Spaniards now spend half their salary on rent, over 70% in Madrid and Barcelona
Published on 01/06/2026 - 11:17 GMT+2 Spain’s housing affordability crisis continues to worsen. In 2025, the financial effort required of Spaniards to rent a home hit a new...
Published on 01/06/2026 - 11:17 GMT+2
Spain’s housing affordability crisis continues to worsen. In 2025, the financial effort required of Spaniards to rent a home hit a new record: 50% of the average gross salary went on rent, compared with 47% in 2024.
According to a study based on data from InfoJobs and Fotocasa, the rise in rental prices once again far outstripped wage growth. While advertised salaries rose by barely 1% over the past year, the cost of rented housing increased by 6.9%, reaching €14.21 per square metre per month.
Using an 80-square-metre home as a benchmark, the average annual rent came to €13,642, meaning that half of the average national gross salary, set at €27,336 a year, has to be devoted to paying rent.
Madrid and Catalonia, the regions under greatest pressure
By autonomous community, Madrid tops the ranking for the share of wages spent on rent, at 71% of gross pay, closely followed by Catalonia, where the figure reaches 70%. The Balearic Islands (64%), the Basque Country (58%) and the Canary Islands (56%) complete the group of territories where renting a home represents an especially heavy burden for workers.
At the other end of the scale are Extremadura (29%) and Castilla-La Mancha (32%), the only regions where the effort remains relatively contained, although still above the levels recommended by international bodies.
Barcelona, the least affordable province
The provincial analysis reveals even sharper differences. Barcelona consolidates its position as the province where renting demands the greatest financial effort, swallowing up 76% of the average gross salary. It is followed by Madrid (72%), the Balearic Islands (64%), Biscay (61%) and Las Palmas and Gipuzkoa, both on 57%.
Conversely, the provinces under the least pressure are Jaén (23%), Teruel (25%), Cáceres (27%) and Ciudad Real (28%). In fact, only seven provinces and the autonomous community of Extremadura register levels equal to or below 30% of salary being devoted to rent.
A situation of “housing emergency”
Fotocasa warns that the figure marks a turning point in the housing access crisis. The company’s head of research and spokesperson, María Matos, points out that spending 50% of income on rent amounts to a situation of “genuine housing emergency”, as it is 20 points above recommended levels.
InfoJobs, for its part, highlights the growing disconnect between wage trends and housing costs. Although the average advertised annual gross salary rose by €276 compared with the previous year, this increase is insufficient to offset the sharp rise in rental prices, a situation that limits people’s ability to save, constrains labour mobility and delays key life decisions such as moving out of the family home or starting a family.
