By 2025, owning a home in Spain has become an increasingly unattainable goal for many citizens. The gap between household income and property prices has reached critical levels, creating insurmountable barriers for young people seeking independence. Statistical reports only reinforce this bleak picture: the annual surge in residential property prices has become the sharpest since 2007, effectively closing off access to homeownership for a significant portion of society.
Although this trend affects the entire country, it is especially pronounced in the capital. For most families, the financial threshold to enter the market has become unmanageable. Just three decades ago, the situation was drastically different: middle-class families could realistically plan to buy a home. Today, however, wages are failing to keep pace with the rapid rise in prices, demanding far greater effort and savings from potential buyers.
This dramatic transformation was vividly illustrated in a video by legal advisor Andrés Millán, whose post quickly gained popularity on social media. He presented a comparative analysis using an example of an apartment in one of the capital’s prestigious neighborhoods, Chamberí. In 1997, a four-bedroom property was sold for an amount equivalent to 90,000 euros. According to Millán’s calculations, with the average annual income at the time being 23,000 euros, it would have taken less than four years to buy such a property. Today, in 2025, a similar property is valued at over 700,000 euros. With the current average salary around 31,800 euros per year, it would now take more than 30 years to afford it.
The legal specialist emphasized the enormous difference in the figures. He also pointed out that his calculations are based on the average income level, which for many workers is overstated, further worsening the situation. In addition, associated costs must be added to the main amount. For a transaction of 700,000 euros, the buyer would have to pay about another 80,000 in taxes and fees. Millán also touched on the fiscal aspect: since the income tax scale has not been indexed for over a decade, earning a net amount of 700,000 would require making more than a million.
According to the expert, the market’s problems are complex. Nevertheless, he suggested a specific measure that, in his view, could make housing more affordable right now: abolishing taxes on the purchase of a first home. However, the lawyer himself expressed doubt that politicians would take such a step. He believes that maintaining the current situation may benefit certain circles in power.
