More and more single-person households are trying to answer the question: rent or buy? On the occasion of Singles' Day, experts from the RynekPierwotny.pl portal analyzed the situation of people living alone in the seven largest metropolises. Conclusions? Renting is no longer financially comfortable, and a loan – despite high prices – becomes a real alternative.
— Renting in Warsaw is very expensive. Today, the median monthly rent for a two-room apartment is approximately PLN 3,600. PLN, and for a studio apartment – approx. PLN 2.6 thousand. zloty – admits Marek Wielgo, expert of the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.
January 2026: creditworthiness
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Primary Market
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Apartment rental: 30 percent income is not enough today
The study of the British weekly became the reference point for the analysis The Economist. Journalists checked whether a single person could afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment if they allocated a maximum of 30 percent for this purpose. their gross earnings – a level considered to be the limit of financial security.
The list called the “Carrie Bradshaw Index” – after the heroine of the series “Sex and the City” – included 39 European metropolises. Only eight of them met the rent affordability criterion: Bonn, Lyon, Bern, Brussels, Helsinki, Vienna, Luxembourg and Berlin.
Warsaw does not belong to this group. An average-earning single person in the capital – with a salary of PLN 9,900. PLN gross, i.e. approx. 7 thousand PLN net – is unable to rent a two-room apartment without exceeding the 30% threshold. income. In practice, this means that renting is increasingly becoming a temporary solution rather than a long-term housing strategy.
January 2026: apartment offer
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Primary Market
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Single person's creditworthiness: PLN 446,000 PLN and installment of PLN 2.7 thousand zloty
The alternative remains purchase on credit. Data from the Credit Information Bureau show that more than one third of borrowers are single. This group is dominated by young people, with several years of work experience and stable employment.
Rankomat.pl's analysis of offers from 10 banks shows that in January 2026, single with a net income of PLN 6,000. he could count on an average of PLN 446,000. PLN mortgage loan with a temporarily fixed interest rate. This meant an installment of approximately PLN 2.7 thousand. PLN per month.
This is the result of a series of interest rate cuts. Within 12 months, creditworthiness increased by 18%. — and the monetary policy easing cycle has still not been formally ended.
With own contribution of 20%. Therefore, a single person could have had a purchasing budget of PLN 557,000 in January. zloty. This calculation assumes that transaction costs are included in this amount, and finishing expenses are covered from other sources, e.g. family support.
— Employment contract and net income at the level of 6 thousand PLN should be enough to purchase a modest apartment, although this means the need for significant sacrifices – says Marek Wielgo.
January 2026: offer of apartments, rooms
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Primary Market
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Developers' offer: increase by up to 884%. y/y
The improvement in creditworthiness coincided with an increase in supply. BIG DATA RynekMieszkaniowy.pl data shows that in many cities, the offer of apartments that fit the budget of a single person has increased significantly.
Shoppers in Łódź had the largest selection in January – approx. 6.2 thousand. premises – and in the cities of the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis – approx. 5.3 thousand On an annual basis, this means an increase of 136 percent, respectively. and 110 percent
In Poznań, approximately 2.2 thousand were available. apartments (+132%), in Warsaw – approx. 1.3 thousand (+367%), in the Tricity – also approx. 1.3 thousand (+65%), and in Wrocław – approx. 1.4 thousand. (+669%). Kraków offered the smallest selection – approximately 600 apartments – but it was there that a record increase of 884% was recorded. y/y. Even at the beginning of last year an average-earning single person had practically no purchasing power there on the primary market.
Importantly, experts point out that actual availability may be higher because some developers offer discounts on offer prices.
In most metropolises However, a single person's budget allows mainly for the purchase of a studio apartment or a small two-room apartment. The exception is Łódź and the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, where three-room apartments are also within financial reach.
Loan without own contribution: an opportunity with limits
Own contribution remains a barrier. Not every single person has savings of 20%. real estate values. The alternative is program guaranteeing an own contribution of up to PLN 100,000. PLN, i.e. up to 20 percent. apartment prices. Condition? The price of the property cannot exceed PLN 500,000. zloty.
Additionally, there are price limits per square meter. For new apartments, they currently amount to, among others: PLN 15,496 in Warsaw, PLN 13,479 in Poznań, PLN 14,468 in Wrocław, PLN 13,255 in Gdańsk, PLN 13,124 in Kraków, PLN 10,739 in Katowice, and PLN 9,676 in Łódź.
Meeting both criteria significantly narrows the selection. In January, there were only 20 apartments available in Krakow that met the conditions of the program, in Katowice – 234, in Warsaw – 303, in Wrocław – 358, and in Gdańsk – 408. For comparison, in Poznań there were over a thousand of them, and in Łódź – 734.
In 2025, nearly 20,000 people used loans with a guaranteed own contribution. people. They are currently provided by four banks: PKO Bank Polski, Bank Pekao SA, Alior Bank and Santander Bank Polska.
Is this a solution for everyone? Not necessarily. But in cities where limits do not exclude most of the offer – such as Poznań or Łódź – it may be a real ticket to your own M.
The conclusion is simple: in 2026, a single person has greater creditworthiness and a wider choice of apartments than a year earlier. Renting remains expensive, and credit – although demanding – is increasingly turning out to be a rational alternative.
