How much do you have to earn to take a mortgage loan in 2025. Apartments, increasingly difficult to purchase

In 2025, the purchase of a two-room apartment in a large city implies more than an above average salary. It requires stable revenues, the ability to support a long -term monthly rate and the classification within the legal limit of indebtedness: 40% of the net income in lei, according to the regulations of the National Bank of Romania (BNR).

Locally, the prices of the apartments are increasing: according to a Storia analysis, the real estate platform launched by OLX, in March 2025, a two -room apartment (55 sqm) in the Capital cost, on average, 107,965 euros, which means that Bucharest paid over 9,000 euros more than in the same month.

More expensive apartments, (apparently) accessible credits

Despite these increases, Romania remains one of the most accessible mortgage markets in Central and Eastern Europe, in relation to the average salaries and the price of the housing, according to a report made by Mortgage.ro, in partnership with SVN Credit Romania.

However, accessibility does not mean lower costs in absolute terms. The comparative data show that Romanians continue to pay monthly rates higher than Western European, for similar amounts. Higher interest rates, inflation and local financing costs affect the real cost of credit. A study conducted at the end of 2024 by AVBS Broker, based on NIS and Eurostat data, shows that bank rates paid in Romania can be 500-800 higher than in other European countries.

Even so, the local mortgage market is in full expansion. In the first quarter of 2025, the volume of mortgage loans granted at national level reached 2.75 billion euros – 46% more than the similar period of 2024, according to BNR data. The figure includes refinancing, conversions, transfers and restructuring. For the whole year, the Mortgage.ro report estimates that over one third of the new loans will be contracted in Bucharest -Ilfov, and the total volume will exceed five billion euros.

“2025 is expected to be the best year for the Romanian mortgage market, to be established a new record of new mortgage loans granted for the purchase of housing – the decrease of the fixed interest and the increase of the income represents the main explanations”recently declares, Alexandru Rădulescu, Managing Partner SVN Romania.

But what does, in concrete terms, be able to access such a credit? What monthly income do you qualify for a two -room apartment, in the big cities?

How much do you have to earn to allow you a mortgage loan

“If we take into account an average estimated price of 100,000 euros (approx. 500,000 lei) for a 2 -room apartment in the big cities, a lending period of 30 years, with a 15% advance, a degree of indebtedness of 40% of the monthly net income and a fixed interest rate of 5.20%/year for the first 3 years, Estimative would be about 2,350 lei/month (for the first 36 months of fixed interest) respectively about 3020 lei/month for the variable interest period.explains Traian Halalai, President Exim Banca Românească.

From the perspective of the Transylvania Bank, things also start from the degree of legal indebtedness, maximum 40% of the net monthly income. “In order to access a loan, a person must have a stable income, and here I am not referring only to the salary because the income can be represented by dividends, rents, etc. and this income must allow him to be included in the maximum indebtedness allowed by the Romanian legislation, namely 40% of the net income. Establish a permissive monthly rate, so that it keeps a reasonable monthly cash flow, depending on the period it wants to borrow.says Omer Tetik, CEO of Transylvania Bank.

Omer Tetik emphasizes that, beyond the level of the salary, the stability of the income and the classification in the maximum indebtedness counts. “It is good to talk about the need to establish a monthly rate that allows the client to enjoy what he has purchased. (…) Specifically, to access a mortgage loan the salary can vary, starting from 4,500 lei/month. currency etc. ”he adds.

According to him, some people postpone the decision to borrow in the long term for a series of reasons: personal, because they have certain more or less realistic expectations regarding the market or economic uncertainties. “However, we see increasing appetite for real estate loans at Banca Transilvania, this year being almost 40% compared to the same period last year. The market is, in turn, dynamic, supported by the demand and bank interest. I want low costs.completes Omer Tetik.

How do you think a long -term credit

“The economy in general, and the financial markets in particular, like stability. The moments of uncertainty bring volatility, and it can manifest themselves in many forms, whether we are talking about interest on the money market or about variations of a higher extent of the exchange rate, as we have seen in the last weeks. approach to these situations.

Decisions of this type must, in fact, in any context, carefully weighed. The 20, 25 or 30 years who will go until the repayment of a home loan will surely see 3-4 or even more economic cycles. So I would say that it is a decision that should take into account, first of all, the personal context. Do I have a stable income? Do I have the ability to support a loan, alone or together with the partner? From the answers they give to these questions, someone can begin to sketch a plan and consider the options that are accessible to them, such as duration, and type of interest, fixed or variable.”, Says, in turn, Mădălina Teodorescu, Deputy CEO, BRD Groupe Société Générale.

The questions we ask at the counter make the difference

“What house do I really afford to refer to the family budget?“It is, in the opinion of Traian Halalai, the key question that anyone who intends to access a mortgage loan should ask. But there are other important questions, so as to lead to the best choice. “One of them would be” how much the actual annual interest (DAE) is “, because it reflects the effective cost of credit. DAE includes all taxes and commissions (evaluation, analysis, granting, account administration, etc.). And I say this because, if you look, there are many offers on the market with interest from a certain percentage that may seem very low, but they must be seen and what are the other candles involved accessing the credit.“He explains.

For example, warn Traian Halalai, you can have a 5% interest per year, say, but DAE is actually double. “As mentioned above, the decision to contract a mortgage loan is one of the most important financial choices that a person can do.” add it. Thus, in addition to what kind of apartment we can buy, in his opinion, it would be ideal to find offers to ensure stability and predictability.