Cost/Pricing
Affordable Housing by Country 2025
Country | Housing Price to Income Ratio 2024↓ | Mortgage as a % of Income 2024 | Housing Affordability Index 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Syria | 112.2 | 1674.2% | 0.1 |
 | Ethiopia | 50.3 | 811.5% | 0.1 |
 | Cuba | 47.8 | 554.4% | 0.2 |
 | Cameroon | 43.2 | 825.9% | 0.1 |
 | Sri Lanka | 39.1 | 734.1% | 0.1 |
 | Nepal | 33.3 | 480.5% | 0.2 |
 | Hong Kong | 30.0 | 218% | 0.5 |
 | China | 29.4 | 224.9% | 0.4 |
 | Thailand | 26.1 | 217.1% | 0.5 |
 | Philippines | 25.8 | 245.2% | 0.4 |
 | Lebanon | 24.3 | 288.8% | 0.3 |
 | Iran | 23.4 | 526.7% | 0.2 |
 | Vietnam | 22.6 | 263.6% | 0.4 |
 | South Korea | 20.7 | 159.7% | 0.6 |
 | Taiwan | 20.0 | 120.1% | 0.8 |
 | Argentina | 19.6 | 1112.6% | 0.1 |
 | Algeria | 18.7 | 166.3% | 0.6 |
 | Singapore | 18.7 | 130.7% | 0.8 |
 | Colombia | 18.4 | 276.1% | 0.4 |
 | Peru | 18.3 | 215% | 0.5 |
 | Armenia | 18.3 | 286% | 0.3 |
 | Indonesia | 17.3 | 188.9% | 0.5 |
 | Serbia | 17.1 | 159.6% | 0.6 |
 | Dominican Republic | 16.9 | 230.7% | 0.4 |
 | Venezuela | 16.4 | 404% | 0.2 |
 | Chile | 16.4 | 132.3% | 0.8 |
 | Brazil | 16.3 | 199.7% | 0.5 |
 | Russia | 16.0 | 209% | 0.5 |
 | Mongolia | 15.7 | 137.3% | 0.7 |
 | Egypt | 15.5 | 226.4% | 0.4 |
 | Ukraine | 15.3 | 282.6% | 0.4 |
 | Azerbaijan | 14.8 | 163.1% | 0.6 |
 | Morocco | 14.6 | 113.5% | 0.9 |
 | Slovakia | 14.5 | 107.9% | 0.9 |
 | Israel | 14.3 | 106.6% | 0.9 |
 | Albania | 14.1 | 118.1% | 0.8 |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 14.0 | 278.7% | 0.4 |
 | El Salvador | 13.7 | 160% | 0.6 |
 | Hungary | 13.5 | 141.7% | 0.7 |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13.5 | 100% | 1.0 |
 | Greece | 13.4 | 101.2% | 1.0 |
 | Pakistan | 13.3 | 272.3% | 0.4 |
 | Portugal | 13.3 | 104% | 1.0 |
 | North Macedonia | 13.3 | 106.8% | 0.9 |
 | Bolivia | 13.1 | 124% | 0.8 |
 | Georgia | 12.9 | 167.3% | 0.6 |
 | Montenegro | 12.9 | 109.6% | 0.9 |
 | Kenya | 12.8 | 179.1% | 0.6 |
 | Tunisia | 12.8 | 165.9% | 0.6 |
 | Belarus | 12.8 | 217.3% | 0.5 |
 | Croatia | 12.8 | 95% | 1.1 |
 | Slovenia | 12.5 | 87.8% | 1.1 |
 | Bangladesh | 12.3 | 138.1% | 0.7 |
 | Ecuador | 12.2 | 141.8% | 0.7 |
 | Panama | 12.1 | 106.1% | 0.9 |
 | Malta | 12.0 | 92.9% | 1.1 |
 | Lithuania | 11.9 | 88.3% | 1.1 |
 | Uzbekistan | 11.7 | 254.8% | 0.4 |
 | Poland | 11.6 | 107.3% | 0.9 |
 | Japan | 11.3 | 67.7% | 1.5 |
 | Turkey | 11.3 | 398.3% | 0.3 |
 | France | 11.2 | 78.1% | 1.3 |
 | Estonia | 11.2 | 87.9% | 1.1 |
 | India | 11.1 | 119.3% | 0.8 |
 | Moldova | 11.1 | 150.5% | 0.7 |
 | Austria | 11.0 | 76.8% | 1.3 |
 | Mexico | 10.7 | 135.9% | 0.7 |
 | Kazakhstan | 10.6 | 184% | 0.5 |
 | Canada | 10.4 | 94.7% | 1.1 |
 | Romania | 10.4 | 97.1% | 1.0 |
 | Switzerland | 10.4 | 66.1% | 1.5 |
 | Italy | 10.2 | 79.4% | 1.3 |
 | Uruguay | 10.0 | 94.6% | 1.1 |
 | Germany | 9.4 | 68.3% | 1.5 |
 | Bulgaria | 9.3 | 70.3% | 1.4 |
 | Costa Rica | 9.3 | 107.9% | 0.9 |
 | United Kingdom | 9.1 | 77.3% | 1.3 |
 | Latvia | 9.0 | 66.5% | 1.5 |
 | Luxembourg | 8.9 | 56.3% | 1.8 |
 | New Zealand | 8.8 | 80.7% | 1.2 |
 | Australia | 8.4 | 74.5% | 1.3 |
 | Finland | 8.4 | 58.3% | 1.7 |
 | Spain | 8.3 | 57.7% | 1.7 |
 | Iraq | 8.3 | 95.1% | 1.1 |
 | Malaysia | 8.2 | 60.4% | 1.7 |
 | Cyprus | 8.1 | 58.4% | 1.7 |
 | Norway | 7.8 | 58.1% | 1.7 |
 | Netherlands | 7.7 | 57.5% | 1.7 |
 | Sweden | 7.7 | 59.6% | 1.7 |
 | Kuwait | 7.5 | 60.4% | 1.7 |
 | Jordan | 7.4 | 71.8% | 1.4 |
 | Ireland | 7.2 | 54.5% | 1.8 |
 | Belgium | 7.0 | 48.2% | 2.1 |
 | Denmark | 6.6 | 47.8% | 2.1 |
