Analysts have assessed the interest in small-sized housing in Russia

In recent years, small-sized housing with an area of up to 33 square meters has become a popular format, such apartments are now available in every second house under construction. This is stated in a joint study by the Analytical Center DOM.Russia and the ecosystem of real estate M2.

Small-sized apartments often become the first apartment owned and serve as a temporary solution to the housing problem: the vast majority of residents of such apartments (96%) plan to move to more spacious housing, analysts said. Thus, small-sized housing consistently accounts for 18-19% of all lots under construction in the country, or 10% of the total area under construction (11.7 out of 119.7 million square meters as of June 1, 2026).

"Compact apartments can be a sought-after starter solution for a single person or a young couple. However, over time, people have a request to start a family and have children, and additional space becomes one of the conditions for improving the quality of life," said the First Deputy General Director of the HOUSE.Russian Federation Alexey Nidens. According to him, it is important to develop a housing market with a diverse range of apartments, offering buyers a sufficient choice of apartments in family formats.

According to the survey, apartments with an area of up to 33 sq. m. m is most often chosen by young people as their first own or rental housing.

"Apartments up to 33 square meters have already become a mass format — they are present in about every second house under construction and account for about 18-19% of all lots, while residents rate the comfort of living on 8 out of 10 points, but 96% plan to move to more spacious housing. A small apartment is a flexible asset for different stages of a buyer's life: from starting an independent life to investing and making a transit decision before moving to larger housing," added Yulia Rykunova, co—founder and Director of Business Development at M2.

The key factor in choosing compact apartments is location, transport accessibility and price. In terms of importance, the area of the apartment in the survey took only seventh place, and the layout — ninth.