For investors
A studio or a two-room flat to let
A studio brings higher rent per square metre and lets faster; two rooms bring a steadier tenant and an easier resale — and the difference in yield is usually smaller than the difference in hassle.
Data and observations as of October 14, 2026
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What a typical yield calculation leaves out
- Vacancy: how many months a year the flat stands empty between tenants
- The cost of changing tenants: cleaning, small repairs, your time, sometimes a fee
- Service charge and utilities the tenant does not cover
- Rental tax, and whether you settle it as a lump sum
- Wear: every few years the flat needs refreshing, not just cleaning
- How quickly this flat will sell when you want to exit
Where the studio's advantage comes from and where it ends
A smaller flat always rents for more per square metre — that is a market rule, not a quirk of one listing. This is why a simple yield calculation almost always favours the studio, and why it is so often bought as a first investment.
The advantage ends at turnover. A studio tenant is usually a single person at an earlier stage of life: they move out because they change jobs, cities, or start living with someone. Contracts are shorter, and every change means several weeks without income plus the cost of getting the flat back into showing condition.
Two rooms rent for less per metre, but couples and people working from home stay longer. Over a year, a shorter vacancy can eat the studio's entire advantage — and that is the line almost nobody puts in the spreadsheet.
What matters more than floor area
The commute. A flat by a metro station rents faster and higher in both variants than an identical one ten minutes further by bus. If you must choose between more space and proximity to the metro, for letting you choose the metro.
The layout. Two rooms with a separate kitchen and two rooms with a kitchenette are two different flats for a tenant and two different audiences for you. A studio with a separated sleeping area rents noticeably better than the same area in one open space.
The condition. A furnished, equipped flat rents faster and higher but wears out at your expense. An unfurnished one attracts tenants who stay longer, but from a narrower group. That is a decision about which tenant you want, not about aesthetics.
The exit people think about too late
A studio has the widest pool of buyers on resale: investors and first-time buyers alike. That means you exit quickly, but also that you compete with hundreds of similar listings — the price is rarely above average.
A two-room flat in a good location sells more slowly but reaches someone buying for themselves, not an investor counting yield. That buyer pays for what cannot be calculated: the view, the quiet, the layout. Over a longer horizon it usually holds value better.
The practical conclusion: a studio is a good first investment if you want income straight away and accept turnover. Two rooms are better if you are buying for a decade, want less management, or allow for someone in the family living there in a few years.
Frequently asked questions
Which yields more: a studio or a two-room flat?
On paper usually the studio, because rent per square metre is higher. After subtracting vacancy, the cost of changing tenants and tax, the gap narrows sharply and with frequent turnover can reverse. Count a year, not a month.
Which lets faster?
The studio, especially near the metro and universities. A two-room flat takes longer to find a tenant, but that tenant stays longer — and over a year what counts is the number of months with rent, not the speed of the first letting.
Is it worth buying a furnished flat to let?
Furnished lets faster and higher, especially on shorter contracts. The downside is equipment wearing out at your expense and a narrower pool of long-term tenants, who usually have their own furniture. For studios furnishing usually pays off; for larger flats increasingly rarely.
How long do flats stand empty in Warsaw?
It depends on location and size, which is why there is no single figure worth quoting. It makes sense to assume that a studio changes tenants more often and to run the cautious variant: a year with one full month without income.
What about rental tax?
Private letting is taxed as a lump sum on revenue, with no deduction of costs. It is a separate subject and we cover it in its own guide — but when calculating yield the tax has to come off immediately, otherwise the result is overstated by a double-digit percentage.
Prices in the table come from our own listing monitor and are recalculated daily — they are medians, not an offer for a specific flat. The rest of the text is experience from transactions in these districts, not investment advice.
See also
Still have a question?
Write to us — we answer specific questions specifically, even if you are not looking for a flat yet.
We call back every day, 10:00–18:00We speak English