Cheapest EU rental escape routes are Athens, Sofia and Bucharest

Whether you voted Remain or Leave it’s been a difficult time for Britons, as the Government continues in its failure to return any level of certainty to the UK property sector when it comes to our departure from the EU.

If you’re unhappy with the deal being struck and want to remain in an EU member state, or you’re so sick of the process that you just want to put some distance between yourself and Westminster, property management platform Bunk has analysed the cost of renting in EU capital cities to find where’s the most affordable.

Athens is the cheapest for one beds

The cheapest EU capital city centre to rent out a one-bed apartment is the historic city of Athens in Greece (£316).

Other cheap options are Bulgaria’s capital Sofia (£323), Bucharest in Romania (£336), as well as the Latvian capital, Riga (£337).

To put these prices into context, in London it typically costs £1,544 to rent a one-bed apartment in the city centre, while it’s also a costly affair in Dublin, Ireland (£1,425) and Amsterdam, Netherlands (£1,354),

Bucharest is the cheapest for three beds 

If you need a bit more space, Bucharest in Romania is the cheapest EU city to rent a three-bed apartment, costing just £557 per month.

The capitals of Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia are once again on the cheaper end of the scale.

Other locations that are affordable for renters are Zagreb in Croatia (£656), Vilnius in Lithuania (£724) and Nicosia in Cyprus (£734).

If you’re looking for somewhere cheap, places to avoid include Luxembourg City (£2,347), the French capital Paris (£2,226) and Copenhagen in Denmark (£1,925).

In London, it costs £2,718 to rent a three-bed apartment – the most expensive of the lot.

Tom Woolard, co-founder of Bunk, said:

“Regardless of your stance on Brexit, it’s quite astonishing to see just how expensive the cost of renting in London and the UK is when compared to many other areas of Europe. In fact, outside of the UK and Ireland just a very small handful of nations present the same affordability issues facing tenants here.”

Cheapest EU Rentals – rankings
EU 27 – average rent 1 bed city apartment
EU Nation
Capital City
Average rent – city centre – 1 bed apartment (per month)
Greece
Athens
£316
Bulgaria
Sofia
£323
Romania
Bucharest
£336
Latvia
Riga
£337
Croatia
Zagreb
£402
Hungary
Budapest
£411
Lithuania
Vilnius
£414
Cyprus
Nicosia
£441
Estonia
Tallinn
£455
Slovenia
Ljubljana
£488
Poland
Warsaw
£517
Slovakia
Bratislava
£531
Czech Republic
Prague
£636
Belgium
Brussels
£716
Portugal
Lisbon
£749
Germany
Berlin
£758
Spain
Madrid
£785
Malta
Valletta
£804
Finland
Helsinki
£827
Italy
Rome
£874
Sweden
Stockholm
£953
Denmark
Copenhagen
£1,016
France
Paris
£1,055
Luxembourg
Luxembourg City
£1,281
Netherlands
Amsterdam
£1,354
Ireland
Dublin
£1,425
United Kingdom
London
£1,544
EU 27 – average rent 3 bed city apartment
EU Nation
Capital City
Average rent – city centre – 3 bed apartment (per month)
Romania
Bucharest
£557
Bulgaria
Sofia
£568
Greece
Athens
£568
Latvia
Riga
£596
Croatia
Zagreb
£656
Lithuania
Vilnius
£724
Cyprus
Nicosia
£734
Estonia
Tallinn
£752
Hungary
Budapest
£774
Slovakia
Bratislava
£884
Poland
Warsaw
£917
Slovenia
Ljubljana
£923
Czech Republic
Prague
£1,097
Belgium
Brussels
£1,250
Spain
Madrid
£1,403
Portugal
Lisbon
£1,455
Germany
Berlin
£1,461
Malta
Valletta
£1,503
Finland
Helsinki
£1,531
Sweden
Stockholm
£1,582
Italy
Rome
£1,628
Denmark
Copenhagen
£1,925
France
Paris
£2,226
Netherlands
Amsterdam
£2,253
Luxembourg
Luxembourg City
£2,347
Ireland
Dublin
£2,562
United Kingdom
London
£2,718

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

AI in estate agency letting agency property
Estate Agent Talk

5 Practical Examples: This is How AI is Changing Real Estate

There does not appear to be a single industry that is likely to be immune from the impact of AI. Therefore, it is no surprise to learn that seismic changes are happening in the world of real estate, thanks to the increasing influence of artificial intelligence. From using the technology to identify ways to save…
Read More
Crowded beaches - Clacton-on-Sea in Essex
Breaking News

Overheating moves up the housing agenda

441,000 rental homes fail thermal comfort standards The latest analysis from Inventory Base has found that an estimated 441,000 private rented homes in England failed thermal comfort standards in 2024, accounting for 40.3% of all non-decent private rental properties, as major reforms to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) came into force on…
Read More
Breaking News

Annual house price growth slows in June

The latest Nationwide House Price Index for June 2026 shows that: House prices fell by -0.0% between May 2026 and June 2026. Annual house price growth increased to 2.2% in June 2026, up from 1.7% in May 2026. The average UK house price for June 2026 now stands at £277,484, down slightly from £278,024 in…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index May 2026

UK annual house price growth picked up to 3.0% in April, from 2.2% in March House prices were up 0.4% month on month Headlines Apr-26 Mar-26 Monthly Index* 554.8 552.7 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.9% Annual Change 3.0% 2.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £278,880 £277,186 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 1/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Construction entrepreneur and TrueNorth Capital Group founder has a ten point plan for the next Prime Minister Mr Bradley Lay wants Andy Burnham, or whoever becomes the UK’s next Prime Minister, to overhaul the policies which are holding Britain’s construction sector back. And to…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 30/6/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   8% of commercial real estate investors and owners have started AI pilots – the reasons why most fail Only 5% of CRE operators achieve most of their AI program goals According to JLL’s 2025 Global Real Estate Technology Survey of more than 1,500 senior…
Read More