Affordability, Preferences, And Barriers to Multifamily Housing for Young Families in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Introduction
Multifamily housing has emerged as a critical solution to Riyadh's escalating urban housing crisis, yet a landmark 2026 study published in Buildings reveals that apartments in the Saudi capital remain fundamentally misaligned with the financial realities, cultural expectations, and spatial needs of young families.
Authored by Fawaz Alasmari of King Saud University, the research surveyed 639 respondents aged 20–49 between January and March 2024, deploying both non-parametric and regression-based statistical techniques to produce one of the most comprehensive empirical examinations of this demographic to date.Study Overview and Research Design
The investigation targeted adults aged 20–49 who either rented or owned their first home, encompassing married couples with children, couples without children, and single adults forming independent households. Data were collected through a 17-item questionnaire distributed via Saudi Arabia's Ejar and Mullak government platforms, as well as social media channels including WhatsApp, X, and Telegram.
Statistical analysis employed Chi-Square tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis H tests, Spearman's Rank Correlation, Binary Logistic Regression, and Ordinal Logistic Regression. The study tested three hypotheses: that income and mortgage accessibility predict affordability perceptions, that smaller households perceive greater affordability, and that dissatisfaction with building management and privacy functions acts as a barrier to satisfactory living.
Why Multifamily Housing Matters for Riyadh's Young Families
Saudi Arabia's population has surged from 7 million in 1974 to over 35 million in 2024, with urbanization reaching approximately 85%. Over half of Saudi citizens are under 25, creating an estimated shortage exceeding one million housing units. According to Knight Frank, apartment prices in Riyadh increased by 75% between 2019 and 2024, placing enormous strain on young households.
The multifamily housing sector is promoted under Saudi Vision 2030 as an efficient, land-conserving pathway to raise homeownership rates. However, the study found that 46% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that apartment prices are reasonable for young families, while 45% expressed concern about limited mortgage availability. These figures underscore a widening gap between policy ambition and lived economic reality.
Key Findings on Affordability and Ownership Intentions
The Price-Income Gap
The Ordinal Logistic Regression identified perceived purchase price as the strongest predictor of affordability perception. Respondents selecting the 500,001–750,000 SAR range reported significantly lower affordability perception (β = −0.847, p = 0.024), while those identifying higher price brackets (≥750,000 SAR) perceived apartments as increasingly affordable. Approximately 70% of qualitative responses cited the mismatch between household income and market prices as the dominant obstacle.
Family Size and Marital Status
The Binary Logistic Regression revealed that medium-sized families (4–5 members) are approximately 1.53 times more likely to intend to purchase an apartment than very small or very large households (β = 0.426, p = 0.047). Married respondents perceived apartments as significantly less affordable (β = −0.389, p = 0.038), reflecting greater spatial and financial pressures. Notably, the model's McFadden R² of 0.041 indicates that household-level variables explain only a small fraction of ownership intentions, pointing to broader structural forces such as government policy, speculative pricing, and job stability.
Housing Preferences and Cultural Expectations
What Young Families Value Most
Respondents prioritized functional and safety-related attributes over aesthetic features. The highest-rated apartment characteristics were number of rooms, construction quality, security, underground parking, location, and natural lighting. Stylistic elements such as building façade design and balcony views showed broader, flatter preference distributions, indicating they matter to some buyers but are not universal priorities.
The Gated Complex Preference
A striking 68% of participants preferred full-service gated complexes offering amenities such as gyms and cafés. The study interprets this not merely as a luxury aspiration but as an adaptive cultural response to privacy and security expectations rooted in Saudi domestic norms. This distinguishes Riyadh's multifamily housing preferences from many Western contexts, where open, mixed-tenure neighborhoods are typically associated with community cohesion.
Barriers to Sustainable Multifamily Housing
Design and Cultural Mismatch
Qualitative responses revealed persistent design shortcomings, particularly the absence of functional service spaces such as maid's rooms and laundry areas. Respondents reported that apartments "lack privacy, especially for conservative families" and cited noise transmission between units as a recurring disturbance. One participant summarized the issue succinctly: "Most of the apartments in Riyadh lack the design that meets the privacy and lifestyle of the Saudi family."
Governance and Construction Quality
Beyond affordability, respondents identified a profound trust deficit in construction quality, citing "substandard finishing" and a general "lack of confidence in construction quality." Weak homeowners' association oversight and inadequate maintenance of shared facilities further eroded satisfaction. These findings strongly support Hypothesis 3, confirming that governance failures compound economic barriers.
Policy Recommendations
The study proposes three integrated policy pathways:
Next-Generation Affordability Strategies
The author recommends expanding affordable rental housing through public–private partnerships, introducing lease-to-own pathways that credit rent toward future down payments, and implementing inclusionary zoning requirements mandating that a percentage of new multifamily housing developments be priced within affordable thresholds. Land-value capture mechanisms are also proposed to fund affordable units near infrastructure investments.
Strengthening Governance and Quality Assurance
Recommendations include establishing a national building quality registry with post-occupancy performance audits, enforcing developer warranties during initial occupancy years, expanding capacity-building programmes for homeowners' associations, and promoting cooperative housing models where residents co-own and co-manage complexes.
Embedding Culturally Responsive Design Standards
The study calls for context-specific design guidelines incorporating privacy zoning, flexible layouts, and provisions for extended family accommodation. Developers integrating culturally adaptive design elements could be incentivized through planning bonuses or reduced permit fees, ensuring that multifamily housing aligns with Saudi domestic norms rather than importing ill-fitting Western models.
Conclusion
This study represents one of the first quantitative examinations of how young Saudi families navigate the intersecting pressures of cost, culture, and governance in the multifamily housing market. Its central message is unambiguous: financial reform alone cannot resolve the crisis. Economic accessibility must coincide with culturally responsive architectural design, stricter construction standards, and transparent governance structures.
For policymakers, developers, and urban planners working toward Saudi Vision 2030 and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, this research provides an indispensable, evidence-based roadmap. As Riyadh continues its rapid demographic and spatial transformation, the insights contained in this study will remain essential reading for anyone seeking to make multifamily housing genuinely affordable, culturally appropriate, and sustainable for the families who need it most.