In July 2026, a single room in Spain cost an average of 505 euros per month, information from Fotocasa. The national average was down 1.1% from the previous year, but prices rose in 54 of the 67 cities with comparable data. That offers little relief to renters seeking affordable housing.
For young adults, students and workers, the pressure is constant. Renting an entire flat alone is out of reach for most, so demand for shared accommodation keeps climbing. In Barcelona, no district has an average room price below 550 euros. In Madrid’s Chamartín district, the average is 714 euros per room, while even the cheapest areas rarely fall below 576 euros. Prices are rising beyond the biggest cities, too: in Paterna, room rents jumped 19% in a year.
Information from Fotocasa, as of July 2026, there is no district left in Madrid where the average room price is below 450 euros per month.
Fotocasa
Regional differences are stark. Baleares tops the list, with an average room price of 622 euros, up 11.5% from last year. Madrid and Cataluña are close behind, both above 600 euros. Extremadura is the cheapest region at 260 euros, leaving a gap of 362 euros per month between the highest and lowest averages. Prices rose in 13 autonomous communities; only Andalucía, País Vasco, La Rioja and Cataluña recorded declines. Those drops were small: Andalucía’s 2.8% decrease was the largest.
Ten cities posted double-digit percentage increases. Badajoz, Cáceres and Leganés each saw rises of more than 17%. Only a few places, including Ponferrada, Sevilla and Jaén, recorded meaningful price declines. The most expensive municipalities are Sant Cugat del Vallès (706 euros), Villanueva de la Cañada (667), Palma de Mallorca (653) and Marbella (634). At the other end of the scale, rooms in Plasencia and Ponferrada cost 210 and 238 euros, respectively. Such deals are rare and often involve compromises on location or quality.
Fotocasa spokesperson María Matos says the national decrease in the headline figure is misleading. Demand for shared housing is so high that landlords can choose among tenants and sometimes exclude certain groups. Debate over who gets access to rooms is growing, with some landlords openly stating preferences for tenants with similar lifestyles or jobs.
Fotocasa notes that the observed decrease in rental prices between January and July 2026 applies only to new contracts in 12 provincial capitals and does not automatically mean lower costs for existing tenants. Most cities and regions have seen prices rise during this period, reflecting how fragmented and localized the rental market is.
Fotocasa
Madrid’s rental market is especially tough. Room prices have risen in 15 of its 20 districts, with Villaverde and Hortaleza both posting increases above 13%. Sharing a flat adds to the already high cost of renting in the capital, as reported earlier. In Barcelona, seven out of ten districts saw slight declines, but the lowest average is still 576 euros in Nou Barris, while Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Eixample are close to 700 euros.
Prices are rising in most cities and regions, while places with falling rents remain exceptions. Affordability in Spain’s increasingly divided rental market depends more on postcode than on national trends. Until more housing becomes available, renters face rising costs for single rooms and fewer affordable options.
