Among the 17 cities covered by the National Bank of Poland’s BaRN residential property price database, housing prices recorded the slowest percentage growth where they were already the highest in 2006: Kraków, Warsaw and Wrocław. Olsztyn is the exception, as despite a moderate starting price it posted the smallest percentage increase on the primary market among all cities analysed.
TOP 10: primary market — where housing prices rose the least
On the primary market, Olsztyn recorded the smallest percentage increase in prices over the past 20 years — from PLN 4 000 in Q3 2006 to PLN 10 544.57 in Q1 2026, or 163.6%. Kraków ranked second from the bottom (+180.0%), followed by Poznań (+188.9%). The ten cities with the slowest growth also included Warsaw (+207.4%) and Wrocław (+225.1%), despite being among the country’s most expensive markets in absolute terms.
| # | City | Price, Q3 2006 (PLN/m²) | Price, Q1 2026 (PLN/m²) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olsztyn | 4 000,00 | 10 544,57 | +163,6% |
| 2 | Krakow | 6 021,00 | 16 859,05 | +180,0% |
| 3 | Poznan | 4 769,93 | 13 778,05 | +188,9% |
| 4 | Gdynia | 4 937,00 | 14 967,07 | +203,2% |
| 5 | Warsaw | 5 873,00 | 18 055,84 | +207,4% |
| 6 | Katowice | 3 986,27 | 12 628,74 | +216,8% |
| 7 | Wroclaw | 4 750,00 | 15 443,80 | +225,1% |
| 8 | Gdansk | 5 004,00 | 16 432,07 | +228,4% |
| 9 | Lublin | 3 456,00 | 11 889,28 | +244,0% |
| 10 | Zielona Gora | 2 754,28 | 9 580,52 | +247,8% |
TOP 10: secondary market — where housing prices rose the least
On the secondary market, Kraków recorded the smallest percentage increase — from PLN 7 114 to PLN 16 566.48 per square metre, or just 132.9%. Gdynia (+149.1%) and Wrocław (+157.5%) followed. Warsaw ranked fourth from the bottom, with an increase of 163.5%. Interestingly, Olsztyn, which ranked lowest on the primary market, placed only fifth from the bottom on the secondary market (+189.9%) — still clearly below the average for all cities.
| # | City | Price, Q3 2006 (PLN/m²) | Price, Q1 2026 (PLN/m²) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krakow | 7 114,00 | 16 566,48 | +132,9% |
| 2 | Gdynia | 5 756,00 | 14 338,50 | +149,1% |
| 3 | Wroclaw | 5 260,77 | 13 546,67 | +157,5% |
| 4 | Warsaw | 7 179,00 | 18 919,02 | +163,5% |
| 5 | Olsztyn | 3 414,43 | 9 898,40 | +189,9% |
| 6 | Szczecin | 3 189,80 | 9 960,50 | +212,3% |
| 7 | Opole | 3 164,08 | 9 937,90 | +214,1% |
| 8 | Lodz | 2 740,00 | 8 983,77 | +227,9% |
| 9 | Poznan | 3 751,81 | 12 378,17 | +229,9% |
| 10 | Bialystok | 3 070,00 | 10 202,02 | +232,3% |
A high starting base as the main factor
The pattern is similar in both markets: prices grew most slowly in cities that were already among the most expensive in 2006 — Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław and Gdynia were then clearly above the national average. A high starting base means that even a substantial increase in PLN per square metre translates into a relatively lower percentage result. Kraków is the clearest example: although the price of housing on the secondary market rose by PLN 9 452.48 per square metre, it was the lowest percentage increase among all 17 cities examined.
Olsztyn is an exception to this rule — it was not among the most expensive markets in 2006, yet its primary-market price growth was the slowest in the country. This may reflect weaker demand pressure in a city with a relatively stable, smaller population and a limited scale of new housing construction over the period analysed, although BaRN data does not allow the cause to be identified conclusively without further analysis of local supply and demand.
BaRN data covers asking prices for the sale of housing units in multi-family developments in 16 provincial capitals and in Gdynia, where a significant share of market activity takes place. Prices include VAT. The ranking reflects the change in asking prices between Q3 2006 (the start of the BaRN data series) and Q1 2026 (the latest available data).
Data source: National Bank of Poland (NBP), BaRN residential property price database, Q3 2006–Q1 2026. Own compilation based on NBP data.
