Real estate
How do you calculate price per square metre?
Calculate the price per m² of a property and compare two listings.
Quick answer
Price per m² = property price ÷ floor area. A €185,000 flat at 85 m²: 185,000 ÷ 85 = €2,176/m². Comparing two listings: flat A at €2,176/m² vs flat B at €2,400/m² — A is about 10% cheaper per square metre.
Price per m²
$2,176.47/m²
How it works
Price per m² normalises properties of different sizes for comparison. It ignores condition, floor, orientation and location within the building — use it as one filter among many when house hunting, not as the only decision rule.
Bring a laser distance measure to viewings and sketch rooms yourself — listing m² errors of 5–10 shift €/m² noticeably on mid-range flats. Check musty corners with a hygrometer humidity; damp repair bills erase a “cheap per m²” bargain. Long-term buyers weigh yield and appreciation in a real estate investing book before bidding on price/m² alone.
Check which square metres are in the listing before dividing by them. Advertised floor area is often the commercial area, which adds a weighted share of balconies, terraces, cellars and garages — a balcony may count at a quarter or a third of its size — so an eighty-five square metre flat can be seventy-two metres of walkable floor. Two listings are only comparable per square metre if both use the same convention, and they frequently do not. Ask which figure is quoted, or measure the rooms yourself and recompute: on a mid-priced flat, the difference between the two conventions is easily ten per cent of the price per metre.
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Frequently asked questions
Gross or net floor area?+
Listings vary by country: Italy often quotes commercial surface (includes walls); some use net habitable area. Compare listings using the same measure — mixing types makes €/m² rankings meaningless.
What is a fair price per m² in my city?+
Check recent sales on land registry data (OMI in Italy) and comparable listings in the same neighbourhood — not city-wide averages that mix premium and cheap zones. Adjust for floor, elevator and parking.
Does terrace or balcony count in m²?+
Rules differ: in Italy balconies often count at 25–50% of their area in commercial surface. Uncovered terraces may count less or be listed separately. Read how the listing defines surface before comparing €/m².
Price per m² vs total price — which matters more?+
Total price determines what you can afford and your mortgage. Price per m² helps compare value. A cheap per-m² flat that is too large may still exceed your budget; a small expensive per-m² flat in a prime block may be the rational choice.
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