EU house prices rose 5.1% as Bulgaria moved much faster

House prices in the European Union increased 5.1% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat. The figure describes the movement of the residential house price index; it is not the euro price of a typical home.

Bulgaria moved considerably faster than the EU aggregate. Its house price index increased 14.8% from a year earlier and 6.2% from the previous quarter. The quarterly reading should be interpreted within Eurostat’s published methodology and should not be combined with differently adjusted national series without checking their definitions.

The gap is relevant because a common regional direction does not imply a common market cycle. Financing conditions, construction capacity, household income and the supply of completed homes differ by country. The index can show where price momentum is strongest, but it cannot by itself explain the cause or measure affordability.

Cross-country comparisons should therefore use rates of change rather than index levels. A higher index value does not mean that homes are more expensive in absolute euro terms. The next releases will show whether Bulgaria’s first-quarter acceleration persists or moderates.