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European cost of living and housing affordability

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-18 09:17 UTC → 2026-10-20 07:51 UTC · added removed

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. Conversely, major hubs like London, Paris, and Brussels are noted for high costs paired with lower relative 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’.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-20 07:51 UTC European cost of living and housing affordability
  2. 2026-10-18 09:17 UTC European cost of living and housing affordability
  3. 2026-10-16 13:12 UTC European cost of living and housing affordability

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