this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2024
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Rental prices in Europe are increasingly high. According to a Eurostat study, the average price for an unfurnished one-bedroom flat in the cities of London, Geneva and Dublin exceeds €2000. Eastern European cities generally have the lowest rental costs, such as in Skopje (€250), Pristina (€310) or Ankara (€410).

Do you think that Europe has already reached a housing crisis? And if so, how do you think we can get out of this situation?

Source: Eurostat

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[–] jeena@piefed.jeena.net 104 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (6 children)

Whose idea was it to make it a circle so it's massively hard to read?

[–] roboto 17 points 3 months ago

Yeah I agree to me this design is so bad it feels like ragebait.

[–] Vincent@feddit.nl 11 points 3 months ago

Also impossible to compare the different values.

[–] Pregnenolone@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago

It would fit in perfectly with the other terrible graphs at dataisbeautiful

[–] federalreverse 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I see one reason for the circular diagram: it's a lot more compact than a single-column bar chart would be. It's also, subjectively, more pretty to look at.

[–] gigachad@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 months ago

Also it's not like a circle would add information here in any way, more like the opposite - London follows again after Skopje? If this diagram is really from Eurostat and not only the data, that's kind of embarassing..

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[–] gcheliotis@lemmy.world 47 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I recently saw a rent affordability chart, which was much more interesting (and more sanely formatted). Some of the locations listed as cheapest are actually the most expensive when adjusted for median income.

[–] Plopp@lemmy.world 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I was just gonna say, just listing the cost says nothing about how expensive it is.

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[–] Blaze@sopuli.xyz 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Lisbon being the same as Paris is crazy.

[–] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

While the median salary is half than in Paris.

[–] jenesaisquoi 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Too many wealthy immigrants. Portugal got very popular.

[–] spirinolas@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This is forcing a ever growing number of Portuguese people to leave their own country to make room for healthy foreigners. It has all the signs of classic colonisation. It's awful. Try to point that on Lemmy and you'll be labeled a racist/xenophobe. We're supposed to just be pushed out and like it.

[–] jenesaisquoi 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The problem isn't people immigrating, the problem is leaving housing to the "free" market. Having a roof over one's head is as basic a need as food and water. States should pass laws to ensure everyone has a place to live. Let the rich speculate with mansions all they like, but protect the needs of normal people through rigorous laws.

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[–] genfood 19 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I think that’s a severe problem for our society and especially the younger generation.
This situation is somewhat a doomed circle, and for now I don’t see it becoming better.

I have already a well paying job, but I don’t see myself paying nearly the half of my net income for a two rooms flat. I always ask myself how do people handle this, who are earning less money, or even have children.

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[–] shinysquirrel@lemm.ee 16 points 3 months ago (2 children)

ankara might look like one of the cheapest on this list but if you consider the median income in ankara it becomes bery expensive

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 15 points 3 months ago

Yeah, it should be listed as percentage of median income or something like that.

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[–] magoosh@feddit.nl 14 points 3 months ago (3 children)

They seem to be going for capital cities. While the Hague contains the parliament and ministeries, Amsterdam is the capital.

[–] aasatru@kbin.earth 29 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (4 children)

I'm not sure how they made the selection, but considering the inclusion of cities like Geneva, Munich, Reading, Karlsruhe, and Lyon, I doubt they had capital cities only in mind.

Still a bit weird to leave out Amsterdam.

[–] Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Also they include Ankara but leave out Istanbul?

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[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 months ago

Especially since it would be at the top of the list at 2275 for a 1br apartment

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Having London and Reading, which isn't far from London, as the examples isn't really representative of the nation.

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[–] magoosh@feddit.nl 4 points 3 months ago

Ah yes, youre right! Strange list if you ask me

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's not just capitals. There are some odd choices in general, Munich is listed, which is the third largest city in Germany, but the second largest which is Hamburg is missing, but for some reason Karlsruhe (22nd largest city) is listed. Similar for France, Lyon (3rd largest) is listed, but not Marseille (2nd largest).

