Housing affordability pressure grows in Germany and Croatia

A Bosnian citizen who has lived in Germany for 12 years said his house purchase two years ago now feels like a financial burden, citing monthly mortgage payments, insurance, heating and maintenance costs that will tie him to the decision for decades.

In Croatia, construction costs for new residential buildings have risen sharply, with Eurostat data showing an overall EU increase of 48.2% over the past decade and Croatia recording more than an 80% rise, making apartments increasingly unaffordable for many citizens.

At a conference in Zagreb titled “Housing without borders,” experts highlighted that about 20% of housing units in the capital are vacant and called for stronger state and local investment, new public‑housing policies and better use of empty apartments to address the housing crisis.