House prices rise average of 4.7% across the EU in Q2 2026
House prices rose 4.7% across the EU in the second quarter of 2026, but country-level changes ranged from a 16.5% rise in Portugal to a 2.7% fall in Finland, according to Eurostat. The gap matters for buyers and renters: prices rose faster than inflation in many countries, while Cyprus, Spain and several central and eastern European markets saw particularly strong gains.
Bottom line — Price changes are uneven across the bloc, with Finland seeing a 2.7% fall in prices while Portugal saw a blistering 16.5% rise.
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Portugal recorded Europe’s fastest annual rise, at 16.5%, followed by Bulgaria at 15.5% and Lithuania at 14.3%, Eurostat figures show.
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Prices increased 1.2% across the EU from the first quarter; Lithuania had the largest quarterly rise, while Bulgaria gained 4.5% and Romania 4.4%.
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Cyprus prices rose 7.9% year on year and 2.4% quarter on quarter. Cystat said both new and existing homes contributed to the increase.
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Hungary’s annual increase was 10.2%, but prices fell 1.4% in the second quarter, according to Eurostat data reported by Daily News Hungary.
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Prices fell year on year in Finland, Luxembourg and France. Germany rose just 0.6%, while Italy increased 4%, Euronews reported.
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Euronews cited Global Property Guide’s Mikk Kalmet, who linked faster gains to housing shortages, income growth and mortgage conditions; he said persistent shortages could support further increases, but warned that higher interest rates may slow demand.
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EU rents rose 3% year on year in the second quarter, according to Eurostat data reported by Cyprus Mail.