets across Europe also show significant differences. London maintained its position as the continent's priciest city for apartment rentals in 2023, with the average monthly costs for a rental apartment amounting to 36.1 euros per square meter. This figure is double the rent in Lisbon, Portugal or Madrid, Spain, and substantially higher than in other major capitals like Paris and Berlin. The disparity in rental costs reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the intricate balance of supply and demand in urban centers. Economic factors influencing housing costs The European housing market is influenced by various economic factors, including inflation and energy costs. As of April 2025, the European Union's inflation rate stood at 2.4 percent, with significant variations among member states. Romania experienced the highest inflation at 4.9 percent, while France and Cyprus maintained lower rates. These economic pressures, coupled with rising energy costs, contribute to the overall cost of living and housing affordability across Europe. The volatility in electricity prices, particularly in countries like Italy where rates are projected to reach 153.83 euros per megawatt hour by February 2025, further impacts housing-related expenses for both homeowners and renters.

The average price of detached and duplex houses in the biggest cities in Germany varied between approximately ***** euros and 10,000 euros per square meter in 2024. Housing was most expensive in Munich, where the square meter price of houses amounted to ***** euros. Conversely, Berlin was most affordable, with the square meter price at ***** euros. How have German house prices evolved? House prices maintained an upward trend for more than a decade, with 2020 and 2021 experiencing exceptionally high growth rates. In 2021, the nominal year-on-year change exceeded 10 percent. Nevertheless, the second half of 2022 saw the market slowing, with the annual percentage change turning negative for the first time in 12 years. Another way to examine the price growth is through the house price index, which uses 2015 as a base. At its peak in 2022, the German house price index measured about *** percent, which means that a house bought in 2015 would have appreciated by ** percent. Is housing affordable in Germany? Housing affordability depends greatly on income: High-income areas often tend to have more expensive housing, which does not necessarily make them unaffordable. The house price to income index measures the development of the cost of housing relative to income. In the first quarter of 2024, the index value stood at ***, meaning that since 2015, house price growth has outpaced income growth by about ** percent. Compared with the average for the euro area, this value was lower.

In 2024, Munich in Bavaria had the most expensive houses among the German cities listed, typically costing around *** million euros. By comparison, Bremen and Magdeburg had significantly lower prices, at ******* and ******* euros respectively.

House prices vary widely in the United Kingdom (UK), but housing in certain cities and counties is substantially pricier than in others. Surrey, for example, concentrated four of the most expensive towns to buy a home, including Virginia Water, Cobham, and Esher. With an average house price of over one million British pounds as of June 2024, housing in these towns cost roughly four times the national average. How did house prices change since the COVID-19 pandemic? Since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, demand for housing has been especially high, causing house prices to soar. Among major UK cities, the house price increase was most prominent in Belfast, where it rose by 5.5 percent in 2024. According to the UK House Price Index, the average annual house price increase on a national level was even higher. How long does it take to sell a house? With the demand for housing going strong and inventory running low, aspiring homeowners need to act faster than ever when making an offer on a home. The average number of days on market has continued shortening since the start of 2021 and was a little over a month as of October 2021. Surprisingly, selling a property took the longest in the UK’s most competitive market - London.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

As of 2024, Casablanca was the Moroccan city with the highest average prices for villas and apartments. These amounted to ****** Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per square meter (roughly ***** U.S. dollars) and ****** MAD per square meter (roughly ***** U.S. dollars), respectively. Moreover, the capital city, Rabat, followed as the second most expensive real estate hub in the country for both villas and apartments.

Telluride, CO, was the most expensive market for luxury single-family home market in the United States in 2025. In February that year, the median sales price of a single-family home in Telluride was 4.5 million U.S. dollars. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Park City, UT were other locations that fetched prices over four million U.S. dollars.

Turkey experienced the highest annual change in house prices in 2024, followed by Bulgaria and Russia. In the fourth quarter of the year, the nominal house price in Turkey grew by **** percent, while in Bulgaria and Russia, the increase was ** and ** percent, respectively. Meanwhile, many countries saw prices fall throughout the year. That has to do with an overall cooling of the global housing market that started in 2022. When accounting for inflation, house price growth was slower, and even more countries saw the market shrink.

