A major issue remains housing throughout Europe, Not only as regards the availability of housing but also as regards accessibility as houses tend to be more expensive in capital cities, large urban centres and tourist areas.
Two of Europe's five major economies have capitals in the top-5 of the most expensive cities
Especially in Greek tourist destinations, price rises are largely fueled by the interest of foreign buyers. According to the data, our country seems to have acquired features for many international investors «safe shelter», combining quality of life and prices still considered competitive in relation to other mature European markets.
However, the purchase prices of the apartments in urban and tourist centres show huge differences between European countries, while only two of the five major economies in Europe have their top-10 capitals with the most expensive cities – London and Paris.
According to the report «Mapping the World’s Principles 2026», published by the Deutsche Bank Research Institute, of the 28 European cities being examined, the highest prices per square to buy housing are in Switzerland (central photography).
Athens is at the other end of the list together in Istanbul, as the two cheapest cities to buy housing, however the Greek housing problem seems to be particularly acidic compared to other European countries when considered in proportion to income.
According to a survey by the ETU Institute on behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation, Athens is proportionately more expensive than traditional «pinched» European capitals when compared to the minimum wage.
Market for housing in Europe: The ranking of cities
At the top of the list, as presented by Euronews, For the purchase of housing in cities there are two Swiss cities. Zurich, where the average/indicative price for an apartment is EUR 22,910 per square meter and Geneva at a corresponding price at EUR 19,439.
Third in the ranking is London, with 17,241 the quadrant. In fact, prices are 35% higher than Paris that follows in fourth place. According to the report, real estate in the French capital is comparatively cheaper than in the British capital, with the price per square metre being EUR 12,771.
Vienna completes the first five, with a purchase price of EUR 12,483 per square metre. The Austrian capital follows Munich, the most expensive among the three German cities on the list. In Munich, the average/indicative market price is EUR 11,435 per square metre, particularly increased in relation to Berlin and Frankfurt, ranging slightly above EUR 7,000.
The city of Luxembourg is located just below (11,011 euros) followed by three Nordic cities. The capitals of Denmark and Sweden – Copenhagen with 10,191 euros and Stockholm with 10,037 euros – and in the top ten the capital of Norway, Oslo, with a purchase price of 9,785 euros per square meter. The next Nordic city, Helsinki in Finland, ranks 13th place with EUR 8,431 per square meter.
Then we find cities in Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Milan and Amsterdam are located just above the Finnish capital, with 9,378 and 9,273 euros per square meter respectively. Prague, just below Helsinki, is more expensive than the capitals of Spain and Germany, Madrid (7,831 euros) and Berlin (7,613 euros). The average/indicative price in Prague in the city centre is €8,352.
Here are Rome with EUR 7,328 per square meter, Dublin with EUR 7,185 and Frankfurt with EUR 7,162. Over the 6,000-euro barrier is Lisbon (6,636 euros) and Barcelona (6,485 euros).
The cheapest of the cities concerned in Europe is Athens and Istanbul, with 3,442 euros per square and 2,646 euros per square meter. Just above is Brussels, the capital of the EU, taking third place since the end. The price per square meter for buying an apartment there is EUR 4,380.
Birmingham in the United Kingdom (4,671 euros) is below the 5,000 euros threshold, while Budapest (5.243 euros), Warsaw (5,443 euros) and Edinburgh (5,708 euros) are above this level. The simple average in 28 cities is EUR 9,090 per square meter.
Price variation for home 80m2
On the basis of the data in the report, the cost of purchasing an 80 square meter apartment in cities of three European countries – Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France – exceeds one million euros.
Based on the average/indicative price of the list, the cost of buying a house in Zurich is close to 2m euros, in Geneva exceeds 1.5m euros. It follows London with almost 1,380,000 Euro market price and Paris with just over 1,000,000 euros. In all the cities on the list, the average price for an 80 square-square apartment is about 727,000 euros.
In all 69 cities analysed in the report, the most expensive is Hong Kong and the cheapest Cairo – EUR 23.790 per square meter and EUR 784 respectively. Here are Zurich (EUR 22,910) and Seoul (EUR 21,897). In addition to Cairo, under the 1,000-euro limit the square meter is also Johannesburg (913-euro).
However, market prices in absolute numbers reflect only one aspect of the housing problem. Athens may be in the cheapest European cities in terms of price per square metre, but available income remains the crucial factor that shapes our ability to have a home.
