Price per sq m of apartment is only part of the puzzle. Experts of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal in their latest report compare the capitals of the voivodship in terms of payroll purchasing force, the availability of real estate offers and the cost of credit, showing the real possibilities of buyers. So where is the easiest way to buy a flat? In which voivodship city can the largest apartment on credit can be purchased?
Earnings are not enough
It would seem that the amount of our earnings is crucial when buying an apartment. However, it is more important than the amount of monthly revenues to the account The ratio of earnings to real estate prices. Thanks to this comparison, we know what our purchasing power is on the housing market. In other words, we know what size we can hypothetically buy for a monthly salary and what place we can afford.
Of course, both earnings are very diverse and the prices of apartments. In our analysis we used public indicators. In the case of earnings, this is published by the CSO data on the average gross monthly salary in the enterprise sector in a given city. In turn, to calculate the average prices of apartments offered by development companies, we reached for data from the Big Data Rynekpierwotny.pl system.
The July data of the Central Statistical Office shows that the highest earnings tempted Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk. Unfortunately, as it turns out, high earnings usually go hand in hand with high real estate prices, as exemplified by the mentioned metropolises Marek Wielgo, expert on the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.
– And vice versa, e.g. in Gorzów Wielkopolski, the lowest are both earnings and prices of apartments offered by development companies. There are also exceptions. For example, in Katowice, average earnings are one of the highest (including thanks to the mining industry), and prices – the lowest. In turn, in Olsztyn, earnings are relatively low, and the prices of new apartments – high. It shows that every city has its own specificity. A lot depends, for example, on its tourist attractiveness, the specificity of the local economy or quality of life – he adds.
The expert adds that However, it is not Warsaw or Gdańsk, but Opole and Gorzów Wielkopolski are characterized by the most advantageous ratio of housing prices for earnings. These are two cities in which both the prices of the area and earnings are one of the lowest among voivodship centers. In July 2025, you could buy the average gross salary there respectively:
- 0.90 sq m (Opole),
- 0.89 sq m (Gorzów Wlkp.) Real estate in development construction.
Rzeszów (0.84 sq m) and Zielona Góra (0.79 sq m) also look good, where the average price of a square meter with developers oscillates around 11,000. zloty. The inhabitants of Warsaw could buy the smallest area of the apartment for the average salary in July this yearY – only 0.59 sq m. It is hardly surprising, because although in the capital it is easiest to work well, real estate prices can make you dizzy.
Interestingly, just in Opole and Gorzów Wielkopolski the purchasing power of residents at
The housing market was lower in July than a year ago. This shows that
The average earnings in these cities have increased less than the average price of a square meter
apartments in the offer of developers. Deterioration of the availability of new apartments
We also noted in Zielona Góra, Toruń, Białystok and Gdańsk. Good news
However, it is such that most of the largest cities occurred progress, e.g. in Rzeszów from 0.70
to 0.84 square meters, because earnings increased there, and the prices of apartments have not changed.
Most “head” offers? Wrocław and Katowice at the top
When buying the dream “M”, we want to have the largest selection. We expect a large real estate base and the possibility of “changing” in offers to finally buy this apartment, which best responds to our needs and expectations. Is it really like that? In order to answer this question, the RynekPierwotny.pl portal counted how many apartments on sale in July 2025 (both on the primary and secondary market) there were one thousand inhabitants in individual cities.
It turns out that buyers in Wrocław had the largest selection of premises. There were 31 offers in this metropolis per 1000 inhabitants (a year ago – 25). Buyers of flats in Katowice had the same choice, and slightly smaller in Gdańsk and Krakow (26 offers each).
The green mountains are very unfavorable from the other citiesa. Only 8 offers of apartments per 1000 inhabitants puts this city in the last place in the ranking.
Paradoxically, there are cities such as Zielona Góra or Opole, in which, despite the high availability of apartments, there are not many willing. As a result, the supply is also small. And the other way around. Where the demand for apartments is high, their availability is weaker due to high prices – comments Marek Wielgo.
The situation on the housing markets of the largest cities is very dynamic, and the supply of premises changes over the months. Not only in Wrocław, but also in almost all voivodship cities, the offer of apartments on the primary and secondary market was greater in July than a year ago – e.g. in Bialystok by as much as 52%. In Kielce, apartments offered in both markets were more 48% year -on -year, and in Katowice – by 45%. Only in Toruń the offer of apartments is smaller than a year ago (-16%), and in Bydgoszcz did not change.
We have good messages about credit availability
The previously presented information on price coverage of 1 sq m and remuneration is quite positive for potential buyers of apartments. It turns out that the analysis of credit availability of the area also brings news better than a year ago. Experts of the Rynekpierwotny.pl portal once again calculated the area of a new apartment that can be purchased through the average household.
It is about the area of a new apartment that can be purchased for a loan with a 10% own contribution and a repayment period of 300 months. According to the assumptions, such a model loan has an interest rate corresponding to the average rate for new “mortgages” from July 2025. The loan installment does not exceed the quite safe level set as 40% of the net income.
The area of the available apartment was calculated separately for the single and the “2+1” family. According to the next assumption, both the single and each of the spouses receives the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector (from a given city). Family income has been corrected by higher maintenance costs, which means reduced creditworthiness.
The map below presents the final results, i.e. the surface of a new apartment possible for the loan. In the case of a single, we are talking about an area of 28 sq m (Warsaw) to 42 sq m (Gorzów Wlkp. And Opole). A year earlier, similar results oscillated at 23 sq m (Warsaw) – 40 sq m (Zielona Góra). Improvement is therefore very visible.
The results about the family with one child also look much better than a year ago. The estimated, new area can be purchased by such a pair is from 53 sq m (Warsaw) to 79 sq m (Gorzów Wlkp. And Opole).
– In the case of the capital, we see an annual improvement at the level of about 10 sq m. The Warsaw result still leaves much to be desired, but its change deserves attention – emphasizes Andrzej Prajsnar, expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.
It was optimistic
“It's better than a year ago” – this is how you can briefly summarize the results of the latest ranking of the availability of apartments. In this context, the fact that the average interest rate on the new housing loan according to NBP data dropped from 7.93% (June 2024) to 6.69% (July 2025). It is also worth noting that in most analyzed cities the prices of the new area and salaries have improved. What's more, buyers of apartments from the largest markets still have a very large selection in terms of the number of offers.
As for smaller voivodship cities, the results of the analysis confirm the considerable diversity. Just compare the Rzeszów housing boom still experiencing and urban centers such as Gorzów Wlkp., Opole and Zielona Góra. In the three cities listed, the housing offer is small, which is associated with a rather small scale of developers.
– The activity of development companies can be treated as a kind of barometer of the attractiveness of a given area for young people – sums up Andrzej Prajsnar, expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.
