site.btaBulgaria Ranks Second in EU in Annual House Price Growth in Second Quarter

House prices in Bulgaria increased by 15.5% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to Eurostat data. This was the second-highest annual increase in the European Union after Portugal, where prices rose by 16.5%. Lithuania ranked third, with a 14.3% increase.

Bulgaria retained its second-place position from the first quarter, when house prices increased by 14.8% year-on-year. Portugal led with a 17.8% increase, while Slovakia ranked third at 14.4%. In the second quarter, the gap between Bulgaria and Portugal narrowed to one percentage point.

Compared with the first quarter, house prices in Bulgaria increased by 4.5%. This was also the second-highest quarterly increase in the EU, after Lithuania at 5%. Romania ranked third, with a 4.4% increase.

Across the EU, house prices increased by 4.7% year-on-year, following a 5.1% increase in the first quarter. The quarterly increase was 1.2%. In the euro area, annual growth was 4%, while quarterly growth was 1.1%.

Among the EU Member States with available data, annual declines were recorded in Finland, at 2.7%, Luxembourg, at 2.2%, and France, at 0.8%.

Rents in the EU increased by 3% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year and by 0.7% compared with the first quarter.

Compared with the average level in 2025, rents in the EU increased by 2.6%. All EU Member States recorded increases over this period, with the largest growth in Romania, at 41.2%, followed by Croatia at 22.1% and Slovenia at 10.2%.