Mexico's housing market demonstrates significant regional price variations, with Mexico City emerging as the most expensive area for residential property in 2024. The capital city's average house price of 3.91 million Mexican pesos far exceeds the national average of 1.73 million pesos, highlighting the stark contrast in property values across the country. This disparity reflects broader economic and demographic trends shaping Mexico's real estate landscape. Sustained growth in housing prices The Mexican housing market has experienced substantial growth over the past decade, with home prices more than doubling since 2010. By the third quarter of 2023, the nominal house price index reached 255.54 points, representing a 146 percent increase from the baseline year. Even when adjusted for inflation, the real house price index showed a notable 40 percent growth, underscoring the market's resilience and attractiveness to investors. The mortgage market is dominated by three main player types: Infonavit, Fovissste, and commercial banks including Sofomes. In 2023, Infonavit, a scheme by Mexico's National Housing Fund Institute which provides lending to workers in the formal sector, was responsible for the majority of mortgages granted to individuals. Challenges in mortgage lending Despite the overall growth in housing prices, Mexico's mortgage market has faced challenges in recent years. The number of new mortgage loans granted has declined over the past decade, falling by approximately 200,000 loans between 2008 and 2023. This decrease in lending activity may be attributed to various factors, including economic uncertainties and changing consumer preferences. The state of Mexico, which is home to 13 percent of the country's population, likely plays a significant role in shaping these trends, given its large demographic influence on the national housing market.

Florianópolis, SC, and Rio de Janeiro, RJ, had the most expensive housing in Brazil in July 2024. The average house price in Florianópolis, the capital of Southern Brazil's Santa Catarina state, cost close to 1.4 million Brazilian reals, whereas in Rio de Janeiro, it was about 1.2 million Brazilian reals. From the 12 cities under observation, João Pessoa had the most affordable housing, with the average house price at 600,000 Brazilian reals. House prices in Brazil have grown year-on-year since 2018.

The highest average price for residential property in Italy in September 2024 was registered in the region of Trentino South-Tyrol, followed by Aosta Valley and Liguria. These three regions ranked as the most expensive in the country also because of their strategic position, natural beauty and peculiarity. These characteristics make them economically successful and, from a touristic point of view, appealing to a wealthy public. In Trentino South-Tyrol, the square meter price of residential real estate was over ***** euros, nearly ***** euros above the country average. Lombardy: the most active market in the sector The region of Lombardy (which includes Milan) might not be as exclusive as the regions mentioned above, but its real estate market is the most active in Italy. In 2022, Lombardy registered over 165,000 transactions in the residential real estate segment. Moreover, the total value of these transactions amounted to almost ** billion euros. Milan, an attractive destination for investments Thanks to its role as a capital of business and finance as well as an innovation hub, Milan was able to attract human capital and investments, both domestic and foreign. The ability to grow and innovate was also reflected in the city’s real estate market, the most dynamic in the country. The number of transactions in residential real estate in Milan increased steadily since 2012 and so did prices: some areas of the city are among the most expensive in the country to buy a property.

Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux are the most expensive cities for residential real estate in France. In Paris, the average square meter price of an apartment was over 9,000 euros in October 2024, while the price for a house was even higher. Apartment prices in Paris went as high as 15,000 euros, depending on the arrondissement.

The UK housing market continued to show significant regional variations in 2025, with London maintaining its position as the most expensive city for homebuyers. The average house price in the capital stood at 555,625 British pounds in February, nearly double the national average. However, the market dynamics are shifting, with London experiencing only a modest 1.7 percent annual increase, while other cities like Belfast and Liverpool saw more substantial growth of over nine percent respectively. Affordability challenges and market slowdown Despite the continued price growth in many cities, the UK housing market is facing headwinds. The affordability of mortgage repayments has become the biggest barrier to property purchases, with the majority of the respondents in a recent survey citing it as their main challenge. Moreover, a rising share of Brits have reported affordability as a challenge since 2021, reflecting the impact of rising house prices and higher mortgage rates. The market slowdown is evident in the declining housing transaction volumes, which have plummeted since 2021. European context The stark price differences are mirrored in the broader European context. While London boasts some of the highest property prices among European cities, a comparison of the average transaction price for new homes in different European countries shows a different picture. In 2023, the highest prices were found in Austria, Germany, and France.

