This is why they protest: Renting a room in a shared flat hits €600 a month in Barcelona as prices soar across Spain’s cities – CSN News

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.

Rents for shared apartments are soaring in areas with many expats, young professionals and other residents. This reflects the crisis that is affecting Spain’s rental markets.

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.

The number of rooms that are available is decreasing. New listings have grown by just 7% in the last quarter after expanding 22% over the past year. Analysts say this slowdown is helping push prices higher.

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San Sebastian (-31%), Sevilla (both 22%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (both 21%) have seen sharp drops in the number of rooms available.

The number of listings has also decreased in Alicante, Madrid, Palma and Bilbao.

There’s some good news. Supply has risen in other cities, notably Valencia (+34%) and Málaga (+22%).

Even Barcelona saw a modest rise in the rental of rooms by 2%. This is a welcome relief.

Despite these cities defying the trend, prices continue to increase sharply.

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Most of the impact is felt in the larger cities. Prices still rose 8% in Malaga. 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 analysts point out a variety of causes. These include landlords who switch to tourist rentals and rising maintenance costs. They also mention the growing reluctance on behalf of owners due to tighter rental laws that were introduced last year.

Barcelona and Madrid continue dominating the market for shared housing, accounting for together over a quarter of all advertised room rentals nationwide.

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Demand for rooms is increasing at the same time. 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.