Primary or secondary market? In Warsaw the price per square metre alone settles very little. According to the NBP, in Q2 2026 (March to May) the average transaction price was PLN 16,783/m² on the primary market and PLN 16,723/m² on the secondary market. For PLN 800,000 you would buy about 48 m² on either. The choice comes down to the rest: PCC tax on a resale, the cost of fitting out a flat in developer standard, when you can move in, and how the law protects your money.
Below we compare the two markets point by point, from the viewpoint of a couple buying a first flat. Every figure carries a date; we describe the position as at September 2026.
Which is cheaper in Warsaw: what does a square metre cost on the primary and the secondary market (September 2026)?
The latest complete NBP data cover Q2 2026 (in the NBP database, March, April and May):
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Warsaw, NBP data | Primary market | Secondary market |
|---|---|---|
| Average asking price, Q2 2026 | PLN 18,488/m² | PLN 19,059/m² |
| Average transaction price, Q2 2026 | PLN 16,783/m² | PLN 16,723/m² |
| Change in transaction price, Q2 2025 → Q2 2026 | +2.4% | +1.3% |
| m² for PLN 800,000 (at transaction price) | about 47.7 m² | about 47.8 m² |
The year-on-year changes and the floor area are our own calculation from NBP data. NBP prices include VAT and cover flats in multi-family buildings within Warsaw’s administrative boundaries. The NBP notes that its data may be revised later.
Two things follow from the table. First, on average neither market is clearly cheaper. Second, on the secondary market the advertised price departs further from the price flats actually sell for: by about PLN 2,300/m², against about PLN 1,700/m² on the primary market (our own calculation, NBP, Q2 2026).
Newer data for new flats come from BIG DATA RynekPierwotny.pl. In August 2026 (preliminary data) the average asking price in Warsaw was PLN 19,600/m² and the median PLN 17,400/m². The average fell 1% month on month, the second month in a row. The cause was cheaper flats entering the offer (about PLN 16,400/m² on average), not price cuts. This is a different method from the NBP’s, so these figures should not be set side by side as “growth”.
On the secondary market, Metrohouse and Credipass give an average transaction price of PLN 15,823/m² for Warsaw in Q2 2026. That is a different sample (transactions of a single agency network), so we do not average it with the NBP figure.
What gets added to the price: VAT in a developer’s price, or PCC on a resale?
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| As at September 2026 | From a developer (sale with VAT) | Resale (from a private person) |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | VAT included in the price: 8% for flats up to 150 m² | PCC 2% of market value, paid by the buyer |
| PCC on a PLN 800,000 price | PLN 0 | PLN 16,000, or PLN 0 with the exemption |
| Agent’s fee, if you buy through us | we do not charge you | set in the brokerage agreement |
In a typical purchase from a developer the sale is subject to VAT, so you do not pay PCC (art. 2 pkt 4 lit. a of the PCC Act). As at September 2026 a developer must show prices including VAT on its website (art. 19a ust. 1 of the Developer Act). The exception: if the developer’s sale is exempt from VAT, you will still pay 2% PCC. Ask about this at the sales office.
On the secondary market PCC is 2% of market value (art. 7 ust. 1 pkt 1 lit. a and art. 6 ust. 1 pkt 1). Since 31.08.2023 there has been an exemption for a first flat (art. 9 pkt 17). It applies if the buyer has never owned a flat, a house or a cooperative right to a unit; an inherited share of up to 50% does not rule it out. For two buyers, the tax authorities for years held that each buyer had to meet the condition (for example the KIS Director’s interpretation of 8.11.2023, 0111-KDIB2-3.4014.344.2023.2.JKU). In its ruling of 7 April 2026 (III FSK 281/25) the NSA held that the exemption applies proportionally to the buyer who meets the conditions, and PCC is paid on the other person’s share. That is a ruling in a single case, so before the deed ask the notary how they will calculate PCC.
Remember that with a PLN 800,000 budget “for everything”, these costs reduce the price of the flat you can afford. We set out the notary fee, register entries and tax on a resale in the guide on what to check, and what you pay on top, when buying a resale flat.
When can you move in: a flat under construction, a ready flat from a developer, or a resale?
A flat under construction. The developer agreement (umowa deweloperska) must state the date for transfer of ownership, the start and end dates of the works and the handover date (art. 35 ust. 1 pkt 7, 12 and 17). According to GUS, multi-family buildings in Poland in 2025 took 24.8 months on average. If you sign at the start of construction, you can usually expect to wait about 2 years for the keys1. If you rent now, you keep paying rent all that time. If the developer does not transfer ownership on time, you set it a 120-day deadline, after which you may withdraw from the agreement (art. 43 ust. 1 pkt 6 and ust. 3). A contractual penalty for the delay is due to you if the agreement provides for one.
