Housing prices in the European Union rose by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2026
compared to the same period in 2025, and rents
rose by 3%, according to Eurostat data released on July 2, 2026.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, housing prices in the EU rose by 1.2%,
rents - by 0.7%.
In the Eurozone, the dynamics were slightly lower: the housing price index in the first quarter
increased by 4.7% in annual terms and by 1% compared to the previous quarter. In the
fourth quarter of 2025, growth was 5.1% in the eurozone and 5.4% in the EU,
that is, the market remains on the rise, but the rate of annual price increases has somewhat
slowed down.
Among the EU countries for which data are available, house prices in annual terms
have decreased only in Finland - by 2%. The biggest price increase was recorded in
Portugal - by 17.8%, Bulgaria - by 14.8% and Slovakia - by 14.4%. Growth rates also remain high in Croatia - 14.3%, Spain - 12.8%, Lithuania
- 11.9%, Hungary - 11.2% and Latvia - 10.9%.
Quarterly, house prices increased in 22 EU countries and decreased in
four. Bulgaria - 6.2%, Portugal - 3.8% and Slovakia - 3.6% showed the greatest growth compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. Decreases were
recorded in Belgium and Finland - by 0.8% each, in France - by 0.6% and in Hungary
- by 0.5%.
Rents in the EU grew more slowly than purchase prices, but remained positive
in almost all countries. If we compare the first quarter of 2026 with the average
level of 2025, rents increased in all EU countries, except Slovenia, where it
decreased by 0.9%, and Finland, where the indicator did not change. The highest rent growth during this period was recorded in Croatia - 21.9%, Bulgaria - 6.4% and Greece - 5%. Eurostat data shows that the most overheated part of the European housing market is now shifting to the south and east of the EU. Portugal, Bulgaria, Slovakia,
Croatia and Spain are showing double-digit price growth, while some of the
old markets in Western and Northern Europe are growing much more slowly or
showing a correction. For example, in Germany, housing prices in the first quarter
increased by only 1.4% year-on-year, in France - by 0.1%, in Sweden - by 2.6%.
For Ukrainian buyers and investors in real estate, this statistic is important from a practical point of view. The fastest growth is observed precisely in countries that are
actively considered for relocation, recreation, rental business or
long-term investment, in particular in Portugal, Bulgaria, Croatia, Spain and
Greece. At the same time, rapid price appreciation means not only profit potential, but also a
higher risk of buying at the peak of the local cycle.
Eurostat also clarifies that the new housing and rental price indices have been
calculated to a new base of 2025ku, and the data in the previous database of 2015
remain available in the department's database. For Greece, European
aggregates use Bank of Greece data based on appraised value
as transactional house price data is not available.
