How much does it cost to rent a house in Spain?

Spain has seen both upward and downward shifts in rental housing prices, closing the third quarter of 2026 with a quarterly drop of -4.7% and a year-on-year increase of 3%, according to data from the Fotocasa Real Estate Index. Fotocasa. These quarterly changes in September bring the average price of rental housing to 14.10 euros per square meter per month (€/sqm/month).

“September usually brings a readjustment of prices”

“The quarterly drop is due to a seasonal factor, as decreases are typically recorded following the heavy pressure of the summer months; that is why September usually brings a readjustment of prices. However, the year-on-year picture shows the underlying trend that rents have stopped falling and are resuming mild increases. This situation may be driven by rising mortgage costs. When one of these markets loses the capacity to absorb demand, that pressure is inevitably transferred to the other.”

That is why, when a portion of households cannot access homeownership, they stay in the rental market longer, further driving up demand and pressure on prices. It is worth highlighting the rise in Catalonia, the autonomous community that grew the most, doing so 40% above the national average. In addition, the province of Barcelona rose by 9.8% in just three months. These figures invite us to cautiously analyze the effectiveness of restrictive rental policies implemented in these areas“, explains María Matos, Director of Research and spokesperson for Fotocasa.

How much does it cost to rent a flat in each autonomous community in Spain?

The cost of renting an 80m² apartment across Spain’s autonomous communities, according to data from the Fotocasa Real Estate Index, ranges from €1,716.00 per month in Madrid to €618.40 per month in Extremadura.

Regarding regional price rankings, Madrid stands at the top with €21.45/m² per month.

This is followed by Catalonia at €19.67/sqm per month, the Balearic Islands at €19.59/sqm per month, the Basque Country at €17.57/sqm per month, the Canary Islands at €15.85/sqm per month, the Valencian Community at €15.33/sqm per month, Cantabria at €13.21/sqm per month, Navarre at €12.46/sqm per month, Asturias at €12.23/sqm per month, Aragon at €12.08/sqm per month, Andalusia at €11.94/sqm per month, the Region of Murcia at €10.39/sqm per month, La Rioja at €10.37/sqm per month, Castile and León at €10.11/sqm per month, Galicia at €10.09/sqm per month, Castilla-La Mancha at €9.04/sqm per month, and Extremadura at €7.73/sqm per month.

Have rental prices in Spain risen or fallen compared to last year?

Regarding the Autonomous Communities, the third quarter of 2026 shows 12 quarterly decreases (compared to 11 in Q3-2025) and 16 year-on-year increases.

The regions recording quarterly drops are: Cantabria (-6.0%), Galicia (-5.3%), Andalusia (-3.2%), Region of Murcia (-3.1%), Valencian Community (-3.0%), Castile and León (-2.5%), Canary Islands (-2.3%), Madrid (-2.3%), Castilla-La Mancha (-1.6%), Aragon (-0.6%), Extremadura (-0.4%), and Navarre (-0.2%). On the other hand, the regions that experienced quarterly increases in rental prices are: Catalonia (9.1%), Basque Country (2.9%), Balearic Islands (1.9%), La Rioja (1.1%), and Asturias (0.6%).

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How much does it cost to rent a flat in each province in Spain?

Regarding the price ranking by province, Madrid and Barcelona take the top spots, exceeding the €21.00/sqm per month mark; specifically, tenants pay €21.45/sqm per month in Madrid and €21.36/sqm per month in Barcelona. On the other hand, the most affordable provinces are Jaén at €6.64/sqm per month, Badajoz at €7.65/sqm per month, Cáceres at €7.79/sqm per month, and Cuenca at €7.96/sqm per month.

In which Spanish province have rental prices risen the most?

Across provinces, the third quarter of 2026 recorded 35 quarterly drops and 48 year-on-year increases. The ten provinces with the steepest quarterly declines in housing rental prices during this period were: Huelva (-12.1%), Cádiz (-9.2%), Lugo (-8.1%), Cuenca (-7.5%), A Coruña (-6.8%), Cantabria (-6.0%), Zamora (-6.0%), Ávila (-5.8%), Jaén (-5.8%), and Soria (-5.6%). On the other hand, the 10 provinces with the highest quarterly increases were: Barcelona (9.8%), Gipuzkoa (9.1%), Lleida (5.5%), Valladolid (4.1%), Palencia (3.5%), Albacete (2.4%), Zaragoza (2.1%), Balearic Islands (1.9%), Toledo (1.9%), and La Rioja (1.1%).

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How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Spain’s main cities?

There are 17 municipalities with prices exceeding 20.00 euros/sqm2, namely: Esplugues de Llobregat at 24.76 euros/sqm per month, Sant Josep de sa Talaia at 23.40 euros/sqm per month, Sitges at 23.20 euros/sqm per month, Barcelona city at 23.15 euros/sqm2 per month, Calvià at 22.99 euros/sqm2 per month, Madrid city at 22.40 euros/sqm2 per month, San Sebastián de los Reyes at 21.74 euros/sqm2 per month, Santa Eulària des Riu at 21.39 euros/sqm2 per month, San Bartolomé de Tirajana at 21.32 euros/sqm2 per month, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat at 21.16 euros/sqm2 per month, La Oliva at 21.10 euros/sqm2 per month, Mogán at 20.78 euros/sqm2 per month, Badalona at 20.66 euros/sqm2 per month, Donostia – San Sebastián at 20.54 euros/sqm2 per month, Eivissa at 20.37 euros/sqm2 per month, Pozuelo de Alarcón at 20.28 euros/sqm2 per month, and Sant Cugat del Vallès at 20.10 euros/sqm2 per month. On the other hand, the most affordable municipality is Baeza at 5.72 euros/sqm2 per month.

Of the 248 Spanish cities analyzed by Fotocasa with quarterly changes in September 2026, 56% recorded price drops per square meter.

Of these quarterly declines, 12 cities (5%) experienced price drops exceeding -20%: Adra (-39.3%), Laredo (-35.6%), Sanlúcar de Barrameda (-27.8%), Tarifa (-27.7%), Garrucha (-26.9%), Castro-Urdiales (-26.9%), Baiona (-25.7%), La Pobla de Farnals (-25.1%), El Ejido (-24.5%), Viveiro (-23.9%), Cambrils (-23.7%), and Chiclana de la Frontera (-20.8%). On the other hand, the city with the largest quarterly increase was Xirivella (Valencia) at 27.8%.

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