Housing Market Trends and Affordability in Central Europe: Insights from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Poland
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines housing affordability trends in Central Europe, focusing on the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Poland, in the wake of recent global disruptions including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021–2022 energy crisis, and the war in Ukraine. These events have intensified housing affordability challenges by driving up property prices, rental costs, and energy expenses. Using data from December 2022 to March 2023, the paper analyzes wage levels relative to housing costs in major cities—Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Vienna, Graz, Warsaw, and Kraków—through price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios. The findings reveal that affordability is most strained in Czech cities, particularly Prague, where property prices outpace wages, while Vienna demonstrates better affordability due to higher average incomes. The study integrates real estate platform data with official statistics and employs spatial mapping and exploratory econometric testing to identify affordability patterns and disparities. It concludes that affordability outcomes are shaped by wage dynamics, housing supply constraints, migration pressures, and policy responses. The study underscores the importance of targeted housing policies and wage interventions to address these challenges and highlights the need for cross-country policy learning and regional coordination to improve housing affordability and market resilience across Central Europe.
Source: Buildings
Authors: Jitka Matějková, Alena Tichá
Institutions: Mendel University in Brno, Brno University of Technology
Language: English
Topic: Housing Market and Economics
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W4410520076