More than 3,000 per square: Grodno took the second place among the regional centers of Belarus in the cost of housing

Grodno occupies a confident second place after Brest in terms of the cost per square meter of residential real estate among regional centers - the National Cadastre Agency (NCA) shared the results of observations of the housing market of this region in the second quarter of this year, writes sb.by.

The NCA reminded us:

- Grodno region is the smallest in area among the regions of Belarus. Its territory is crossed by the highway Minsk – Grodno, along which are located some of the key cities of the region. In the middle of the route is Lida – the only city in the region with a population of more than 100 thousand people, performing the functions of an industrial and cultural center. Near Grodno is located its official satellite city Skidel, specializing in agro-industrial production. Grodno itself is one of the three largest cities in the country in terms of population and demonstrates a steady annual increase in residents.

Experts noted that the structure of housing stock in cities is markedly different. In Grodno and Lida, apartment buildings form the basis - more than 70 percent of them. In Skidel, the situation is different: priorities are shifted in favor of estate development - it accounts for 55 percent. Nevertheless, apartment housing here retains a significant position (more than 40 percent).

Construction periods and wall material in the apartment building segment also vary depending on the city. In Lida and Skidel, a significant part of the housing stock is formed by houses built in 1971-1990, while in Grodno for this period only 30 percent.

In Grodno, brick houses occupy half of the building, and the share of “panels” accounts for a third. In Skidel with a significant preponderance prevails brick building, the share of “panels” is much lower (11 percent). In Lida, the ratio is comparable: 43 percent brick and 50 percent panel homes.

- The dynamics of the commissioning of new housing in cities is different, the NCA stated. Grodno is most actively developing, 97 houses have been built here since 2022, and the share of panels accounts for 70 percent of new projects. In Lida, by contrast, out of 32 new houses, 20 are built of brick. In Skidel, housing construction is point-based: since 2022, only one panel house has been commissioned.

In Lida and Skidel, transactions with apartments in houses built in 1970-1990 are most frequent: 40 and 45 percent of transactions, respectively. In Grodno, the main interest of buyers is focused on new housing - almost half of transactions account for apartments in houses built after 2010. At the same time, the share of transactions with apartments in houses built in 1970-1990 in the regional center is 26 percent, the segment remains in demand, but is inferior in popularity to new buildings.

Unlike the capital, where due to the high cost per square meter transactions are more often made with one-bedroom apartments, buyers in the regions prefer two-bedroom apartments. It is noteworthy that in Grodno and Skidel, the share of three-room apartments exceeds the share of one-room apartments. In the segment of new buildings in Grodno, similar priorities in the number of rooms remain, and in Lida, buyers often choose three-room apartments. At the same time, in Skidel, no sales transactions were registered in the new house (after 2022 construction), and apartments were purchased through shared construction.

Price dynamics over the past five years shows a steady increase in the average cost per square meter in transactions with apartments in all cities. The maximum values in Belarusian rubles were recorded in the second quarter of 2026 in Grodno and Lida.

- In Grodno, the average cost of 1 square meter of housing at the end of the second quarter was 3110 rubles, or 1110 US dollars (in the first quarter — 2980 rubles), in Lida — 2315 rubles, or 765 dollars (the first quarter — 2180 rubles), in Skidel — 1350 rubles, or 475 dollars (the first quarter — 1375 rubles), — said the experts.

The NCA also noted that the distribution of the cost per square meter of apartments in the neighborhoods of Grodno shows a natural picture. The most expensive is the Center microdistrict (3355 rubles), which is due to the historical nature of the development and developed infrastructure. The most affordable apartments are located on the outskirts, where the cost of 1 sq. m. is about 2700-2900 rubles (Forts, Pyshki, Folyush, Factory, Malyshchina). Activity in the retail real estate market in Belarus has reached a maximum since 2022 – NCA