Spanish renters and workers say pay no longer keeps up with housing costs

A salary that no longer covers the rent

A 32-year-old woman working in Madrid earns about 2,500 euros net a month over 14 payments. Her lease is coming to an end, and her roommate has just bought a home with an inheritance from a relative, which leaves her weighing her options. Renewing with her landlord would cost at least 1,000 euros a month, the amount she has paid for the past five years. Keeping housing within her 30% benchmark would cap her budget at about 750 euros, while a 1,000-euro rent would take more than 40% of her salary, beyond the limit of financial risk. Idealista listings show how little stock exists at those prices: for flats over 40 square metres in Madrid city, only one offer appeared at 750 euros, and eight appeared at 850 euros, six of them for long-term stays. She has decided to rent a room from her roommate and give up living alone, saying the housing market is set up for couples.

750 euros1

850 euros8

750 euros

1 listings

850 euros

8 listings

Data from the article text

Rental demand moves to the commuter belt

An Idealista analysis of the third quarter ranks municipalities by rental demand relative to the homes on offer. Terrassa tops the ranking again, followed by Leganés and Móstoles, both in the Madrid region. The top ten also includes L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (4th), Getafe (5th), Alcalá de Henares (6th), Sabadell (7th), Guadalajara (8th), Vitoria (9th) and Alcorcón (10th). Barcelona ranks 17th and Madrid falls to 39th, a gap that points to renters being pushed toward cheaper towns with reasonable public transport. Of the top 25, 15 are not provincial capitals, and Madrid province has more municipalities on the list than any other province.

Workers, artists and families

A 31-year-old electrician, who entered the trade through his family business, says he earns about 1,500 euros in a good month, yet insurance, storage and other self-employment costs leave him with more expenses than income. He also criticises young people for not wanting this kind of work, even as traditional trades struggle to find staff. Portuguese singer Salvador Sobral, who won Eurovision in 2017 and has lived in Catalonia for about two years, told EFE in Lisbon ahead of his new album 'A flor do recomeço' that he can rent comfortably but cannot afford to buy in Barcelona, where prices are much higher than when he lived there in 2011. He praised the housing protests in Catalonia and voiced concern about a rise of the far right in the upcoming Spanish elections. Actress Amparo Larrañaga said her 27-year-old son took part in the housing camp at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, despite holding a double degree, having a job and speaking three languages.

“He is there because, even with what he earns, he cannot rent a flat. That is his big problem.”

She made the remarks on TVE's Sukha programme, where she was promoting her play Victoria.

Wages, pensions and what comes next

Economist Santiago Niño Becerra notes that average pay in Madrid is lower than in Belgium, yet rent is 2.68 times higher. Pensioners also struggle to reach the end of the month on their pensions.

“The amount of resources available to pay rent is very, very limited relative to existing rents.”

The OECD puts the 2025 average gross salary at 2,508.64 euros a month across 14 payments, before taxes. Spain's statistics institute INE offers more nuance, but its figures date from 2024. A general strike on 11 November will protest the gap between wage rises and prices, and general elections follow on 29 November.