Croatia records highest rent increase in the EU, new Eurostat data shows
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Zagreb
Croatia recorded the highest increase in rental prices across the European Union, according to the latest housing data released by Eurostat.
The figures show that rents in Croatia rose by 21.9% when comparing the first quarter of 2026 with the annual average for 2025, the largest increase among EU member states.
Across the EU, house prices increased by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, while rents rose by 3.0%.
Compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, house prices increased by 1.2%, while rents were up 0.7%. Between the 2025 annual average and the first quarter of 2026, house prices rose 2.9% across the EU and rents increased 1.8%.
Among the countries with available data, house prices increased faster than rents in 19 EU member states.
Portugal recorded the largest rise in house prices at 10.3%, followed by Bulgaria (9.4%) and Slovakia (9.1%). France (-0.5%) and Finland (-1.8%) were the only countries to record a fall in house prices over the same period.
While rents increased in almost every EU country, Slovenia was the only country to record a decline, with rents falling 0.9%. In Finland, rents remained unchanged.
After Croatia’s 21.9% increase, Bulgaria recorded the second-highest rise in rents at 6.4%, followed by Greece at 5.0%.
In Q1 2026, house prices in the EU rose by 5.1%, while rents increased by 3.0% compared with the first quarter of 2025.🏠📈
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) July 2, 2026
🔹Compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, house prices increased by 1.2% and rents by 0.7%.
Read more 👉https://t.co/lAPp7SAbNw pic.twitter.com/R6sP9Vr98B
The latest Eurostat figures highlight the continued upward pressure on housing costs across much of Europe, with Croatia standing out for the sharp rise in rental prices.
