Bulgaria is second in the EU in the rise of property prices and rents in Q1 2026

Bulgaria is among the leaders in the European Union in the rise of housing prices and rents in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data. The country ranks second both in the growth of property prices and in the increase in rents.

Year-on-year, housing prices in Bulgaria rose by 14.8 percent, with only Portugal recording a higher increase of 17.8%. Slovakia follows with 14.4% and Croatia with 14.3%. Double-digit increases were also recorded in Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia and the Czech Republic. On average, EU housing prices rose by 5.1% on a yearly basis, which is almost three times slower than in Bulgaria.

It is particularly telling that the price growth here substantially outpaces inflation. With an annual inflation of 2.3% for the EU, the increase in housing prices in Bulgaria is about 10 percentage points above this indicator, a trend also observed in Portugal, Slovakia, Croatia and Spain.

The picture is similar on the rental market. Bulgaria ranks second in Europe with an annual increase of 10.5%, with only Croatia reporting a larger rise – 39.1%. Iceland and Romania follow with 8.4% each, as well as Greece with 8.1%. The EU average rent increase is 3%, which means that Bulgaria also significantly outpaces European rates here.

Among the leading European economies, the most significant rise in housing prices is recorded in Spain – 12.8%. In Italy the increase is 5.2%, while in Germany prices have risen only by 1.4%, and in France they are practically unchanged – 0.1%. Finland is the only EU country reporting a decline in housing prices – by 2% on a yearly basis. For rents, only Italy (3.8%) exceeds the EU average among the four largest economies in the EU. In Germany, France and Spain the increase remains below the Union average.

Eurostat data show that the upward trend also persists in the short term. In the first quarter of 2026, compared with the last quarter of 2025, housing prices in the EU rose by 1.2%, and rents by 0.7%. Compared with the average levels for the entire 2025, the increase reaches 2.9% for housing and 1.8% for rents. According to analysts, the main factors supporting price growth are high construction costs, a limited number of new dwellings, and sustained demand, which continue to exert pressure on the real estate market across a large part of Europe.

Source: Plovdiv24.bg