Romania is among Europe’s cheaper housing markets, but prices rose 14.4%

Romania retained a relatively low average residential price in Deloitte’s European comparison, yet buyers faced the strongest annual price increase in the countries examined. The Property Index 2026 reports an average €1,917 per square metre for 2025, a 14.4% increase from 2024. This is a backward-looking benchmark for the residential market, not a quotation for a specific apartment available today.

Within Romania, the city pattern is uneven. Deloitte reports an average €3,137 per square metre for Cluj-Napoca, compared with €2,026 in Bucharest and €2,156 in Brașov. A national average therefore hides the premium paid in the most expensive cities. The report compares data from 25 countries and 71 cities, and its average prices should not be confused with live advertised asking prices or final transaction prices.

The central buyer question is affordability relative to income and financing costs, not simply the country’s place in a European euro-per-metre ranking. Deloitte points to supply and permitting constraints, regulatory changes and construction costs as pressures on the market. Buyers comparing cities should separately check the current project price, construction status, mortgage terms and purchase costs before drawing conclusions from this annual index.