House prices and incomes in Europe: Where is it getting harder to buy a home?

How far does a household’s income go when buying a home? In 17 EU countries, it bought less in 2025 than it did a decade earlier. Eurostat’s house price-to-income ratio, showing how household income is changing relative to house prices, rose by 6.8% across the EU over that period, though it fell in 10 member states.Meanwhile, house prices in the EU rose by 62% in the ten years to the second quarter of 2026. In response to the housing crisis across the bloc, the European Commission presented its European Affordable Housing Plan in December 2025.What is the house price-to-income ratio?The house price-to-income ratio compares changes in house prices with changes in disposable household income per person. A rise means homes have become more expensive relative to incomes. A fall means they have become cheaper relative to incomes.Each country’s figure shows how far its own ratio has moved over time. Mortgage costs also affect how much buyers can afford.Portugal records the biggest riseBetween 2015 and 2025, Portugal recorded the largest increase in the house price-to-income ratio, at 60.8%. The Netherlands followed at 34.3%.“The country experienced a touristic boom, and their golden visa program attracted foreign investors, so house prices grew partly because of foreign capital,” Mike Langen, senior housing economist at ABN AMRO, told Euronews Business.He said a housing shortage and…