Walter Finch
RENTING a single room in Spain’s major cities is becoming prohibitively expensive, with average prices hitting an eye watering €600 a month in Barcelona – and €430 in Malaga.
The figures, released by property portal Idealista, reveal how rents for shared flats are surging in areas where many expats and young professionals live, reflecting the deepening crisis in Spain’s rental market.
Across the country, the average price for a room has risen to €420 per month — a 5% jump in just the first three months of 2025.
Meanwhile, the supply of available rooms is drying up. After expanding by 22% last year, new listings grew just 7% this quarter, a slowdown that analysts say is helping to push prices even higher.
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The supply of available rooms has shrunk in several major cities, with sharp falls seen in San Sebastian (-31%), Sevilla and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (both 22%)
Listings have also shrunk in Alicante (-8%), Madrid (-5%), Palma (-5%) and Bilbao (-4%).
It’s not all grim news, however. Supply has risen in other cities, notably Valencia (+34%) and Málaga (+22%).
Even Barcelona has seen a modest increase in rental rooms of 2%, offering some relief.
Nonetheless, despite these cities bucking the trend, prices have continued to climb sharply.
The impact is being felt most sharply in the large cities. In Malaga, prices still leapt by 8%. In Valencia, a 34% increase in supply has helped keep rents steady at €400, but competition remains fierce.
In Alicante, where available rooms fell by 8%, prices rose modestly to €355.
Market observers point to a range of possible causes, from landlords switching to tourist rentals, to rising maintenance costs, and growing reluctance among owners faced with tighter rental laws introduced last year.
Barcelona and Madrid continue to dominate the shared housing market, together accounting for over a third of all room rentals advertised nationwide.
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At the same time, demand for rooms is intensifying. The number of people applying for each available space rose by 8% nationally, with even sharper rises seen in Bilbao, San Sebastián and Alicante.
With full flat rentals now out of reach for many, and shared flats becoming more expensive, Spain’s housing squeeze is hitting young people, workers and expats harder than ever — and there are few signs of relief on the horizon.
