A representative survey by the company “Spinter tyrimai” showed that about 60% of respondents own a home without a loan. A three times smaller share – about 20% – reported having a home with a loan. About 9% of respondents rent a home, and 6% live with relatives.
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“So, in total, almost 80% of respondents indicated owning a home. This is indeed a high figure. A similar trend is shown by broader “Eurostat” data: in 2025, about 87% of Lithuania’s population lived in owner-occupied housing. Although in some economically strong European countries, owner-occupied housing is much rarer: in Germany, about 47% of the population lives in it, in Austria – 54%, in Denmark – 58%,” lists Marijonas Chmieliauskas, sales director at “Realco”.
According to him, the relatively large scale of home ownership in Lithuania is mainly influenced by the historically formed large ownership of housing among older residents – today, part of such property is already being passed on to children and grandchildren. State support also contributes.
The real estate expert adds that the ratio of rent to loan payment is important: when the rent amount approaches or exceeds the loan payment, owning a home becomes more attractive. So how much do rent and loan payments really differ, and who pays the most for housing each month?
Rent or loan – which is more expensive?
According to the survey data, the smallest amount allocated for housing – up to 300 euros per month – is paid by 42% of loan holders, while among renters, a much smaller share fits into this amount – 28%.
31% of residents with a housing loan pay 301–500 euros per month, while 46% of renters pay that much for rent. Meanwhile, higher monthly expenses of 501–700 euros almost equalize – 16% pay such a loan installment, and 18% pay that amount for rent.
M. Chmieliauskas highlights that almost three-quarters – 72% – of renters pay more than 300 euros per month for housing, while among loan holders, such are 58%. Moreover, the most common answer for loans was “up to 300 euros,” and for rent – “301–500 euros.”
Considering monthly housing expenses over 300 euros, loan holders surpass renters only in the highest interval – more than 700 euros per month. This amount is paid by 12% of loan holders and 8% of renters.
“This can be related to the fact that residents who can allocate more money for housing more often choose owner-occupied housing and set higher expectations for its size, quality, or location, so the value of such real estate
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can be higher. However, even paying more, owning a home may seem more attractive because the money is spent on acquiring one’s own property,” says the sales director of “Realco.”
Housing by age
Obvious differences also emerge when evaluating residents’ age. According to the survey data, young people up to 25 years old most often rent housing – this was indicated by one in four. According to M. Chmieliauskas, interestingly, the second place is not housing with a loan, where 21% of respondents of this age live, but owner-occupied housing without a loan – indicated by 23% of young people.
“This may also be related to family support – for example, help from relatives when taking a loan, real estate received or inherited from them. Meanwhile, almost as many – 22% – of young people still live with relatives. So among the youngest residents, no housing option clearly dominates: very similar shares of young people rent, own housing with or without a loan, and live with relatives,” notes the sales director of “Realco.”
Residents aged 26–35 most often own housing with or without a loan – indicated by 33% and 32%, respectively. With age, the share of residents owning housing without a loan rapidly increases: among 36–45-year-olds, 48% have such housing, among 46–55-year-olds – already 71%, and in the oldest group, this share exceeds 88%.
“Among younger residents, another trend emerges – renters more often allocate larger amounts for housing than loan holders. For example, among 18–25-year-old respondents, 86% of renters and 61% of loan holders pay more than 300 euros per month. Among 26–35-year-olds, this difference is smaller – 75% and 65%, respectively,” adds M. Chmieliauskas.
Overall, the survey results show that as monthly expenses increase, the difference between rent and loan payments almost disappears. For example, more than 500 euros per month is paid by 26% of renters and 28% of loan holders, a difference of only 2 percentage points.
“This changes the perception that rent is a smaller financial commitment. Often, the amounts allocated for rent and loan are similar, and sometimes rent requires even higher expenses. So for a person who can pay for rent, the loan payment is usually not the main obstacle – accumulating the initial down payment can be much more difficult. However, with the help of relatives and the down payment reduced to 10% from August, acquiring owner-occupied housing becomes much more realistic even at a young age,” says the “Realco” representative.
The public opinion research company “Spinter tyrimai” surveyed Lithuanian residents about housing tenure and monthly expenses from July 18 to 28, 2026. The survey included 1,017 respondents aged 18 to 75.
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