In 2024, Turkey, Iceland, Portugal, and Hungary had the highest house price to rent ratio index in Europe. The four countries ranked the highest, with house price to rent indices exceeding *** index points. The house price to rent ratio is an indicator of the affordability of owning housing over renting across European countries, with 2015 used as a base year. The higher the ratio, the more the gap between house prices and rental rates has widened since 2015 when the index amounted to 100. In terms of house price to income ratio, the top three countries were Portugal, Luxembourg, and Hungary Homeownership in Europe Homeownership varies widely across European countries. In some, such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland, homeownership is relatively low with less than ********** of people occupying a dwelling owned by a member of the household. In other countries (Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) more than **** of people were owner-occupiers with a mortgage. A third group of countries with a high homeownership rate without a housing loan includes many Eastern and South European countries, among which were Serbia, Romania, North Macedonia, Italy, and Bulgaria. Dwellings as a non-financial asset Dwellings, along with structures, land, and intellectual property, are classed as non-financial assets and form an important part of household wealth. Through sale, refinancing or renting, they can serve as an additional source of income. In 2022, France, Germany, and Norway were the European countries with the highest value of dwellings per capita as a non-financial asset with values between ****** and ****** euros per capita.

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 *** 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 ***** index points.

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.

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.

Table showing the country rankings based in the different metrics analysed

In 2024, Turkey had the highest inflation-adjusted house price index out of the ** European countries under observation, making it the country where house prices have increased the most since 2010. In Turkey, the house price index exceeded *** index points in the fourth quarter of 2024, showing an increase in real terms of *** percent since 2010, the baseline year for the index. Iceland and Estonia completed the top three, with an index value of *** and *** index points. In the past year, however, many European countries saw house prices decline in real terms. Where can I find other metrics on different housing markets in Europe? To assess the valuation in different housing markets, one can compare the house-price-to-income ratios of different countries worldwide. These ratios are calculated by dividing nominal house prices by nominal disposable income per head. There are also ratios that look at how residential property prices relate to domestic rents, such as the house-price-to-rent ratio for the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, these numbers are not available in a European overview. An overview of the price per square meter of an apartment in the EU-28 countries is available, however. One region, different markets An important trait of the European housing market is that there is not one market, but multiple. Property policy in Europe lies with the domestic governments, not with the European Union. This leads to significant differences between European countries, which shows in, for example, the homeownership rate (the share of owner-occupied dwellings of all homes). These differences also lead to another problem: the availability of data. Non-Europeans might be surprised to see that house price statistics vary in depth, as every country has their own methodology and no European body exists that tracks this data for the whole continent.

Statistical information about housing in order to evaluate parts of the housing policy of the department of housing. Actual housing situation / preferred housing situation / moving from one house to another / rent versus income ratio. Background variables: basic characteristics/ residence/ housing situation/ household characteristics/ occupation/employment/ income/capital assets/ education

Rent prices per square meter in the largest Dutch cities have been on an upward trend after a slight decline in 2020. Amsterdam remained the most expensive city to live in, averaging a monthly rent of 27.6 euros per square meter for residential real estate in the private rental sector. Monthly rents in Utrecht were around six euros cheaper per square meter. Both cities were above the average rent price of residential property in the Netherlands overall, whereas Rotterdam and The Hague were slightly below that. Buying versus renting, what do the Dutch prefer? The Netherlands is one of Europe’s leading countries when it comes to homeownership, having funded this with a mortgage. In 2023, around 60 percent of people living in the Netherlands were homeowners with a mortgage. This is because Dutch homeowners were able to for many years to deduct interest paid from pre-tax income (a system known in the Netherlands as hypotheekrenteaftrek). This resulted in the Netherlands having one of the largest mortgage debts across the European continent. Total mortgage debt of Dutch households reached a value of approximately 803 billion euros in 2023. Is the Dutch housing market overheating? There are several indicators for the Netherlands that allow to investigate whether the housing market is overheating or not. House price indices corrected for inflation in the Netherlands suggest, for example, that prices have declined since 2022. The Netherlands’ house-price-to-rent-ratio, on the other hand, has exceeded the pre-crisis level in 2019. These figures, however, are believed to be significantly higher for cities like Amsterdam, as it was suggested for a long time that the prices of owner-occupied houses were increasing faster than rents in the private rental sector.

