The growth rate is at its lowest in six years. A lower rate, of 2.6%, was registered in the first quarter of 2015.
At the same time, demand for housing in big cities dropped 4%, while supply grew 11%.
The biggest decline in demand, 17%, was registered in Constansa, Cluj-Napoca, and Iasi, followed by Timisoara, where demand dropped 7%.
In capital Bucharest, however, demand increased 5% in the first quarter.
By contrast, data from the national cadaster agency ANCPI showed 161,000 real estate deals took place in the first quarter, 42.7% higher than in the same period in 2020 and the highest number in five years.
Asking prices in Cluj-Napoca remained the highest in the country, at EUR1,850/sqm, followed at a distance by Bucharest with EUR1,480/sqm.
The ranking is completed by Timisoara (EUR1,290/sqm), Constanta (EUR1,280/sqm), Brasov (EUR1,260/sqm), Craiova (EUR1,200/sqm), Iasi (EUR1,090/sqm), and Oradea (EUR1,090/sqm).
On the housing rental market, demand grew 12%, exceeding 42,000 prospective tenants in the six major cities analyzed. Rental supply grew 26% in the same period, to 29,000 listings.