 | Palestine | 6.6 | 62.6% | 1.6 |
 | Iceland | 6.1 | 59% | 1.7 |
 | Qatar | 5.2 | 40.2% | 2.5 |
 | Puerto Rico | 4.4 | 35.4% | 2.8 |
 | United Arab Emirates | 3.9 | 29.1% | 3.4 |
 | United States | 3.3 | 29.9% | 3.3 |
 | South Africa | 3.3 | 41.6% | 2.4 |
 | Saudi Arabia | 3.1 | 23.7% | 4.2 |
 | Oman | 2.9 | 22.3% | 4.5 |
- Price to Income Ratio - A fundamental measure for apartment purchase affordability. A lower ratio indicates better affordability.
- Price to Rent Ratio - The average cost of ownership divided by the received rent income (if buying to let) or the estimated rent that would be paid if renting (if buying to reside).
- Gross Rental Yield - The total yearly gross rent divided by the house price (expressed in percentages). Higher values are preferable.
- Mortgage as Percentage of Income - A ratio of the actual monthly cost of the mortgage to take-home family income. Lower values are preferable.
- Affordability Index - An inverse of mortgage as percentage of income. The used formula is (100 / mortgage as percentage of income). Higher values are preferable.
Although the ability to find appropriate, affordable housing has always been a crucial social issue, it’s an especially pressing one in 2023. However, although reasonably priced housing remains a global issue, housing is significantly more affordable in some countries than others.
Here’s a look at some of the nations with the world’s most affordable overall housing options worldwide, as well as a selection of factors that can affect the affordability of housing from one location to the next.
Countries with the Most Affordable Housing
In Turkey, homes currently cost on average about $1,131 per square meter. Comparatively speaking, this makes Turkish homes the most affordable in the entire world.
Countries where housing is the hardest to afford include Australia, Canada, the United States, China, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Factors That May Affect Housing Affordability
A variety of different factors and forces can affect the affordability of housing in a particular country or area. Here are a few important examples to keep in mind.
“Developed” vs. “Developing” Status
Economic, social, and infrastructural challenges can cause issues that make safe, affordable housing a lot harder to come by in developing nations. Actual conditions and availability can also lag far behind population growth, making adequate housing even harder to come by.
Socioeconomic Challenges
Countries where national values include equal pay, promising employment opportunities for all, and equitable division of wealth tend to also have more affordable housing.
Cultural Norms
Not all countries are the same when it comes to the living situations their people see as ideal. In some nations, multiple generations living together under one roof is desirable and even expected, which can influence housing prices.
However, in countries where smaller families and the ability to live independently are considered essential to one’s social value, people may have more issues finding the types of housing they need at affordable prices.
Government Involvement
How a nation’s government handles issues like housing has a massive effect on the actual housing prices and cost of living in that nation. In countries where housing is seen as an inviolable human right, the available options tend to be easier to afford overall.
Government funding, investments, and social programs can also greatly affect what the average home in a country or region costs.
