Bucharest mortgage affordability stays broadly stable as wages offset price growth

A new mortgage-affordability reading for Romania suggests that the financing burden for home buyers has not deteriorated materially in 2026 despite higher apartment prices. AGERPRES reported on 28 September, citing the Ipotecare.ro index, that the average payment on a 25-year mortgage for a 50-square-metre, two-room Bucharest apartment equalled 55% of Romania’s average net wage in July, compared with 54% at the start of the year.The benchmark apartment was valued at €117,500, 4.2% above the start-of-year level. National average net wages were 5.5% higher year on year in July, helping to absorb the increase. The estimated average mortgage rate was 5.50%, slightly below 5.55% at the beginning of 2026, while the analysis said numerous fixed-rate offers remained below 5%.Affordability looks better when Bucharest income is used: with an average net salary of €1,406, the benchmark payment represented about 43% of income. The figures do not mean housing is cheap, but they show why rising prices have not translated into an equivalent deterioration in mortgage purchasing power.