In 2025, the residential real estate market continues to evolve, offering a range of housing formats for today’s buyers. Among the most popular and frequently debated options are townhouses and apartments in block (multi-unit) buildings. Each comes with its own advantages in terms of pricing, layout, maintenance, privacy, and investment potential. As urban lifestyles shift and new priorities emerge, choosing between a townhouse and a flat is no longer just about size or location — it’s about lifestyle, flexibility, and future value.
This guide explores the key differences between these two housing types, comparing them across cost, usability, infrastructure, and living standards to help buyers make an informed decision in 2025.
What’s the Difference Between a Townhouse and a Block Apartment?
A townhouse is typically a multi-level, attached single-family home that shares one or two walls with neighboring units. Each townhouse has its own private entrance, sometimes a garage, and often a small yard or patio. It combines the privacy of a detached home with the practicality of urban living.
A block house (apartment in a multi-unit building) is part of a vertically structured residential building with shared entrances, elevators, staircases, and building systems. These units may range from studios to multi-bedroom flats, commonly located in city centers or suburban complexes.
2025 Trends: The Rise of Space and Privacy
Since the pandemic and the rise of remote work, many buyers now prioritize space, private outdoor areas, and fewer shared amenities. This has led to renewed interest in townhouses, particularly in suburban developments.
At the same time, apartments in block buildings remain in high demand, especially in urban centers, due to accessibility to infrastructure, transportation, jobs, and lifestyle services.
Key Comparison Factors
1. Purchase Price
Townhouses are usually more affordable per square meter than city-center apartments but more expensive than flats on the outskirts.
Average 2025 prices:
- Townhouse near Warsaw suburbs: €2,300–€3,200/m²
- New apartment in central Warsaw: €4,000–€6,000/m²
- Apartment in 1980s-era block: €1,800–€2,500/m²
Townhouses are increasingly common in small and mid-sized cities where land costs are lower.
2. Space and Layout
Townhouses usually range from 100 to 180 m², featuring multiple bedrooms, private parking, and outdoor areas. Apartments typically offer 40 to 100 m² and rarely include personal outdoor space.
For families or people working from home, a townhouse offers more zoning flexibility and square footage.
3. Monthly Expenses
Apartment residents often pay building maintenance fees, elevator servicing, security, and homeowners’ association dues — ranging from €100 to €300/month.
Townhouse owners cover their own heating, water, and waste services — but without shared fees. Average upkeep costs range from €150 to €250/month, depending on location and service levels.
4. Privacy and Noise
Townhouses usually share walls with only one or two neighbors and have private entrances. With proper insulation, they offer significantly more privacy and peace than apartments, which may have neighbors above, below, and beside.
This makes townhouses especially attractive for those sensitive to noise or who value quiet and personal space.
5. Location and Infrastructure
Apartments dominate central districts, offering easy access to public transport, schools, shops, and services. Townhouses are typically located on city outskirts or in suburbs, where commute times may be longer.
However, many modern townhouse developments now include on-site amenities like playgrounds, corner shops, private schools, and bike paths.
6. Investment Potential
City apartments are traditionally the go-to asset for rental income, particularly among young professionals and students. Rental yields range from 3% to 5% annually, with high liquidity.
Townhouses are more suited to long-term occupancy and families. They’re harder to rent in urban cores but increasingly in demand in markets with limited single-family housing supply.
7. Security and Management
Block houses often feature security systems, intercoms, gated entrances, and community management. Security depends heavily on the homeowners’ association and the building’s overall maintenance.
Townhouses rely on private solutions — alarms, gates, and surveillance systems. Some modern developments include gated access and shared security, although these come at an extra monthly cost.
Who Should Choose What in 2025?
Townhouses are ideal for:
- Families with children
- Remote workers needing more space
- Buyers wanting a private entrance and garden
- People who want the feel of a home without full standalone house maintenance
Block apartments are ideal for:
- Young professionals and singles
- Students or temporary residents
- Property investors seeking rental income
- Buyers looking for central locations and lower maintenance
The Rise of Hybrid Formats
In 2025, developers across Europe are increasingly offering hybrid residential formats like urban villas, duplexes, and low-rise buildings with private entrances. These combine the best of both models — comfort, affordability, and semi-private living — and are especially popular in Germany, Sweden, and Belgium.
Outlook and Conclusion
Townhouses and block apartments both have solid value in the 2025 housing market. Their competition is intensifying as buyers weigh lifestyle needs, cost efficiency, and location.
Smart buyers today must look beyond price-per-square-meter and consider privacy, transport, long-term goals, and how a home supports their day-to-day life. In 2025, a home isn’t just a place to live — it’s a lifestyle choice, a work environment, and an investment in quality of life.
