City rankings · Europe

Most affordable European cities for renters

Ranked by the share of gross income the typical renter spends on a 1-bedroom apartment. Cities vary wildly — Warsaw and Brussels offer very different propositions to London or Zurich.

Vienna

Median €1,200/mo · Need €48,000/yr

24%

Comfortable

Oslo

Median kr15,500/mo · Need kr620,000/yr

25%

Manageable

Berlin

Median €1,250/mo · Need €50,000/yr

27%

Manageable

Zurich

Median CHF2,700/mo · Need CHF108,000/yr

27%

Manageable

Hamburg

Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr

28%

Manageable

Stockholm

Median kr15,000/mo · Need kr600,000/yr

28%

Manageable

Copenhagen

Median kr10,300/mo · Need kr412,000/yr

28%

Manageable

Brussels

Median €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr

28%

Manageable

Frankfurt

Median €1,600/mo · Need €64,000/yr

29%

Manageable

Amsterdam

Median €2,000/mo · Need €80,000/yr

30%

Manageable

Munich

Median €1,950/mo · Need €78,000/yr

31%

Manageable

Madrid

Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr

33%

Manageable

Milan

Median €1,500/mo · Need €60,000/yr

33%

Manageable

Warsaw

Median zł3,800/mo · Need zł152,000/yr

34%

Manageable

Paris

Median €1,600/mo · Need €64,000/yr

35%

Stretch

Rome

Median €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr

36%

Stretch

Prague

Median Kč26,000/mo · Need Kč1,040,000/yr

36%

Stretch

Barcelona

Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr

38%

Stretch

Dublin

Median €1,800/mo · Need €72,000/yr

38%

Stretch

London

Median £2,300/mo · Need £92,000/yr

41%

Stretch

Lisbon

Median €1,650/mo · Need €66,000/yr

46%

Risky

Key findings

Vienna leads as the most affordable European city at 24% of income, versus Lisbon at the other end with 46% — a spread of 22 percentage points across the continent.
Vienna (#1) and Brussels (#8) rank among the more affordable options — strong wage levels combined with social housing policies that moderate private market rents help keep the ratio down even in these capital cities.
London (#20) ranks near the bottom despite being one of Europe's highest-earning cities — a reminder that high nominal incomes don't automatically translate into affordable renting when private rental prices have structurally outpaced wages.

A note on currencies

Most European cities use EUR, but some use GBP, CHF, SEK, DKK, NOK, PLN, or CZK. The % ratio is currency-agnostic — it shows what share of local gross income goes to local median rent, making it the fairest cross-city comparison. Click any city for rent amounts in local currency.

Also explore

Most affordable cities globally →Most expensive cities for renters →Most affordable US cities for renters →London vs Berlin: rent comparison →London vs Paris: rent comparison →Where can I afford to live on my salary? →