Otodom data shows a clear upward trend. In the second quarter of 2025, the offer of apartments below 25 square meters on the secondary market increased by 9%. year to year. In turn, there were 3,565 advertisements available on the rental market, and their number has been growing continuously since the second quarter of 2022.
— Currently, the dynamics of changes in the supply of apartments below 25 sq m on the secondary and rental markets is similar, although in the second quarter of 2023 we observed the opposite trend – says Agata Stachowiak, an Otodom housing market expert. — Then the number of offers on the secondary market dropped by 14%. year to year, while in rental we recorded a significant increase (+43%). This may suggest that at that time some owners decided to redirect the advertisements and start renting their premises – comments the expert.
It is worth noting that over the last year, the share of the smallest premises in the sales offer on the secondary market remained practically unchanged (+0.05 percentage points), while on the rental market there was an increase by 0.36 percentage points. It is also characteristic that the supply of apartments below 25 sq m is today much larger on the secondary market than on the development market — in the second quarter of this year there were as many as 4.2 times more advertisements.
Regulations restrict developers
The marginal share of micro-studios in new investments is not accidental. This results from the applicable regulations. — From 2024, the regulations clearly indicate that both apartments and new commercial premises (with some exceptions) must have an area of at least 25 square meters. Hence, currently the share of micro-apartments on the development market does not exceed 0.5%. available offer and these are properties built before the legal changes came into force – explains Agata Stachowiak.
An investment in a lifestyle, not just in meters
In August 2025, the number of searches for apartments under 25 sq m on the rental market decreased by 3%. year to year. A different trend is visible on the secondary market, where interest in micro-apartments was 5 percent higher. higher than a year earlier.
For some potential buyers, the decision to purchase such a premises is not limited only to square meters, but becomes a conscious investment in lifestyle.. This approach is particularly visible among the so-called professional nomads. As the report “Happy home. The meaning(s) of housing changes” shows, these people invest in the opportunities offered by the area instead of a larger space.
This is one of the few segments in which respondents after moving have less space than before. Interestingly, professional nomads very often move from houses to apartments. For many of them, moving is not the last change in their lives – they treat their current apartment as a transitional stage, not their final apartment.
Cost of a micro-studio: over PLN 380,000. zloty
In the second quarter of 2025, apartments below 25 sq m on the secondary market cost PLN 15,300 on average. PLN per square meter – by 4%. less than a year earlier, but by as much as 21%. more than in the second quarter of 2022. In practice, this means that you have to pay approximately PLN 382,500 for a premises with an area of 25 square meters. This amount may constitute a barrier to entering the market for many buyers. However, it is worth remembering that the price reflects not only the square footage, but above all the location, access to infrastructure and the quality of life offered by the surroundings – factors that for some buyers turn out to be more important than the size of the apartment itself.
— In Tokyo, Paris and New York, micro-apartments have been a response to the lack of space and high costs of living for years. A similar trend is also becoming more and more visible in Polish cities. However, choosing a smaller space is not always due to financial constraints. It is often a conscious resignation for a better location or access to services. For many people, it is also a temporary solution — a good start before the need for more space for a growing family arises. As the report “Happy home. The meaning(s) of housing changes” shows, the behind-the-scenes of Poles' relocations are not one-and-done. The times of choosing one apartment for life are over – today we change our place of residence on average 3.6 times. This is proof that the market must be flexible and offer both small premises and multi-room apartments – sums up Agata Stachowiak.
