Dostępność mieszkań dla gospodarstw domowych w miastach wojewódzkich
Housing affordability of households in voivodship capital cities

Summary/Abstract: Polish households are facing a significant increase in housing-related expenses, primarilycaused by a sharp rise in housing prices after 2020. This affected the level of housing affordabilityin the largest cities in Poland. The aim of the study discussed in the article is to assess thegeographical variability in housing affordability levels in Poland and to identify the types ofhouseholds for which housing is the most and the least affordable. Housing affordability wasconsidered in the context of housing expenses depending on the form of tenure (ownershipor rental). It was assumed that housing is affordable when a household spends no more than40% of its disposable income on housing maintenance costs. The study covered voivodship capital cities, excluding Gorzów Wielkopolski and Toruń. The comparison of the situation in2020 and 2023 was based on data from reports of the National Bank of Poland, the Local DataBank of Statistics Poland, the Energy Regulatory Office, EWE (now Elenger) and the OtoDomAnalytics platform. The research allowed voivodship capital cities to be categorised accordingto the level of housing affordability. Katowice, Bydgoszcz, Zielona Góra and Olsztyn werecities with the most affordable housing, whereas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków and Białystok,housing was least affordable. The study showed that in voivodship capital cities, rental is a moreaffordable form of tenure in terms of housing costs than ownership. The highest level ofhousing affordability was observed in two-person households (couples), while the lowest inone-person households (singles) and five-person households (families with two adults andthree children). The findings may prove useful for central and local governments in determiningthe target groups for future housing policy instruments.

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