House prices and rents across the European Union continued to climb in the third quarter of 2025, reinforcing a long-term trend of rising housing costs, according to the latest figures released

by Eurostat.

Compared with the same period last year, house prices in the EU increased by 5.5%, while rents rose by 3.1%. On a quarterly basis, the upward momentum also remained visible: house prices were up 1.6% and rents increased by 0.9% compared with the second quarter of 2025.

The new data, drawn from Eurostat’s housing price and rent statistics, confirm that buying a home has become significantly more expensive across Europe, often outpacing growth in rental costs.

Different paths for prices and rents

Since 2010, house prices and rents have not always moved in tandem. While both indicators followed a similar pattern up to early 2011, their trajectories have diverged over the past decade. Rents have shown a steady and consistent rise, whereas house prices have been far more volatile, marked by periods of decline, stagnation and sharp increases.

Overall, the long-term picture is striking. Between 2015 and the third quarter of 2025, house prices across the EU surged by 63.6%, while rents increased by a more moderate 21.1%.

Sharp increases in Central and Eastern Europe

National figures highlight significant differences between EU countries. When comparing Q3 2025 with 2015, house prices rose faster than rents in 25 of the 26 EU countries for which data are available.

Hungary recorded the most dramatic increase, with house prices more than tripling (+275%). Prices more than doubled in 11 countries, with particularly strong growth in Portugal (+169%), Lithuania (+162%) and Bulgaria (+156%). Finland stood out as the only country where house prices fell over the period, declining by 2%.

Rents, meanwhile, increased in all 27 EU member states. The largest rises were again seen in Hungary (+107%), followed by Lithuania (+85%), Slovenia (+76%), Poland (+75%) and Ireland (+74%).

Growing pressure on households

The continued rise in both house prices and rents underscores the growing pressure on households across Europe, particularly in countries where property values have surged far faster than incomes. With housing costs remaining a key concern for policymakers, the latest figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing Europe’s housing market as it moves into 2026.