Compact housing in Ukraine remains significantly cheaper than in Poland or Portugal, yet even within a single country, real estate prices can vary substantially depending on the city. This is evidenced by a study from OLX Real Estate, in which analysts compared median prices for purchasing one-bedroom apartments with an area of 30–40 sq. m in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Portugal as of August 2026. The data allows us not only to assess the gap between countries but also to see how price "islands" form within the national market.
Ukraine: Price Dispersion Within the Country
In Ukraine, the median cost of a 30–40 sq. m apartment in August 2026 was $38.5 thousand. Such housing was most expensive in Lviv at $57.4 thousand, which is approximately $4.4 thousand higher than Kyiv ($53 thousand) and more than double the price in Kharkiv ($25 thousand). Odesa held a median of $38.5 thousand, while Dnipro stood at $27.5 thousand. Thus, the gap between the most expensive and least expensive of the studied Ukrainian cities exceeded $32 thousand.
Romania and Poland: Mid-European Levels
In Romania, the median cost of a compact apartment in August was $74.2 thousand — almost twice as high as in Ukraine. The leader among Romanian cities was Cluj-Napoca ($105.3 thousand), followed by Timișoara ($84.2 thousand), Constanța ($79 thousand), Bucharest ($75.5 thousand), and Iași ($73.2 thousand). In Poland, the median figure reached $129.6 thousand, which is more than triple the Ukrainian figure, with the difference between the countries exceeding $90 thousand. Warsaw turned out to be the most expensive city ($174.2 thousand), followed by Kraków ($164.2 thousand), Gdańsk ($158.3 thousand), Wrocław ($145.5 thousand), and Poznań ($134.1 thousand).
Portugal: Leader in Cost
The highest prices for compact apartments were recorded in Portugal: in August 2026, the median cost of housing measuring 30–40 sq. m was about $243 thousand, which is almost seven times the Ukrainian figure. Housing was most expensive in Lisbon at $297 thousand, Porto at $243 thousand, Setúbal at $232.6 thousand, Coimbra at $221.4 thousand, and Braga at $210.6 thousand. The difference between Lisbon and Braga exceeded $86.4 thousand, demonstrating pronounced intra-country differentiation even in one of the most expensive countries in the sample.
Wages and Real Affordability
When comparing real estate prices, analysts emphasize the need to consider not only apartment costs but also income levels, taxes, and the overall economic situation. According to the study, the minimum wage in Ukraine in 2026 was about $193 (8,647 hryvnias) before taxes, in Poland about $1,249 (4,806 zlotys), in Romania $932 (4,325 lei), and in Portugal $1046 (920 euros). Higher housing prices in the studied countries are accompanied by higher minimum wage levels, which partially smooths out the gap in affordability.
What Affects Prices in Ukraine
In Ukraine, regional differences are primarily driven by security and migration processes, which affect demand and prices in various regions. As analysts note, when choosing housing, Ukrainians increasingly factor in security and autonomy: backup power, autonomous heating, distance to strategic facilities, and the availability of a shelter are important for most buyers and tenants. Thus, the price map of compact housing in the country is shaped by both market and geopolitical factors, setting the Ukrainian market apart from European ones.
