Renting an 80-square-metre apartment in Spain cost an average of €1,131 per month according to July data from the property index published by platform Fotocasa. The average price reached €14.14 per square metre in a market that still shows large differences between regions. Although the report noted an annual decline of 1.6 per cent in July, Fotocasa warned that rents remain at historically high levels and the recent price moderation has not been sufficient to offset the sharp increases that occurred over previous years.
Maria Matos, research director and spokesperson for the property portal, said "the average rental cost is still far higher than the economic capacity of a significant portion of households", while pointing out that housing availability remains a major challenge in the market.
The differences become clearer when comparing autonomous communities. Madrid is the most expensive in Spain with an average cost of €1,542 per month for an 80-square-metre apartment, or €19.27 per square metre. The Balearic Islands follow closely with an average of €1,526 per month, followed by Catalonia with €1,366 per month. The Basque Country ranks next with an average of €1,358, while the Canary Islands reach €1,287. Eight regions have average monthly rents above €1,000 for apartments of this size. Conversely, Extremadura is the cheapest region with an average of €630 per month, less than half Madrid's average, followed by Castilla-La Mancha with €731 per month.
The data shows varied trends compared to last year. Madrid recorded an annual increase of 8.6 per cent, while Aragon rose 13.3 per cent and Castilla-La Mancha 11.7 per cent. Catalonia experienced a decline of 16.3 per cent, and La Rioja recorded a decrease of 10.6 per cent, according to Fotocasa data.
The disparities become even clearer when analysing regional capitals. San Sebastián leads the national ranking with an average rent of €1,610 per month for an 80-square-metre apartment. Madrid ranks second with an average of €1,596, and Palma de Mallorca third with €1,529. These three capitals are the only ones exceeding €19 per square metre. Followed by Barcelona with an average of €1,456 per month, Valencia with €1,370, Bilbao with €1,322, and Málaga with €1,298. Conversely, the picture changes entirely in cities with the lowest costs. Jaén is the cheapest regional capital with an average rent of around €600 per month for an 80-square-metre apartment, while the average in Cáceres reaches €663 and in Ávila €682.
Other cities with averages below €700 include Ourense with €689 and Badajoz with €699. Thus, renting a similar apartment in San Sebastián costs more than two and a half times that in Jaén. July data shows a market that is beginning to record corrections in some regions, but the average cost of securing a rental apartment remains above €1,100 per month, with large disparities continuing depending on where one lives.