This factsheet explains the human right to affordable housing as an essential component of the right to adequate housing under international human rights law, grounding the definition of “reasonable cost” in standards established by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing. It outlines the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ (CESCR) approach to affordability, emphasizing that housing costs must not force individuals to sacrifice other basic needs, and that states have obligations to establish strong welfare systems, provide housing subsidies, regulate private markets, and prevent the financialization of housing.