A ready flat from a developer. You do not wait for construction. The timing depends on the sale contract and on how quickly the bank issues its credit decision.
A resale. You agree the handover date with the seller in the contract. It depends on when they move out and whether they are themselves waiting for their new flat.
Developer standard or move-in ready: how much more to budget for fitting out?
A flat in developer standard (stan deweloperski) must be fitted out before you move in. The cost of fitting out in Warsaw according to portal estimates:
- cennik-kosztorys.pl (May 2026): basic standard PLN 1,500 to 2,500/m², premium PLN 3,000 to 5,000/m² (materials, labour and design);
- RynekPierwotny.pl (July 2026): turnkey in a mid standard up to PLN 3,000/m², in a high standard about PLN 4,000 to 5,000/m².
For a basic or mid standard, budget roughly PLN 1,500 to 3,000/m²2. For about 48 m² that is PLN 72,000 to 144,000 on top of the price of the flat.
A resale flat is often ready to move into, but its condition varies, from freshly renovated to needing new installations. Then you count the cost of renovation, not of fitting out. How to do that is explained in the guide on whether a flat needing renovation pays off.
How the law protects you: escrow account and Developer Guarantee Fund on the primary market, land and mortgage register and warranty on the resale market
Primary market (Developer Act, as at September 2026):
- Housing escrow account (mieszkaniowy rachunek powierniczy). The developer must provide one, open or closed (art. 6 to 7). You pay in line with progress on site, once the stages in the schedule are complete (art. 8).
- Developer Guarantee Fund (Deweloperski Fundusz Gwarancyjny, DFG). A separate account within the Insurance Guarantee Fund (art. 46). The developer pays the contribution: 0.45% for an open account and 0.1% for a closed one (regulation of 21.06.2022). The DFG refunds payments from an open account, among other cases on the developer’s insolvency or where you have withdrawn from the agreement and the money has not been returned on time (art. 48 ust. 1). So it does not protect every payment in every situation. Ask which kind of account the development has.
- Information prospectus. You receive it free of charge before the reservation agreement (art. 21), and the reservation fee may not exceed 1% of the price (art. 32 ust. 2). What to check in it is covered in the guide on what to check in the information prospectus.
- Price transparency. The developer publishes the history of price changes, and if the price on its website differs from the price in the agreement, you may demand the price most favourable to you (art. 19a ust. 2 and 6).
- Defects at handover. Under a developer agreement the developer has 14 days to say whether it accepts the defects; silence counts as acceptance, and accepted defects are put right within 30 days (art. 41 ust. 4 to 6). For a ready flat bought under a sale contract, the Act carries over only the handover and protocol rules (art. 41 ust. 1 to 3), without those deadlines.
- Warranty (rękojmia). 5 years from handover of the flat (art. 568 § 1 of the Civil Code). When you buy from a developer you are a consumer, so the warranty cannot be excluded (art. 558 § 1).
Secondary market:
- There is no escrow account and no DFG. You are protected by what you check before the contract: the flat’s land and mortgage register entry (księga wieczysta) and the text of the contract.
- The warranty also lasts 5 years, but when you buy from a private person the parties can limit or exclude it in the contract (art. 558 § 1 of the Civil Code). The exclusion is ineffective if the seller fraudulently concealed a defect (art. 558 § 2). If a company is selling, you are a consumer and exclusion is not permitted.
Amendments to the Developer Act that have already been passed are not yet in force: Dz.U. 2026 item 1077 takes effect on 11.11.2026, and Dz.U. 2025 item 1669 in its main part on 2.04.2027.
If you are a foreign buyer: what to watch for
The purchase documents (the prospectus, the draft contract and the deed at the notary’s) are drawn up in Polish. You should not skim them on either market, so it is better to get the draft contract in advance than on the day of signing. We go through the information prospectus and the draft contract with you and point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer. We serve clients in 7 languages, including English.
Even though this guide is in English, Polish terms are given in brackets: those are the words you will see in the documents and hear at the notary’s. Article numbers of the law are kept in Polish so that you can show them to the notary.
What does an agent cost on the primary market, and what on the secondary market?
The rules as at September 2026:
- Primary market. We do not charge you a fee for helping you buy a flat from a developer. Our remuneration on the primary market comes from agreements with developers. We register you with the developer before you go to the sales office: that is how we agree our cooperation with the sales office, and we can come to the meeting with you. So contact us before your visit.
- Secondary market. The seller here is usually a private person, not a developer, so we work under a brokerage agreement concluded with you. The amount of the fee and who pays it we set in that agreement before cooperation begins.