The quarterly pulse monitor expects the Dutch house prices to fall by **** percent in 2023 due to the decline in purchasing power, higher cost of borrowing and worsening economic conditions. The price of Dutch residential property in 2022 was approximately ******* euros. These developments came on top of other issues that were already prevalent in the Dutch housing market, such as the discussion about nitrogen and its effect on housing construction. The effects of nitrogen on the price of a house At the end of 2019, months before the coronavirus, there was already a lot of uncertainty whether their predictions would hold true. This had to do with the so-called “nitrogen decision” (in Dutch: stikstofbesluit) in May 2019. Simply put, a Dutch advisory body found that the domestic policy for nitrogen emission (formally known as Programmatische Aanpak Stikstof or Programmatic Approach Nitrogen) went against European rules. As of August 2019, a sizable share of the Dutch population was not familiar with this nitrogen policy. However, the advisory body’s decision led to an immediate stop to all construction in the country (amongst other things). By the end of 2019, this stop was still in place. For 2020, newly to be constructed houses have to comply to new rules regarding nitrogen emission. This puts new pressure on a housing market that already had to keep with increasing demand. How about the housing market in Amsterdam? In the year 2022, Amsterdam ranked as the most expensive city in the Netherlands to acquire an apartment, with an average price per square meter that was ***** euros more expensive than in Utrecht. Amsterdam was also well above the average rents found in other cities. A house in Amsterdam had a rent of approximately ** euros per square meter in 2023, whereas rents in Rotterdam cost roughly ** euros per square meter. It should be noted, however, that rent changes in the Dutch capital are significantly lower than those found in Rotterdam and especially Utrecht.

The median sales price of the existing privately owned single-family homes in the United States increased slightly in 2024. The most expensive homes were found in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, where the median sales price was 1.9 million U.S. dollars. Hawaii and Delaware experienced the strongest home appreciation.

Rents in Germany continued to increase in all seven major cities in 2024. The average rent per square meter in Munich was approximately **** euros — the highest in the country. Conversely, Düsseldorf had the most affordable rent, at approximately **** 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 *** 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 ***** 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 ***** euros per square meter.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Bulgaria, Spain, and Portugal registered the highest house price increase in real terms (adjusted for inflation). In Bulgaria, house prices outgrew inflation by nearly ** percent. When comparing the nominal price change, which does not take inflation into consideration, the average house price growth was even higher.

Meanwhile, many countries experienced declining prices, with Turkey recording the biggest decline, at ** percent. That has to do with a broader trend of a slowing global housing market.

House prices in Germany rose by about 12 percent in 2021 but price growth is forecast to slow down until 2024. According to a report by the Deutsche Bundesbank, the German housing market is set to experience a 1.2 percent increase in the average house price in 2023 and 3.2 percent increase in 2024. According to the source, despite higher construction costs, financing costs, and overall economic uncertainty, the high housing demand alongside insufficient supply are likely to continue to drive prices up. Residential real estate prices in the largest cities have grown substantially since 2012. In Munich - Germany's most expensive residential market - the square meter price reached almost 11,000 euros per square meter in 2022.

Oslo was the Norwegian city with the most expensive apartments and houses in 2024. In March that year, the average price per residential property in the Norwegian capital was approximately *** million Norwegian kroner. The city above the polar circle, Tromsø ranked second, with housing units costing on average nearly *** million Norwegian kroner. In 2019, there were over nine thousand dwellings sold in Norway. Housing types The largest share of Norwegian residential housing units in 2023 were detached houses, accounting for nearly half of the total housing market in the country. Moreover, a quarter of all occupied and vacant dwellings that year were blocks of flats and over one fifth were houses with two dwellings or row houses. Where are properties the most expensive? Within selected global property markets, Hong Kong had the most expensive housing prices in 2020. An average property would cost roughly **** million U.S. dollars in the former British colony. Munich ranked second, where the average property price amounted to roughly *********** U.S dollars.

Amsterdam is set to maintain its position as Europe's most expensive city for apartment rentals in 2025, with median costs reaching 2,500 euros per month for a furnished one-bedroom unit. This figure is double the rent in Prague and significantly higher than other major European capitals like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid. The stark difference in rental costs across European cities reflects broader economic trends, housing policies, and the complex interplay between supply and demand in urban centers. Factors driving rental costs across Europe The disparity in rental prices across European cities can be attributed to various factors. In countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, a higher proportion of the population lives in rental housing. This trend contributes to increased demand and potentially higher living costs in these nations. Conversely, many Eastern and Southern European countries have homeownership rates exceeding 90 percent, which may help keep rental prices lower in those regions. Housing affordability and market dynamics The relationship between housing prices and rental rates varies significantly across Europe. As of 2024, countries like Turkey, Iceland, Portugal, and Hungary had the highest house price to rent ratio indices. This indicates a widening gap between property values and rental costs since 2015. The affordability of homeownership versus renting differs greatly among European nations, with some countries experiencing rapid increases in property values that outpace rental growth. These market dynamics influence rental costs and contribute to the diverse rental landscape observed across European cities.