Bucharest’s prime headline office rent increased by 9.5% year-on-year to EUR 23 per sqm per month in the third quarter of 2026. The rise outpaced the European average of 5% and the 7.3% recorded across Central and Eastern Europe.
The prime rent stood at EUR 21 per sqm per month in the same period of 2025. Since then, asking rents have increased across most of Bucharest’s office districts, particularly for higher-quality buildings, according to the Cushman & Wakefield Echinox report.
“This rental growth reflects the changing balance between occupier demand and the availability of high-quality office spaces across certain areas of Bucharest,” said Mădălina Cojocaru, partner in the office agency division at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
“Despite more cautious demand, the limited availability of high-quality space continues to support rental growth in the most sought-after locations.”
In the central business district, covering the area between Charles de Gaulle Square and Romană Square, asking rents for existing Class A offices rose from EUR 20-21 to EUR 21-23 per sqm per month.
Meanwhile, rents in the Floreasca-Barbu Văcărescu area increased from EUR 15.5-18.5 to EUR 16.5-21, while those in Dimitrie Pompeiu climbed from EUR 11-13 to EUR 12-15.
Boutique offices and trophy properties in the capital’s best-performing locations can command EUR 26-28 per sqm per month, according to the same source.
Bucharest’s overall vacancy rate declined from 12.8% in the third quarter of 2025 to 11.6% one year later. However, availability differs substantially between office districts.
Thus, the vacancy rate in Floreasca-Barbu Văcărescu dropped from 8.6% to 5.8%, while it remained below 5% in the central business district. By comparison, it reached 23.1% in Expoziției and 36% in Pipera North.
Office development is gradually resuming after a period of limited construction, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox also said. The third quarter brought Bucharest’s first office completion in two years, the 21,500 sqm One Technology District, which is fully leased to semiconductor company Infineon Technologies.
Roughly 195,000 sqm of office space is currently under construction, up from 169,500 sqm a year earlier. The projects are scheduled for completion by the end of the first half of 2028.
Mădălina Cojocaru said newer developments were entering the market at higher rents because of rising construction costs and investments in technical and sustainability standards.
Office leasing activity nevertheless declined during the first nine months of 2026. Gross take-up totaled approximately 162,000 sqm, down 18% from 197,200 sqm in the same period last year.
Third-quarter take-up fell by around 31% year-on-year to 52,500 sqm. However, new leases and expansions represented 66% of transactions during the first nine months, up from 52% a year earlier, while the remainder consisted of renewals and renegotiations.
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