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4 clusters · 16 sources · 5 days · First seen · Last updated

European cost of living and housing affordability

Overview

Data regarding the cost of living and quality of life across European cities highlights significant regional disparities. Analysis of Numbeo data indicates that cities such as Osijek, Croatia, Plzeň, Czech Republic, and Valencia, Spain, offer the most favorable balance between low costs and high quality of life.

A report from the Deutsche Bank Research Institute, ‘Mapping the World’s Prices 2026’, examines the disposable income of dual-income households after paying for three-bedroom city-center apartments. The findings show that Swiss cities lead the rankings in remaining monthly income due to high net salaries, despite high rents. Zurich reported the highest remaining disposable income at 9,140 euros, despite having the highest rents at 5,502 euros. Geneva follows with 8,783 euros remaining, and Luxembourg ranks third with 5,890 euros.

The report also identifies severe housing affordability challenges in other regions. Lisbon is cited as having the lowest disposable income for couples after rent, with an estimated €253 remaining per month. In contrast, while London, Dublin, and Amsterdam have high rents, Birmingham offers more remaining disposable income (€5,238) than London (€3,148) due to significantly lower rental costs.

Further analysis by the Canadian portal Visual Capitalist, using Numbeo data, ranked Osijek as the second-best European city for quality of life relative to cost. Osijek achieved a quality of life score in the 98.8th percentile while maintaining a cost of living in the 27.6th percentile, surpassed in quality of life percentile only by The Hague. Osijek mayor Ivan Radić described the ranking as a ‘significant recognition of the city’.

Entities

Deutsche Bank Research Institute · Luxembourg · Geneva · Numbeo · Zurich

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 6 sources
    Osijek ranked second in Europe for quality of life vs cost

    Osijek ranks second in Europe for the best balance of high quality of life and low cost of living, according to a Visual Capitalist analysis of 125 European cities.

  2. [BUSINESS] 5 sources
    European housing crisis: Disposable income varies widely by city

    A Deutsche Bank Research Institute report reveals that while European rents are rising, disposable income for couples varies widely, from 253 euros in Lisbon to 9,140 euros in Zurich.

  3. [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    European cities ranked by disposable income after rent

    A Deutsche Bank report reveals that Swiss cities like Zurich and Geneva offer the highest disposable income for dual-income couples after rent, while Lisbon sees the lowest at €253.

  4. [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    European cities show varying balances of cost and quality of life

    New reports analyze European living standards, identifying Osijek as a top city for quality of life versus cost, while highlighting Lisbon's severe housing affordability crisis.

Sources

biznis.kurir.rs · biznisinfo.mk · bl-portal.com · croatiaweek.com · espreso.co.rs · euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · n1info.hr · novini247.com · pplware.sapo.pt · radiopuls.lu · radiosarajevo.ba · sapo.pt · sivananda.org · teleskop.hr · tr.euronews.com

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history