Regional house-price growth is broad, but not uniform
All six Bulgarian NUTS2 regions recorded positive annual HPI growth in 2026 Q1. The national direction was therefore widespread, but the 5.7 percentage point range between regions still matters.
Is Bulgaria's latest house-price growth concentrated in one part of the country, or is it visible across the regional market?
Growth extends across all six regions
Annual HPI growth ranged from 11.2% in South-Central Bulgaria to 16.9% in South-East Bulgaria. North-Central recorded 16.3%, North-West 15.8%, South-West 15.0% and North-East 13.1%.
This breadth is important. The latest national increase was not produced by a single region moving sharply while the rest stood still. Every NUTS2 region recorded double-digit annual growth in the latest comparison.
The regional ranking is a starting point, not a local market map
NUTS2 regions are large statistical areas. South-East includes several different local property markets, as does South-West. A regional growth rate can therefore provide context without describing the price level or recent activity of every city, district or neighbourhood inside it.
The strongest region and the strongest city also answer different questions. Burgas can be compared with the five other cities for which NSI publishes a city HPI, while South-East Bulgaria provides the wider statistical setting. Neither should silently stand in for the other.
City evidence shows why the extra layer matters
The six-city comparison is more dispersed than the regional picture. Burgas recorded annual HPI growth of 17.7% and Sofia 16.0%, while Ruse recorded a decline of 5.8%. A positive NUTS2 result can therefore coexist with a weaker result in one published city within the broader area.
For an international buyer, the practical lesson is not that regional data are too broad to be useful. It is that they should be used in sequence. Regional evidence establishes the wider direction; city data narrow the comparison; local asking-price, supply and professional evidence are then needed for the specific location.
Questions for the next release
- Breadth: whether all six regions continue to record positive annual growth.
- Dispersion: whether the range between the strongest and weakest region widens.
- City differences: whether weak city results persist despite positive regional growth.
- Activity: whether transaction participation begins to confirm the price direction.
Source: Bulgarian National Statistical Institute. Total-dwelling HPI, 2026 Q1. Latest observations may be preliminary.
Need to narrow a regional question?
A focused screen can combine the available regional, city, district and supply indicators before local evidence is commissioned.
Submit an enquiry →