2,026 · Last reviewed 2026-05-24
Global Mortgage Affordability Index
One consistent calculation, every country: take a typical home at the local price-to-income ratio, put 20% down, and finance the rest over 25 years at the prevailing mortgage rate. What’s left is the share of a median monthly income that the payment consumes — a single, currency-free measure of how affordable buying a home really is around the world.
Most affordable
United States
22%
of a median monthly income goes to the mortgage
Least affordable
Egypt
266%
of a median monthly income goes to the mortgage
How the index is built
For every country we fix median annual income to a common base, derive the home price from its price-to-income ratio, then run the loan through the same engine behind our mortgage calculator — 20% down and a 25-year fixed term. Stating the monthly principal-and-interest payment as a percentage of monthly income removes currency from the picture, so the countries line up directly. The lower the percentage, the more affordable the mortgage.
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | Price-to-income | Mortgage rate | Payment vs income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3.5 | 6.23% | 22% |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 4.3 | 5.39% | 25% |
| 3 | Belgium | 6.1 | 3.66% | 30% |
| 4 | Denmark | 6.1 | 3.95% | 31% |
| 5 | South Africa | 3.3 | 11.27% | 32% |
| 6 | Ireland | 6.9 | 4.19% | 36% |
| 7 | Finland | 7.2 | 3.87% | 36% |
| 8 | Sweden | 7.6 | 3.89% | 38% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 7.5 | 4.09% | 38% |
| 10 | Germany | 7.9 | 3.96% | 40% |
| 11 | Spain | 8.5 | 3.33% | 40% |
| 12 | United Arab Emirates | 7.4 | 4.66% | 40% |
| 13 | Italy | 8.3 | 3.71% | 41% |
| 14 | Canada | 7.5 | 5.00% | 42% |
| 15 | France | 8.6 | 3.78% | 43% |
| 16 | Norway | 8.0 | 4.86% | 44% |
| 17 | Japan | 11.4 | 2.06% | 47% |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 8.0 | 5.41% | 47% |
| 19 | Switzerland | 11.4 | 2.09% | 47% |
| 20 | Austria | 9.9 | 3.57% | 48% |
| 21 | Australia | 8.2 | 5.90% | 50% |
| 22 | New Zealand | 8.0 | 6.36% | 51% |
| 23 | Greece | 12.5 | 4.57% | 67% |
| 24 | Poland | 10.2 | 6.86% | 68% |
| 25 | Portugal | 13.9 | 4.11% | 71% |
| 26 | Czechia | 13.2 | 5.16% | 75% |
| 27 | India | 11.0 | 8.95% | 88% |
| 28 | Singapore | 22.1 | 2.62% | 96% |
| 29 | China | 21.5 | 3.49% | 103% |
| 30 | South Korea | 24.1 | 4.17% | 124% |
| 31 | Bangladesh | 13.9 | 10.75% | 128% |
| 32 | Mexico | 13.3 | 11.45% | 129% |
| 33 | Brazil | 15.2 | 11.12% | 144% |
| 34 | Thailand | 24.0 | 5.73% | 145% |
| 35 | Hong Kong | 30.9 | 3.77% | 153% |
| 36 | Indonesia | 25.0 | 9.28% | 206% |
| 37 | Philippines | 32.1 | 7.12% | 220% |
| 38 | Pakistan | 18.7 | 14.79% | 227% |
| 39 | Russia | 13.7 | 21.35% | 235% |
| 40 | Vietnam | 30.2 | 8.63% | 236% |
| 41 | Egypt | 20.4 | 16.01% | 266% |
Markets with mortgage rates above 30% are excluded: in a hyperinflationary economy a 25-year fixed-rate loan is not a product that exists, so the model does not apply. Left out this year: Türkiye and Argentina.
Notes & limitations
The price-to-income ratios and mortgage rates are Numbeo’s crowdsourced 2026 figures and can be volatile for smaller or fast-moving markets. The index models one stylised buyer everywhere — 20% down, 25-year fixed — and ignores property taxes, insurance, subsidies and local lending rules. It measures relative burden, not personal circumstances, and is not financial advice. For your own numbers, use the calculator below.