[–] rumschlumpel 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Munich was picked because it's the most expensive city in Germany. No idea why they picked Karlsruhe, though.

[–] jenesaisquoi 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Geneva is not the capital of Switzerland, Bern is

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[–] Skasi@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Keep in mind that these numbers are for above-average flats, ie in good locations, of good size (40-60mΒ² or 60-80mΒ², depending on the city) and for well-earning positions. Probably not the top 1%, but still generally well paid jobs. As such the presentation is inaccurate. Those are not "average prices in the city", but "average prices for good flats in good districts, comparable with Brussels".

source: 2023 CURRENT MARKET RENTS (pdf)

OBTAINED THROUGH SURVEYS WITH ESTATE AGENCIES, COVERING A SPECIFIC HOUSING SEGMENT

The rent data presented in this booklet are part of a wider work programme, whose objective is to compare the relative cost of living of international civil servants in any place of employment with that of Brussels, the reference city.

Since the aim of the entire exercise is to compare "like with like", the neighbourhoods surveyed may not necessarily be in those areas where expatriates actually live but are comparable with those actually occupied by officials in Brussels.

These neighbourhoods are described as residential areas of good quality, favoured by expatriates and professional people such as international civil servants, university staff, doctors, managers, and similar professionals, who pay their rent by themselves (i.e. not paid by their employers).

[–] jenesaisquoi 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

2500 is a shit flat in Geneva. Complete shit. A nice one would be 3600, and really nice one 8000.

Sauce: am Swiss

[–] Skasi@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (7 children)

Well I guess in some countries people have way too much money...

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[–] rumschlumpel 8 points 3 months ago

Yes, housing is a crisis, and it started years ago.

[–] niktemadur@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (6 children)

Huh, seems kinda strange to include Ankara and not Istanbul.
First off, Ankara is deep into the Asian side of Turkey.
Also, Istanbul is a city I'd MUCH rather live in, that's where the action is!

[–] Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

...not Constantinople?

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[–] cmeio@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Interistinh choice to add Karlsruhe. How did that happen?

[–] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Karl III. Wilhelm founded the city on June 17, 1715, after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach.

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I used to live in Dublin for ages, but it's just not worth it anymore.

[–] SteefLem@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This is weird, the hague more expensive then amsterdam?? Doubtfull

[–] tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I think they just cherrypicked a few cities per country, it is definitely incomplete.

[–] genfood 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

How did came up with this reasoning from what you are seeing on this image?

I don’t see Amsterdam on the chart, but that doesn’t mean it is more expensive, it simply isn’t part of the graph.

I understand you want it to be there but, I guess it would be simply to much to display every European city.

[–] Vash63@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

But why not display the capital, especially when it has higher prices than The Hague?

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Europe's rental crisis

FTFY

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Those figures seem inflated. I guess they only considered city centres.

[–] Skasi@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Yes they only considered certain places. See "NEIGHBOURHOODS COVERED IN EACH CITY SURVEYED" in the surveys pdf for a list of cities and the respective neighbourhoods.

[–] gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

If housing is an investment vehicle for growing your money, then the people who can participate in that system will work to produce outcomes that fundamentally go against affordable housing. A society that believes in affordable housing as a right or a goal can't allow housing to be used as a place to park wealth so that it grows akin to a stock.

Whatever prices are, they are higher when a landlord is involved. We must get progressively outlaw multiple pieces of land. Owning more than two homes/flats should cost the owner something every year, not generate wealth - and that second one should be nearly neutral.

[–] Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl 3 points 3 months ago

I worked in Lisbon for a while. Salary after tax was 700 EUR and a (very tiny shared) room was provided but I couldn't afford my own place. Now I'm in Prague and although I live very, very small, at least rent is "only" half of after-tax salary.

So more of a crisis in one place than another, but it would've been nice if something more than just a one-bedroom apartment would still be achieveable.

[–] inlandempire@jlai.lu 3 points 3 months ago

Holy shit I was looking at downtown Reykjavik back in 2022 and it was at minimum 900€ (around 140k isk) for just a room to sleep in, the housing problem in Iceland is completely bonkers

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