According to the Metrohouse and Credipass Barometer report for the first quarter of 2026, 28% of transactions involving the sale of a flat on the secondary market are driven by the purchase of another property — this time with a larger floor area. However, moving from a popular 40 sqm flat to a more comfortable 75 sqm home is an expense that, in Poland’s largest cities, often requires taking out a substantial mortgage, even when the buyer already has significant capital from the sale of their previous property.
The sale of a flat on the secondary market may be motivated by many different factors. Survey results from the latest Metrohouse and Credipass Barometer show that the main reason for selling a flat is the purchase of another home — one with a larger floor area.
“Improving living standards is therefore becoming the main reason for putting one’s current flat on the market. This is not surprising in the context of the purchases Poles have made over the past dozen or so years. Transactions were dominated by two-room flats, often described as compact units, which were ideal as first homes. However, their size, often around 40 sqm, can hardly be called comfortable when the household grows,” says Marcin Jańczuk, an expert at the Metrohouse real estate agency network.
According to the AMRON-SARFiN report, most mortgages — usually around 60% — are taken out for a period of 25 to 35 years. However, Poles try to repay their mortgage obligations much earlier. In most cases, they manage to do so within 13 to 17 years. The scale of mortgage overpayments seems to confirm that households, especially those owning their homes, are in fairly good financial condition.
Where is upgrading to a larger flat the most expensive?
Let us assume that a model household has no outstanding mortgage and can allocate all funds obtained from selling its current flat as a down payment for a new property. The family owns a 40 sqm flat in one of Poland’s largest cities. It sells the flat at average transaction prices and simultaneously buys a much larger 75 sqm flat.
For such larger flats, the average price reported by the National Bank of Poland has been reduced by 5%. This reflects slightly lower prices on the secondary market for larger properties compared with standard two-room flats.
Metrohouse and Credipass prepared calculations showing that upgrading to a larger flat will be the most financially demanding for residents of Warsaw and Kraków. In these cities, such properties cost on average PLN 1.19 million and PLN 1.06 million respectively. Slightly cheaper options can be found in Gdańsk, at PLN 954,000, and Wrocław, at PLN 893,000. Flats of this size are available for less than PLN 600,000 in Bydgoszcz, Katowice and Łódź.
What monthly payment? A challenge for household budgets
At current transaction prices, improving living comfort is becoming, for many families, an investment comparable to buying their first flat years ago. An analysis of mortgage instalments when moving to a larger property challenges the common belief that owning a first flat solves the problem of financing a target family home.
Under current market conditions, in cities such as Warsaw and Kraków, the price difference between a 40 sqm and a 75 sqm flat creates the need to take out a loan exceeding half a million złoty. This translates into a monthly instalment of nearly PLN 3,000, even in a scenario where all capital from the sale of the previous flat is treated as a down payment.
“It is worth noting the significant market stratification. While in the capital improving one’s standard of living involves a heavy burden on the household budget, in cities such as Katowice, Bydgoszcz or Łódź, the cost of the ‘additional’ 35 sqm translates into an instalment of around PLN 1,400–1,450. This means that in regions with lower transaction prices, residents’ mobility and the liquidity of the family housing segment will be much higher. For borrowers, the key conclusion from these data is that in the largest agglomerations, owning a property is not enough. Strong current creditworthiness becomes crucial, and in the first quarter of 2026 it is being tested by rising costs of long-term financing,” comments Daniel Orlikowski, financial expert at Credipass.
Estimated cost of moving from a 40 sqm to a 75 sqm flat
| City | Price per sqm | Price of a 40 sqm flat | Price of a 75 sqm flat | Loan amount | Monthly instalment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Białystok | PLN 9,372 | PLN 374,880 | PLN 667,755 | PLN 292,875 | PLN 1,661 |
| Bydgoszcz | PLN 7,957 | PLN 318,280 | PLN 566,936 | PLN 248,656 | PLN 1,410 |
| Gdańsk | PLN 13,392 | PLN 535,680 | PLN 954,180 | PLN 418,500 | PLN 2,374 |
| Katowice | PLN 8,188 | PLN 327,520 | PLN 583,395 | PLN 255,875 | PLN 1,451 |
| Kraków | PLN 14,898 | PLN 595,920 | PLN 1,061,483 | PLN 465,563 | PLN 2,641 |
| Lublin | PLN 9,951 | PLN 398,040 | PLN 709,009 | PLN 310,969 | PLN 1,764 |
| Łódź | PLN 8,038 | PLN 321,520 | PLN 572,708 | PLN 251,188 | PLN 1,425 |
| Olsztyn | PLN 8,683 | PLN 347,320 | PLN 618,664 | PLN 271,344 | PLN 1,539 |
| Poznań | PLN 10,636 | PLN 425,440 | PLN 757,815 | PLN 332,375 | PLN 1,885 |
| Szczecin | PLN 9,272 | PLN 370,880 | PLN 660,630 | PLN 289,750 | PLN 1,643 |
| Warsaw | PLN 16,750 | PLN 670,000 | PLN 1,193,438 | PLN 523,438 | PLN 2,969 |
| Wrocław | PLN 12,546 | PLN 501,840 | PLN 893,903 | PLN 392,063 | PLN 2,224 |
Assumptions: calculations prepared by Credipass and Metrohouse analysts. Price per sqm: NBP data. Loan amount: the difference between the price of a 75 sqm flat and the price of a 40 sqm flat, with the proceeds from the smaller flat treated as the down payment. Mortgage instalments: 30-year loan term, equal instalments, variable interest rate based on the best market offer available as of 7 May 2026.
