The Central Bohemian Region, which surrounds the capital on all sides, was for decades seen as a rather unattractive “bedroom of Prague”. Yet amid the housing crisis and the price (and physical) unavailability of new flats in the metropolis, the housing market in Central Bohemian towns large and small is changing.
In 10 years to an incredible 330% of its value
According to newly published data from the CEMAP project (a price map), the average price of a flat in a new development in the Central Bohemian Region has this year crossed for the first time the magic threshold of 100,000 Kč per square metre. And it was not so long ago that we reported the same milestone nationwide. The price level in the capital (which has an enormous influence on the nationwide average) hovers around 150,000 Kč per metre (and far higher for premium properties), so the Central Bohemian Region remains an attractive alternative in terms of price.
If you find your new home in Kladno, your neighbours may include the local bears
How fundamental a change the whole region is going through is best illustrated by comparing today's prices of housing with the data from 2016. Back then the average price of flats for sale was 29 750 Kč per square metre, while today it stands at 101 005 Kč. In a single decade, housing in Central Bohemia has therefore become more expensive by more than three times.
Small towns are changing (and so are we)
Many of the towns and villages there are gradually becoming places that attract wealthier clients from higher socio-economic groups. Convenient access by train is increasingly important, as commuting by car into the centre of Prague every day is not exactly comfortable for many people and, given the capacity problems on roads from virtually every direction, hardly sustainable either.
People travel from far and wide for burgers in Beroun, but that is just one of many cases where gastronomy and services in general in the Central Bohemian Region outdo those in Prague
At the same time, the range of services, cultural events and educational facilities is changing markedly in towns such as Úvaly, Lysá nad Labem, Kolín, Příbram, Beroun, Slaný and the like. The people moving there are starting to see them as their new, fully-fledged home. They expect the standard of services they are used to in Prague, and they have no problem with a higher price tag than has been usual in the given location so far. Private schools and nurseries offering an alternative to state education, for instance, are springing up there like mushrooms after rain.
Suburbanisation at full speed
The Central Bohemian Region is thus gradually becoming, following the example of the world's big cities, a fully-fledged metropolitan area with everything that goes with it. That means rising housing prices as well as an improving quality of life, sometimes paid for by a loss of local identity and a rapidly changing population structure. People are not fleeing Prague; by moving beyond its boundaries they are effectively expanding it. This is also helped by the fact that a number of development projects are currently going up in the Central Bohemian Region, aimed precisely at people who can no longer afford new housing in Prague.
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