> flats with just two bedrooms going for more than half a million euros in the centers of Lisbon or Oporto.
How is that different from other places? Houses in the center of big cities are always a lot more expensive than others far away from it. Want a small one in the center of Rome? Here you are: 27mq, 2nd floor and no elevator, no heating, no air conditioning, abysmal energy efficiency, no kitchen, renovation needed, only €600,000. What a bargain!
No thanks, I'll rather spend less than one third for the 7 times bigger house I'll be soon relocating to.
I lived most of my life near the center of Rome; if you come as a tourist I concur it can be a wonderful experience, but after decades of traffic, noise and pollution, leaving for a much quieter and cleaner place with plenty of space for my hobbies is the best thing I could do. And it's also much cheaper. YMMV of course.
It's not different. Nobody can afford to live anywhere. Which (when homelessness is illegal) means nobody can afford to live. Market-enforced eugenics, if you will, selecting for generational wealth rather than specific genetic markers.
I'm from Rome and your example is cherrypicked bs.
Yes, very central touristic areas are expensive but half a million can get you 3 room apartments you can go to center by feet, even less would be enough.
How is that different from other places? Houses in the center of big cities are always a lot more expensive than others far away from it. Want a small one in the center of Rome? Here you are: 27mq, 2nd floor and no elevator, no heating, no air conditioning, abysmal energy efficiency, no kitchen, renovation needed, only €600,000. What a bargain!
https://www-tecnocasa-it.translate.goog/vendita/appartamenti...
No thanks, I'll rather spend less than one third for the 7 times bigger house I'll be soon relocating to. I lived most of my life near the center of Rome; if you come as a tourist I concur it can be a wonderful experience, but after decades of traffic, noise and pollution, leaving for a much quieter and cleaner place with plenty of space for my hobbies is the best thing I could do. And it's also much cheaper. YMMV of course.