Hungary has one of the largest price gaps between renting and buying in the world

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New research reveals that Hungary has one of the largest price gaps between renting and buying in the world – mortgage payments are 40.90% more expensive than rent.
 
The research by Compare The Market analysed average house and rent prices in OECD countries to reveal the countries which have the biggest price gap between rent and house prices.
 
You can view the research in full HERE
 
The 10 countries with the biggest gap between house prices and rent 
 
 

Rank

Country

Average rent (three bedrooms)

Estimated monthly mortgage payment

Difference between house prices and rent

1

Luxembourg

$3,017

$4,558

51.1%

2

Latvia

$582

$830

42.5%

3

Slovakia

$771

$1,098

42.3%

4

Portugal

$1,005

$1,419

41.2%

5

Hungary

$583

$822

40.9%

6

Russia

$746

$1,045

40.1%

7

Czech Republic

$861

$1,205

40.0%

8

New Zealand

$1,656

$2,234

34.9%

9

Germany

$1,414

$1,887

33.5%

10

Canada

$1,597

$2,118

32.6%
 
 
Luxembourg ranked highest with a staggering price gap of 51.1%, reflecting the high cost of living. Luxembourg also has the highest rent and house prices on average with rent costing $3,017 a month, paired with a steep estimated monthly mortgage payment of $4,558. 
 
Latvia came second place with a substantial gap between rent and house prices of 42.5%. While house prices in Latvia are much cheaper than those in Luxembourg, it has a similarly high gap between the cost of renting and buying. This means that, with an average monthly rent of US$582, average monthly mortgage payments are estimated at around US$830.
 
 
Slovakia comes in third with a 42.3% difference, just behind that of Latvia. House prices have been on the rise in Slovakia over the last few years and with an average rent of US$771, the average monthly mortgage payment is estimated at just over US$1,000.
 
Further insights:
 

  • On the opposite end of the scale, South Africa held a 0.8% price difference with rent prices averaging at $865 and the average mortgage payment being $872. 

  • Two countries also held negative price difference percentages, with Finland and Italy having cheaper house prices overall than rent.

Methodology

The research is in US$.

The house price to rent ratio for each country was sourced from OECD and is calculated by dividing the nominal house price index by the housing rent price index from the same source. For example, a ratio of 151.1 means that house prices are 51.1% more expensive than renting.

The average rent for a three-bedroom property in each country was calculated by averaging the average cost of renting a three-bedroom property both in and outside of city centres, according to Numbeo.

Average monthly mortgage payments were then estimated by multiplying the house price to rent ratio by the average rent.

Source: Press release

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