Housing prices in Central Europe have risen dramatically over the past six years, according a report by Cushman & Wakefield, based on data from Builtmind, comparing Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw and Budapest
Results show that despite common trends, there are differences between cities in price growth rates, income growth, construction speed, housing affordability and how quickly new apartments sell.
Warsaw recorded the highest price growth for new builds over the past six years at 127%, while remaining the cheapest in the region at €4,330 per sqm. Prague shows the slowest growth at 73% but has the highest absolute price at €6,400 per sqm, says Lukáš Brath, Senior Research Analyst at Cushman & Wakefield.
From 2019 to Q1 2026, asking prices for new builds in Warsaw rose 127%, the highest growth in the region, though it remains cheapest in absolute terms. One factor is that in Poland, unlike other regional markets, apartments are sold in shell & core condition without standard finishes. However, Warsaw is gradually changing as some developers begin building apartments to standard.
Bratislava recorded price growth of 90%, Budapest 83% and Prague 73%. Despite the slowest percentage growth, Prague remains the most expensive market in absolute terms, with average asking prices reaching €6,400 per sqm in Q1 2026. Bratislava sits around €4,540 per sqm, Budapest around €5,320 per sqm and Warsaw around €4,330 per sqm.
In Central Europe, Prague is the only market where wage growth relatively keeps pace with new build price growth. Conversely, in other metropolises, particularly Warsaw and Bratislava, the gap between incomes and housing prices has widened significantly over the past six years, analyses Brath.
