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.
Sources
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