Poland ranks among the worst in the EU for housing affordability when comparing average incomes to housing costs. Purchasing a 50 m² apartment in central Warsaw requires 168 gross monthly salaries, surpassed only by the Czech Republic (188) and France (171). By contrast, in Brussels, it takes just 43 salaries.
Despite a 13.3% income increase in Poland in 2023, the average gross annual income of PLN 81,999 remains far below Belgium’s PLN 250,512. Buying outside Warsaw's center requires 114 salaries, still placing Poland 24th out of 26 EU nations analyzed.
Additionally, Poland's high mortgage costs and 8.8% housing price growth in 2023—among the EU’s steepest—exacerbate affordability issues, behind only Croatia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania.