Housing costs in the EU, 2025: where people spend the most of their income on a home
Published
In 2025, 26.4% of people in Greece lived in households spending more than 40% of their disposable income on housing, against 7.7% across the EU. For tenants paying market rent the picture changes: in Romania the share reaches 56.0%. Here is the 2025 data for all 27 EU countries.
Eurostat measures housing affordability with one simple threshold. The housing cost overburden rate is the share of people living in households where total housing costs take more than 40% of disposable income, both counted net of housing allowances. Housing costs include rent for tenants, mortgage interest for owners, and utilities such as water, electricity, gas and heating.
In 2025, 7.7% of people in the EU were above that threshold. The rate ranged from 26.4% in Greece to 2.4% in Cyprus. The figures come from the EU statistics on income and living conditions survey, published by Eurostat in September 2026, and cover all 27 EU countries.
The table
Three columns, all for 2025. The first is the overburden rate for the whole population. The second is the same rate only for tenants who pay rent at market price, the group most newcomers belong to. The third is the share of housing costs in disposable household income, as Eurostat publishes it.
| Rank | Country | Overburden rate, everyone | Overburden rate, tenants at market rent | Housing costs as share of disposable income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | 26.4% | 26.0% | 34.6% |
| 2 | Denmark | 23.4% | 23.6% | 33.0% |
| 3 | Germany | 11.2% | 13.2% | 24.1% |
| 4 | Sweden | 10.8% | 18.4% | 24.2% |
| 5 | Estonia | 8.8% | 37.0% | 18.9% |
| 6 | Czechia | 8.2% | 26.0% | 21.4% |
| 7 | Luxembourg | 8.1% | 23.2% | 19.0% |
| 8 | Spain | 7.2% | 26.8% | 16.0% |
| 9 | Bulgaria | 6.9% | 31.7% | 18.1% |
| 10 | Belgium | 6.7% | 25.4% | 17.6% |
| 11 | Netherlands | 6.5% | 39.5% | 19.9% |
| 12 | France | 6.4% | 18.7% | 18.5% |
| 13 | Portugal | 6.3% | 27.2% | 16.3% |
| 14 | Austria | 6.1% | 14.5% | 17.2% |
| 15 | Malta | 6.0% | 21.5% | 12.6% |
| 16 | Latvia | 5.7% | 18.1% | 15.5% |
| 16 | Lithuania | 5.7% | 27.4% | 15.3% |
| 18 | Hungary | 5.3% | 38.4% | 15.0% |
| 18 | Ireland | 5.3% | 24.0% | 16.2% |
| 20 | Italy | 5.0% | 22.3% | 14.1% |
| 20 | Romania | 5.0% | 56.0% | 15.6% |
| 22 | Finland | 4.7% | 12.3% | 21.1% |
| 23 | Poland | 4.1% | 14.4% | 15.8% |
| 24 | Slovakia | 3.5% | 16.8% | 15.9% |
| 24 | Slovenia | 3.5% | 19.7% | 12.8% |
| 26 | Croatia | 3.2% | 19.8% | 11.5% |
| 27 | Cyprus | 2.4% | 13.4% | 10.9% |
| EU | 7.7% | 18.6% | 18.9% |
Eurostat marks a break in the series for Denmark and Luxembourg in 2025, and Lithuania's figures as provisional. Denmark's overall rate was 14.6% in 2024, so part of the jump to 23.4% may come from the change in method rather than from housing itself.
Renters carry most of the burden
Across the EU, 18.6% of tenants paying market rent were overburdened, against 7.7% of the whole population. In most countries the gap is much wider than the overall rate suggests.
Romania is the extreme case. Only 5.0% of the population is overburdened, but among tenants at market rent the share is 56.0%. The Netherlands (39.5%), Hungary (38.4%) and Estonia (37.0%) follow. In Romania, the Netherlands and Hungary, the overall rate is below the EU figure of 7.7%.
Owners without a mortgage pull the national figure down: across the EU, only 3.8% of them were overburdened in 2025. A low national rate can hide a tight rental market. If you will rent at market price, the second column is the one to read.
High burden for almost everyone
Greece stands apart. Its overall rate of 26.4% is the highest in the EU, and housing costs take 34.6% of disposable income, also the highest share. Here the burden is spread across tenants and owners alike, not concentrated among renters.
Germany (11.2%) and Sweden (10.8%) are the only other countries above 10%. In both, housing costs take about a quarter of disposable income.
Low burden, with caveats
Cyprus, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia have the lowest overall rates, all at 3.5% or below. Even there, between 13.4% and 19.8% of market-rate tenants are overburdened.
Finland shows another pattern: housing costs take 21.1% of disposable income, above the EU figure, but only 4.7% of people are above the 40% threshold. Many households pay a large share, but few cross the line.
What the figures do not show
- National averages. Capitals and large cities can be far more expensive than the national figure.
- Income matters. The rate measures costs against each household's own income. A newcomer on a high salary may face the same rent and a much lower burden.
- Quality and size. The data do not say what the money buys: size, location or condition of the home.
How to use these figures
- Read the tenant column if you will rent. It is closer to the situation of someone arriving without property.
- Compare with price levels. Our ranking of the cheapest countries in the EU to live in shows housing price levels; a cheap country can still have a stretched rental market.
- Check local rents before you sign. The national data are a starting point, not a quote.
Country profiles: Greece, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Netherlands, Hungary and Estonia.
Countries in this article
The guide is delivered in English. Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Chinese versions are sent on request after purchase.
Related
Sources
- Eurostat. Housing cost overburden rate by age, sex and poverty status (ilc_lvho07a). accessed .
- Eurostat. Housing cost overburden rate by tenure status (ilc_lvho07c). accessed .
- Eurostat. Share of housing costs in disposable household income, by type of household and income group (ilc_mded01). accessed .
- Eurostat, Statistics Explained. Glossary: Housing cost overburden rate. accessed .
- Eurostat, Statistics Explained. Living conditions in Europe: housing. accessed .