Barcelona

Barcelona’s housing crisis is marked by soaring prices, high demand, and acute shortages, creating severe affordability issues for locals. Over the past decade, rental prices in Barcelona have climbed by as much as 80%, while purchase prices in central districts have surged by as much as 24% annually in 2025 alone. The city’s limited new housing—typically just 1,500 to 2,500 units built per year—has not kept pace with annual population growth, resulting in a persistent supply-demand imbalance.

The crisis disproportionately affects low- and middle-income residents, young adults, and essential workers, many of whom are vulnerable to eviction or forced relocation as landlords increasingly favor profitable short-term rentals and foreign investors. Service sector employees, who support the vital tourism industry, struggle to afford city living, leading to staffing shortages and impacting local businesses. Women, people facing housing insecurity, and ethnic minorities experience discrimination and have greater difficulty accessing decent housing, exacerbating social inequality and exclusion.

A sharp rise in eviction filings has been recorded, with a 30% increase in cases due to unpaid rent from 2019 to 2020, and the situation has worsened since. Studies confirm that housing unaffordability is significantly linked to poor mental and physical health in affected populations, making this not only a social and economic emergency but also a public health concern.

Barcelona's housing market is experiencing severe affordability challenges in 2025. Property purchase prices have surged to €4,661 per square meter citywide, with prime areas reaching €5,200-6,500 per square meter, representing a 35-50% increase since 2020. Rental prices average €26.41 per square meter monthly as of April 2025.

The market shows bubble characteristics with property prices rising 17.5% annually while wages grow only 3.1%, forcing residents to spend 64% of gross income on rent. Housing supply is critically low, with only 2,800 new units completed in 2024 against 15,000 units of annual demand.

Barcelona has approximately 12,300 social homes by end of 2023, representing less than 2% of the total housing stock. The city invested nearly €150 million between 2015-2022 to acquire over 1,350 homes for public housing. Public housing and social housing are effectively the same in Barcelona, both aimed at providing affordable accommodation for vulnerable households.

The rental market maintains near-full occupancy with vacancy rates below 2%. Long-term rental yields average 6.5-7.5% in prime areas. Short-term rentals face complete elimination by 2028 under new regulations.

Recent policy failures include a 30% social housing quota that delivered only 8 affordable units in five years while causing a 95% collapse in new construction. Rent cap laws implemented in March 2024 have begun moderating price growth but reduced rental supply by 13%.

Barcelona’s city administration is advancing affordable and sustainable housing mainly through the “Right to Housing Plan 2016-2025,” with a goal to more than double the affordable housing stock by investing in new public rental housing, partnering with non-profit and cooperative developers, and acquiring existing homes for renovation. Recently communicated targets include expanding the affordable housing pool by constructing and rehabilitating new units and prioritizing innovative models like zero-equity cooperative housing. A key ongoing initiative is the Collaboration Agreement with cooperative and social housing entities for the construction and rehabilitation of 1,000 units, 40% under cooperative schemes and 60% as affordable rentals, by providing public land and supporting project development.

Concrete programs include: municipal subsidies for affordable rentals and arrears, an expanded public rental pool through the acquisition and mobilization of private homes, renovation grants, and the Viviendas para las Entidades Sociales project, which renovates and leases empty homes for vulnerable groups in partnership with social organizations. The administration also supports zero-equity cooperative and community land trust-inspired models to dissociate land from building ownership, fostering long-term affordability. The city participates in Spain’s national housing programs, benefiting from public investment, stricter rental regulations, and incentives for sustainable building and rehabilitation. These actions reflect a strategy built on public-private-social partnerships, community involvement, and structural reforms to increase both the quantity and sustainability of affordable housing.