Business · Economy · 14 hrs ago
Barcelona rent per square metre hits record as average rent remains lower
Barcelona’s average rent reached €17.13 per square metre in the second quarter of 2026, the highest level recorded and 3.4% above a year earlier.
The figures come from rental deposits registered with Catalonia’s public land agency, Incasòl.
The average monthly rent for new Barcelona contracts was €1,140.90, up 0.5% year on year but 4.4% below its level before rent caps began.
Since the caps took effect in March 2024, rents have risen 0.7% in regulated areas, compared with 11% in unregulated municipalities.
The two measures can move differently because homes being rented are smaller: the average size in Barcelona fell from 75 to 71 square metres.
The price per square metre rose faster than inflation, while the average rent for new contracts rose more slowly.
Fewer new contracts are being signed, and tenants are staying in their homes longer, so rising contract totals do not necessarily mean more homes are available to rent.
Barcelona’s average rent per square metre reached a record €17.13 a month in the second quarter of 2026.
The figure was up 3.4% from a year earlier, while the average monthly rent for new residential contracts was €1,140.90.
That average rent was 0.5% higher than a year earlier but 4.4% below its level before rent caps were introduced.
The Catalan government says rent regulation is containing rents, while sector experts have warned that changing rental supply may be lowering the average rent.
The average size of rented flats in Barcelona fell from 75 to 71 square metres after the price cap took effect in March 2024.
- Who
- The Catalan government published the figures. The data cover rents in Barcelona and Catalonia.
- What
- Barcelona’s average rent per square metre reached a record, even as the average rent for new contracts remained below its pre-cap level.
- When
- The figures are for the second quarter of 2026 and were published on 2 November 2026.
- Where
- Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain.
- Why
- The article reports changes in rent levels and in the size of rented flats; it does not establish a single cause for the record price per square metre.
Catalan government
Rental-sector experts
Regulation
Catalan government
The government says rent regulation and the housing law are working as planned and containing rents.
Rental-sector experts
Experts have warned that average rents may fall because the rental supply is changing.
Rental supply
Catalan government
The government says the number of active contracts has increased and the fall in average flat size is a temporary fluctuation.
Rental-sector experts
Experts have highlighted falling average flat size and reduced tenant turnover as effects associated with regulation.
Rent price caps took effect.
Barcelona recorded 29,311 rental contract signings.
Barcelona’s average rent per square metre reached €17.13 a month, and 26,449 contracts were signed.
The Catalan government published the rental figures.
- Barcelona rent per square metre
- €17.13 a month in the second quarter of 2026
- Year-on-year change per square metre
- 3.4% increase
- Average rent for new Barcelona contracts
- €1,140.90 a month
- Change from pre-cap average rent
- 4.4% lower
- Average flat size
- Fell from 75 to 71 square metres
- Barcelona contract signings
- 26,449 in the second quarter of 2026
What people are saying
confirman la contención de las rentas de alquiler
funcionan tal y como estaba previsto