Just a few years ago, the dream of many young families was to live in the center of Warsaw, Poznań or Wrocław. Close to work, restaurants, schools and city attractions. Today, this model of life is clearly changing. More and more people consciously choose a house or a building near the city — even if it means moving several dozen kilometers away from the agglomeration.
The suburbanization trend in Poland is accelerating. Central Statistical Office data and real estate market analyzes show that the largest cities are gradually losing inhabitants, while suburban communes are recording population growth. Reason? High housing prices, changing work models and the growing need for a quieter life.
— Today, a house outside the city is not a compromise for more and more customers, but a conscious choice and a symbol of quality of life. Customers are looking for space, privacy and contact with nature, at the same time not wanting to give up access to the infrastructure of a large city – says Jan Dominiewski, director of the primary market at Freedom.
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Real estate prices: a semi-detached house outside the city instead of an apartment in the center
Real estate prices remain the biggest incentive to move out. In many large cities, prices per square meter of new apartments already exceed PLN 15,000. PLN, and in the best locations they are much higher. Meanwhile, outside the metropolitan area, for similar money you can buy a much larger space – often with a garden and a garage.
— Sometimes a semi-detached house near a big city is more profitable than an apartment in the center. I know families who gave up buying a large apartment because the suburban area simply turned out to be a better idea, says Mirosław Król, a real estate expert.
As he emphasizes, nominally, a house or a unit costs more than an apartment, but after converting the price per square meter, the proportions look completely different.
— If someone is looking for a good space to live, it suddenly turns out that outside the city they can get much more for similar money. Families increasingly come to real estate agencies thinking about less obvious locations, he adds.
Examples? A terraced house near Szczecin with an area of approximately 110 square meters can be purchased for approximately PLN 800,000. zloty. A semi-detached house 40 km from Poznań costs about one million zlotys. Even near Warsaw, there are segments of a similar size for PLN 1.5-1.6 million – which is often less than a large apartment in a good location in the capital.
Life outside the city: “Our pace just slowed down”
For many families, moving outside the city is no longer just a financial consideration. It's more and more about everyday comfort and lifestyle.
Aleksandra Kręgielska-Rolla moved from Poznań to a town outside the city a few years ago. As he says, they made the decision primarily with the children in mind.
— We have three children, so we really wanted more space, access to nature and a quieter environment. At the same time, we wanted to continue to have convenient access to the city and work, he says.
It was crucial arrival time and good communication.
— We assumed that getting to Poznań could not take more than half an hour and that there must be a railway nearby. Today we see that it was a very good decision, he says.
First of all, the everyday functioning of the family has changed.
— Children spend a lot of time in the garden. We have forest and lakes at our fingertips. Despite work and extracurricular activities our lives just slowed down. I don't plan on returning to the city today, he admits.
They made a similar decision Agnieszka and Marcin Krupiński, who exchanged their apartment in Warsaw for a unit in Ożarów Mazowiecki.
Agnieszka Krupińska in her segment, beginning of finishing works
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Agnieszka and Marcin Krupiński
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— I can't imagine returning to Warsaw today. It would be too crowded, too noisy and there would be just too much of everything for me, says Marcin.
– Too fast – adds Agnieszka.
As they emphasize, the costs of maintaining a house are higher than apartments in a block of flats, especially when it comes to heating and electricity. Despite this, the balance remains favorable for them.
– For a larger apartment in Warsaw we would probably have to pay two or three times more than for our segment – says Marcin.
Today they have four rooms, a garage and their own space, and at the same time they do not feel cut off from the city.
— We have fast internet, sewage, shops, schools and services. And life is much more peaceful, says Agnieszka.
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Remote work and suburbanization. The pandemic has changed the way of thinking
Real estate market experts emphasize that The popularization of remote and hybrid work had a huge impact on the development of suburban locations. Daily commuting to the city center is no longer an obligation for hundreds of thousands of employees.
— We are observing a clear increase in interest in houses outside Warsaw, especially among… families with children and people working remotely. Customers want to live more comfortably and peacefully, but at the same time remain within reach of the city – says Grzegorz Florczak, investor of the Kampinos estate.
This is why towns located even several dozen kilometers away from the centers of agglomerations are becoming more and more popular. What matters is not only the house itself, but the entire surroundings: access to green areas, safety, less noise and a sense of community.
Marcin Krupiński draws attention to one more aspect.
— It's easy to feel anonymous in Warsaw. People move all the time, you often don't know your neighbors. It's much easier to build normal relationships outside the city, he says.
— Even finding someone to water the flowers or feed the cat used to be a problem. People really know each other here – adds Agnieszka.
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A house outside the city: more space, but also more responsibilities
However, experts emphasize that Moving outside the city does not always turn out to be the ideal solution. The biggest challenge is the daily commute and the costs of maintaining the house.
— If someone lives outside the city, but has to commute there every day to work, school or for their children's extracurricular activities, after some time it may turn out that they lose the joy of the new place – says Mirosław Król.
Expenses can also be a problemwhich many buyers do not initially consider.
— Finishing a house is much more expensive than a flat. In the case of the secondary market, you have to be very careful about renovation costs. It sometimes happens that modernizing installations, bathrooms or heating costs more than the house itself – warns the expert.
However, modern suburban investments remind us more and more often small, well-planned housing estates with developed infrastructure, recreational areas and access to services. For many families, it is the perfect compromise – between peace and proximity to the city.
And everything indicates that this trend is only gaining momentum. High apartment prices in the centers of agglomerations, the development of hybrid work and the growing need to improve the quality of life mean that more and more Poles are starting to ask themselves not “if”, but “when” to move out of the city.