East Dunbartonshire, the city of Edinburgh, East Loathian and East Renfrewshire were the most xpensive regions for residential property in Scotland as of February 2025. The average house price in those regions were over 300,000 British pounds. In comparison, the average house price in Scotland was almost two times lower. Which are the most expensive streets to live in Scotland? With the average house price valued at approximately 3 million British pounds, Queen's Crescent, Auchterarder PH3 was the most expensive street for residential real estate in Scotland in 2024. This was almost twice higher than in the second-priciest street, Ann street, Edinburgh EH4. Compared to other regions in the UK, Scotland is affordable Though 3.6 million British pounds is an impressive figure, not all housing in Scotland falls in this price bracket. In fact, with an average house price of about 170,000 British pounds, Scotland is the third most affordable region for first-time home buyers. Furthermore, it has the second lowest rent to income ratio in the UK.

Bucharest, Riga, and Tallin were the cities with the highest prime warehouse yields in Europe in the third quarter of 2024. Conversely, the major markets in Germany had warehouse yields of **** percent, which was the lowest across the European cities in the ranking. Other markets with low yields were London, Paris, and Rotterdam. In real estate, yield is a measure of the rate of return and is calculated as the ratio of the annual income to the total investment cost. Yields in markets with higher property values are typically lower, displaying lower investment risk due to better capital value and rental growth prospects over the period of the investment. That can be seen in markets such as London, Paris, and Berlin, which despite being among the most sought after investment destinations, had some of the lowest prime yields. How have yields developed in recent years? As a function of income and costs, many political and market factors can contribute to yield fluctuation. In Germany, prime warehouse yields declined steadily between 2014 and 2021, followed by an increase in 2022 and 2023. The rise in net prime yields reflects a slowdown in commercial property values amid a decline in the investment market. Investment in industrial and logistics real estate Industrial and logistics emerged as one of the most resilient commercial real estate sectors after the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses sought strategies to strengthen supply chains and boost e-commerce. Nevertheless, challenges in the commercial real estate market related to a tougher lending environment, asset repricing, and a worsening investor sentiment caused commercial real estate investment volumes in Europe to plummet in 2023. This also affected the industrial and logistics real estate investments, with the value of capital allocated to the sector reaching the lowest value since 2016.

What is the average price of residential property in the Netherlands? In the third quarter of 2024, a single-family home cost approximately 434,000 euros. There were large differences between the Dutch provinces, however. Single-family homes were most expensive in the central province of Utrecht with an average price of 731,000 euros, whereas a similar house in Groningen had an average price tag of 384,000 euros. Overall, the average price a private individual would pay when buying any type of existing residential property (such as single-family homes but also, for example, an apartment) was approximately 416,000 euros in 2023. Do the Dutch prefer to buy or to rent a house? The Netherlands had a slightly higher homeownership rate (the share of owner-occupied dwellings of all homes) in 2023 than other countries in Northwestern Europe. About 70 percent of all Dutch houses were owned, whereas this percentage was lower in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. This is an effect of past developments: the price to rent ratio (the development of the nominal purchase price of a house divided by the annual rent of a similar place with 2015 as a base year) shows that the gap between house prices and rents has continuously widened in recent years. Despite a slight decline in the ratio due to slowing house price growth and accelerating rental growth, in 2023, the cost of buying a home had grown significantly faster relative to the cost of renting. Mortgages in the Netherlands Additionally, the Netherlands has one of the highest mortgage debts among private individuals in Europe. In 2024, total debt exceeded 839 billion euros. This has a political background, as the Dutch tax system allowed homeowners for many years to deduct interest paid on mortgage from pre-tax income for a maximum period of thirty years, essentially allowing for income support for homeowners. In the Netherlands, this system is known as hypotheekrenteaftrek. Note that since 2014, the Dutch government is slowly scaling this down, with a planned acceleration from 2020 onwards.

London is the most expensive city for office real estate in Europe. In 2023, the per square foot cost of office space in London was higher than in any other European city. In West End, a Grade A office cost about 90 British pounds per square foot in 2023. Prime offices were even more expensive, at 135 British pounds per square meter. Office yields Prime yields in Central London fluctuate depending on the district, but West End areas tend to have lower yields compared to other areas, such as Stratford or Canary Wharf. The prime office yield in Mayfair/St. James' in 2023 was the lowest among the major London office submarkets. In real estate, yields measure the potential return of a rental property and are calculated as the ratio of the property's rental income to the investment cost. Typically, prime office yields in London are lower than the rest of the UK, which is mostly due to the highly competitive market and high investment costs. Vacancy rates Despite the high office rental costs in England’s capital city, vacancy rates in many of London's main office markets were below seven percent in 2023. This is good news for the office sector, as during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the share of vacant office space across all Central London districts spiked dramatically. Compared to other European cities, London was in the middle of the ranking, alongside Frankfurt and Lisbon.