More on how an agent works when you buy a new flat is in the guide on what an agent costs when buying from a developer.
Where in Warsaw is the supply of new flats, and where mainly older buildings?
At the end of June 2026 developers were offering about 16,000 to 17,000 flats in Warsaw (CBRE and Tabelaofert.pl: 16,345; RynekPierwotny.pl: about 17,000). In August 2026 a batch of cheaper flats entered the offer, averaging about PLN 16,400/m² (BIG DATA RynekPierwotny.pl).
We do not give prices by district in this comparison: the NBP and BIG DATA figures we rely on cover Warsaw as a whole, and Q3 2026 data have not yet been published (as at September 2026). Instead:
- check the catalogue of new flats in Warsaw to see which districts have developments in your size and budget;
- for each development, compare the price with the price history on the developer’s website (art. 19a);
- if you want one particular long-established area, there may be no new developments there at all. Then the secondary market is what is left.
Primary or secondary market: which is better when, with questions for your situation
The primary market has the edge if you answer “yes”:
- Can you wait usually about 2 years1, or are you looking for a ready flat from a developer?
- Do you have PLN 72,000 to 144,000 beyond the price to fit out about 48 m²2?
- Do you want to pay through an escrow account and have a warranty that cannot be excluded?
- Has either of you already owned a home? Then on a resale you pay 2% PCC at least on that person’s share, whereas with a developer sale with VAT you do not.
The secondary market has the edge if you answer “yes”:
- Do you want to move in quickly and stop paying rent?
- Are you both buying a first flat and able to use the PCC exemption?
- Do you want a particular area where there are no new developments?
- Are you ready to check the land and mortgage register, read the contract with the warranty in mind, and negotiate the price?
The costs of buying from a developer that must be added to the list price are covered in the guide on extra charges in the developer price list.
FAQ
Is a resale flat in Warsaw cheaper than one from a developer?
On average, no. According to the NBP, in Q2 2026 (March to May) the average transaction price in Warsaw was PLN 16,723/m² on the secondary market and PLN 16,783/m² on the primary market, a gap of only about PLN 60/m². What works out cheaper depends on PCC tax, fit-out costs and the price of the individual flat, not on the market.
How long do you wait for a flat bought from a developer during construction?
According to GUS, multi-family buildings in Poland in 2025 took 24.8 months on average from the start of construction to occupancy (published 30.06.2026). If you sign at the start of construction, you can usually expect to wait about 2 years for the keys. What binds you is the date written into your own developer agreement (art. 35 ust. 1 pkt 7 of the Developer Act, as at September 2026).
Is a first flat on the secondary market exempt from PCC?
Yes, if the buyer has never owned a flat, a house or a cooperative right to a unit (art. 9 pkt 17 of the PCC Act, exemption in force since 31.08.2023, as at September 2026). For two buyers, the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) ruled on 7 April 2026 (III FSK 281/25) that the exemption applies proportionally to the buyer who meets the conditions; before that, the tax offices required both to meet them. Before the deed, ask the notary how they will calculate PCC. Without the exemption, PCC on a PLN 800,000 price is PLN 16,000.
Is the seller of a resale flat liable for defects?
In principle, yes: the statutory warranty for defects in real estate (rękojmia) lasts 5 years from handover of the flat (art. 568 § 1 of the Civil Code, as at September 2026). A private seller can, however, limit or exclude it in the contract. The exclusion does not work if the seller fraudulently concealed a defect. So read the draft contract before you sign.
How much does it cost to fit out a flat in developer standard in Warsaw?
According to 2026 estimates from property portals, usually about PLN 1,500 to 3,000/m², and PLN 3,000 to 5,000/m² for premium standard. For a flat of about 48 m² that is roughly PLN 72,000 to 144,000. These are indicative figures from cost-estimate portals, not official data. A contractor’s quote gives the final price.
Choosing a flat from a developer, or torn between two offers? Write to us before your visit to the sales office. We will compare both options with you using this list and register you with the developer before you go there. We do not charge you a fee for helping you buy a flat from a developer.
Jawno · +48 692 649 839 · infojawno@gmail.com
This text is for information only and is not legal advice.
Notes
-
GUS, “Efekty działalności budowlanej w 2025 r.” (published 30.06.2026): multi-family buildings in Poland took 24.8 months on average from the start of construction to occupancy. This is a national average, not the time from signing the agreement to handover. What binds you is the date in your developer agreement (art. 35 ust. 1 pkt 7). ↩ ↩2
-
Estimates from cost-estimate portals: cennik-kosztorys.pl (updated 21.05.2026) and RynekPierwotny.pl (29.07.2026). These are not official data; the real cost depends on the standard and the contractor’s quote. ↩ ↩2