The Housing Games investigates whether the people essential to keep Eurpean cities running can still afford to live in them. From nurses and cleaners to teachers, drivers and first responders, these are the city’s key staff. They make daily life possible and our urban societies work. Yet, key workers are increasingly priced out of the very places they serve.
The COVID-19 era made it clear that cities cannot function without their labour — and that their jobs cannot be done from behind a screen. It is therefore vital for our physical and social well-being that they find places to stay in the cities they work in. Yet, some of these employees often earn low wages, making it hard to combine work and sleep.
This project compares wages with rent and property prices across European cities to expose the widening gap between the value of essential work and the cost of a place to call home.
Among the findings:
In Berlin, once known for cheap rents, affordability has collapsed. Even in distant districts, essential workers regularly spend well above the 30 percent income-to-rent benchmark, making living near workplaces in central areas largely impossible.
Prague faces similar pressures as housing costs soar and public housing stock shrinks. The city has lost more than two-thirds of its municipal apartments to privatisation, leaving key workers paying 30–50 percent of their income for modest rentals. Experts warn the city risks pushing vital staff out just as its population is set to grow.
In Vienna, long considered a social housing model, subsidised flats still offer stability — but mainly for existing residents. Newcomers and younger workers often cannot access social housing for years and face high upfront costs in the private and cooperative sectors, where many essential workers are again above affordability limits.
Brussels has seen median rents surge across all 19 municipalities. The investigation found that early-career key workers cannot afford to rent anywhere in the city, and even experienced staff exceed affordability thresholds. Policymakers are now debating targeted “key worker” housing schemes to prevent staff shortages and rising commuter pressures.
See the stories below for more.
Take a guess
- Guess the floor area a nurse can rent for 30 percent of their net salary in Prague.
- How many days a month must a nurse work just to pay the rent on a 50m² apartment in Vienna?
- Can essential workers afford to rent a flat in Brussels?