House prices and rents in the European Union continued to increase in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data released by Eurostat. Compared to the same quarter in 2023, house prices rose by 4.9%, while rents increased by 3.2%. On a quarterly basis, house prices went up by 0.8% and rents by 0.6% compared to the third quarter of 2024. Over the long term, both indicators show significant growth. Since 2010, house prices in the EU have increased by 55.4%, while rents have risen by 26.7%. The trend for rents has been relatively steady, but house prices have shown more variation, particularly with a marked rise from early 2015 until late 2022. This was followed by a brief period of stabilization before prices began climbing again in 2024. National data reveals substantial differences across countries. Between 2010 and the end of 2024, house prices increased more than rents in 21 EU member states with available data. The largest increases in house prices were recorded in Hungary (+234%) and Estonia (+228%), with other countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Czechia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Austria, and Luxembourg also seeing their house prices more than double. In contrast, Cyprus saw no change in house prices over the period, and Italy was the only country to experience a decline, with a 4% drop. Rent prices also rose in 26 EU countries between 2010 and 2024, with Estonia (+212%), Lithuania (+175%), and Hungary (+114%) showing the highest increases. Greece was the only country to record a decrease in rent prices, falling by 13% over the same period. These figures highlight ongoing upward pressure in the European housing market, both in ownership and rental segments, with notable differences between countries in terms of price evolution over the past decade. Source: EUROSTAT