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House or apartment in Krakow 2026: comparison

3 min read

Apartments: median offer price 16,000 PLN/m² (1,396 listings). Houses: median 10,774 PLN/m² (103 listings) — the price per meter for a house is one-third lower (dimdom, 2026).

The square footage trap: a typical house (140 m²) costs about 1,508,000 PLN at the median, while a 50 m² apartment costs about 800,000 PLN. A house is cheaper per meter, but costs about 700,000 PLN more in total (dimdom, 2026).

Both segments are stagnant: 0% change month-over-month for both (dimdom, 2026).

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Table: same budget, two worlds

Variant	Median Price	20% Down Payment	30-year mortgage, 5.97%
Apartment 50 m² × 16,000 PLN	800,000 PLN	160,000 PLN	approx. 5,100 PLN
House 140 m² × 10,774 PLN	1,508,000 PLN

301,600 PLN

approx. 9,600 PLN

House 120 m² × 10,774 PLN

1,293,000 PLN

258,600 PLN

approx. 8,250 PLN

Offer prices: dimdom, 2026. Mortgage installments are estimates; interest rate for new loans is 5.97% (AMRON-SARFiN, NBP, 2026).

Hidden costs of a house

To the house mortgage payment, add: heating a larger volume, maintenance of the plot and garden, roof and facade repairs spread over time, and — most often overlooked — commuting. Houses at the median price are usually located outside of Krakow proper (the median for plots of 270 PLN/m² applies to the outskirts and surrounding areas), and the cost of commuting time is a real component of the price (dimdom, 2026).

For apartments, hidden costs are lower, but they exist: administrative fees, renovation funds, and dependence on the homeowners' association for major repairs.

Verdict

In terms of monthly math, the apartment wins (installment lower by approx. 4,500 PLN), but life math depends on your stage: a couple without children or a single person won't utilize 140 m², while a family with two children will outgrow 50 m² in 5 years — and selling before 5 years incurs a 19% capital gains tax. If you're planning a house "for later," calculate whether you can afford two moves and two sets of transaction costs (2% PCC tax on every secondary market transaction).

Listings: apartments for sale in Krakow, houses for sale in Krakow, and real estate price report.

Supply: developers are delivering more apartments

In the first half of 2026, 94.9 thousand apartments were completed, 3.2% more than the year before (GUS, 2026). The growing supply of new apartments is good news for secondary market buyers: the more new units there are, the lower the demand pressure on used ones. Data: GUS: housing construction.

Methodology

Medians based on active dimdom listings, September 2026, after excluding extreme values (dimdom, 2026). The house sample (103) is smaller than the apartment sample (1,396) — the house median is more sensitive to the structure of the offer.

Sources: NBP: Quarterly Report, AMRON-SARFiN 1/2026.