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Archive » July / August 2026 » Italian families and the purchase of a house: the Affordability Index

Italian families and the purchase of a house: the Affordability Index

Vincenzo D’Apice, Francesco Masala, Pierluigi Morelli, Gianfranco Torriero
July / August 2026 - n. 7-8
Keywords: Famiglie, acquisto casa, indicatore di accessibilità, mutui
Jel codes: G21, G28, R31, D14

This article updates to 2025 the ABI affordability index, which gauges Italian households' ability to access home ownership. The index compares the instalment on a standard mortgage (20-year term, 80% loan-to-value) with 30% of the average household's disposable income. In 2025 access conditions remained broadly stable: the index stood at 12.6% at year-end, down by just 10 basis points from 2024 and still clearly positive by historical standards. The marginal deterioration reflects the rise in the relative price of housing, partly offset by the lower cost of credit; the financial component continues to contribute strongly and positively, while the real component has gradually faded to zero. Across regions, dispersion remains wide and, after years of narrowing, has started to widen again.

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