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 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 ** percent in Romania or around ** percent in Slovakia and Lithuania. These numbers were considerably higher than in France or Italy, where homeowners made up ** percent and ** 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.

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.

The price per square meter in a luxury apartment in Cape Town, South Africa, reached 5,600 U.S. dollars in 2018. It was double of the price measured in Umhlanga, also a city in South Africa, and second in the ranking. The index tracked the square meter price in selected prime apartments, measuring from 200 to 400 square meters, mainly in exclusive living complexes.

Florianópolis, SC, and São Paulo, SP, had the most expensive housing per square meter in Brazil in September 2023. The average square meter price of residential real estate in Florianópolis cost almost 10,200 Brazilian reals, whereas in Sao Paolo, it was about 9,800 Brazilian reals. From the 12 cities under observation, Salvador, BA, had the most affordable housing, with the average house price at 5,500 Brazilian reals. Overall, house prices in Brazil have risen year-on-year since 2018.

The Balearic Islands, Guipúzcoa, and the Community of Madrid topped the list of provinces of Spain with the most expensive house prices in December 2023. In the Balearic Islands, the average square meter house for housing was over 4,000 euros. In contrast, the cheapest province to buy a property in Spain was the province of Ciudad Real.

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.

As of 2024, Casablanca was the Moroccan city with the highest average prices for villas and apartments. These amounted to 16,457 Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per square meter (roughly 1,677 U.S. dollars) and 12,503 MAD per square meter (roughly 1,274 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.

The sixth arrondissement of Paris was the area with the highest residential real estate price in the French capital as of May 2025. In this arrondissement, which includes several historical sites like Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Académie Française, and the Jardin du Luxembourg, the average price per square meter amounted to over ****** euros. Paris is known for being one of the most expensive European cities to rent an apartment. The price difference in the twenty arrondissements of Paris The French capital is divided into twenty arrondissements, which correspond to administrative districts. Because of their geographical situations in regards with the economic centers of the city of Paris, as well as their environments and the living conditions they offer, arrondissements do not have the same average price per square meter. For example, the average square meter price for an apartment in cosmopolitan districts like the 19th and the 20th arrondissements, located in the northeastern part of the city, amounted to around ***** euros, compared to close to ****** euros in Le Marais (4th arrondissement). Paris was by far the most expensive city in France, regardless of the location of the accommodation. In 2023, the average price per square meter for rental flats reached ** euros in Paris and ** euros in Marseille, France’s second-largest city. The rise in rental prices in European cities It appears cities in Europe have seen their rental prices increasing over the past years. In Germany, for instance, if Berlin used to be described as “poor but sexy” (to quote Berlin’s former mayor Klaus Wowereit), it appears that the German capital is not unaffected by the rise in rents. From 2016 to 2022, the average rent price of residential property in Berlin went from *** euros per square meter to **** euros five years later.

In Germany, apartments were most expensive in Munich, with the average square meter price as high 9,620 euros. In Cologne, on the other hand, the average square meter price was about 5,240 euros. According to the house price index in Germany, house prices in the country have risen steadily in recent years.

In 2023, the most expensive residential rental market in Europe was London (inner) with rental costs of approximately 33.8 euros per square meter. Dublin and Paris followed with rental costs of 31.5 and 31.3 euros per square meter. Rents increased across most markets - a trend that could also be observed in the housing market. How much does an apartment cost in different European cities? Renting a furnished studio apartment in some of the leading cities in Europe can cost anywhere between 500 euros monthly (Budapest) and 2,000 euros (Amsterdam) per month. For afurnished one-bedroom apartment in Paris, France, one may be expected to pay on average 1,900 euros monthly. Which countries have the most affordable housing? The house price to rent ratio is an indicator of the affordability of owning housing over renting across European countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by a rent price index. The higher the ratio, the more the gap between house prices and rental rates has widened since 2015 when the index base was 100. As of the fourth quarter of 2021, Finland, Italy, and Belgium had the lowest house price to rent ratio, meaning that buying a house was most affordable there compared to renting.

Leblon, Ipanema, and Lagoa were the most expensive neighborhoods to buy and apartment in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in October 2022. The square meter price of an apartment cost on average over 3,000 U.S. dollars, with Leblon achieving prices as high as 4,200 U.S. dollars per square meter. In Joá, on the other hand, the apartments prices were half of Ipanema's average.

Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was one of the most expensive neighborhoods for residential property in Latin America in 2023, with an average square meter price of almost 5,500 U.S. dollars per square meter. Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro and Del Valle in Monterrey completed the top three with average price of about 4,000 U.S. dollars per square meter respectively.

In August 2024, Ostozhenka, Center of Moscow, and Arbat were the leading districts of the Russian capital in terms of apartment prices. The average price of an apartment in the Ostozhenka district was set at 542,744 Russian rubles per square meter.

Stockholm was the city with the most expensive apartments in Sweden in 2024. An apartment in Stockholm cost approximately 7,700 euros per square meter as of the first quarter of the year, while in Gothenburg, the average price was roughly 4,700 euros per square meter. Malmö was most affordable, with an average price of 2,750 euros per square meter. In Sweden, about 65 percent of the population lives in an owner-occupied home. How do prices in Sweden compare to the rest of Europe? The Swedish capital ranked among the 10 most expensive cities in Europe for buying an apartment in 2024. Becoming the owner of an apartment in Stockholm was slightly more affordable than in Amsterdam, but slightly more expensive than in Innsbruck, Frankfurt and Oslo. Is housing in Sweden affordable? The growth of house prices in Sweden slowed down in 2022, allowing incomes to catch up and affordability, as measured by the house price-to-income ratio, to improve. Generally, Sweden has a better housing affordability than most OECD countries that report the indicator.

The average square meter price of new residential real estate in Spain was the highest in Catalonia and the Community of Madrid in 2024. In the second quarter of the year, both regions boasted home prices of over 4,000 euros per square meter. That was substantially higher than the average for the country, which amounted to 2,930 euros per square meter. Overall, house prices in Spain have been on the rise since 2016.

Cumbayá was the most expensive neighborhood for residential real estate in Quito, Ecuador in 2022. As of August 2022, the cost of an existing two-bedroom apartment in this neighborhood was almost 1,600 U.S. dollars per square meter. Several neighborhoods, including Chilibulo, Solanda, and Pomasqui had significantly lower apartment prices.

Vienna was the most expensive city for new residential real estate in Central Europe in 2023, followed by Prague and Linz. The average transaction price in these cities was between 4,700 and 6,000 euros per square meter. Győr, Łódź, and Debrecen were the most affordable among the cities under observation, with a square meter price of less than 2,000 euros per square meter.

Brazil and Argentina are some of the Latin American countries with the highest average square meter price of an apartment as of November 2020. In Brazil, a 120 square meter apartment located in the center of a major city sold at around 4,833 per square meter. Rio de Janeiro is one of the Latin American cities where buying an apartment is most expensive.

The central district was the most expensive district for housing in Seville, Spain in 2023. The average square meter price cost on average 3,357 euros in December that year, which about 1,000 euros per square above the average price in Seville. At the other end of the spectrum was Torreblanca, where housing was the most expensive at 679 euros per square meter.