Barcelona (€650), Madrid (€620), and Bilbao (€528), the most expensive cities to rent a room in Spain

• Valencia (+6.3%) and Zaragoza (+4.2%) lead the yearly increases in room rent prices, while rents fall in Alicante (-6.2%) and Barcelona (-2.5%).
• Young people pay up to double for a room depending on the chosen city: from €325 in Murcia to €650 in Barcelona.

Madrid, October 29, 2025. – The European mid-term rental platform HousingAnywhere publishes its Spanish National Room Rent Index corresponding to the third quarter of 2025. The report reveals that, despite signs of stabilization, prices remain high in most Spanish cities.

“For thousands of students and young professionals, accessing an affordable room remains a challenge, especially in the months leading up to the start of the academic year”, explains Luca Contella, Head of Southern Europe at HousingAnywhere. “Demand is concentrated in large capital cities, where competition is high. Searching in advance, preparing a good cover letter, and considering areas beyond the center that are well-connected to the university can provide more opportunities”.

On average, renting a furnished room in one of the 10 most attractive Spanish cities for students costs €550, the same as last year. However, the cost differs significantly by city. In Barcelona, young people find rooms for €650, and in Madrid, for €620, making them the two most expensive cities in Spain. They are followed closely by Bilbao (€528) and Malaga (€520). Rooms can be found for €425 in Valencia, €390 in Seville, and €380 in Alicante. Conversely, Murcia is the city with the lowest prices (€325), followed by Granada (€340), Salamanca (€360), and Zaragoza (€375).

Valencia is the city that registered the highest yearly rent price increase (6.3%), followed by Zaragoza (4.2%) and Madrid (3.3%). These three cities receive large student demand due to their academic opportunities. Furthermore, Zaragoza is positioned as an attractive city for its affordability compared to the large capital cities. Those looking for a room in Zaragoza find it for €375, compared to €650 and €620 in Barcelona and Madrid. Conversely, Alicante (-6.2%), Barcelona (-2.5%), and Malaga (-1.9%) show decreases, reflecting price stabilization, gradually becoming evident each quarter.

About the HousingAnywhere Spanish National Room Rent Index for Q3 2025

For this 1st edition of the Spanish National Room Rent Index, HousingAnywhere analyzed 8,347 rooms advertised on its platform. The rooms analyzed are those for which at least one user showed interest by starting a conversation with the advertiser. To make annual and quarterly comparisons, the index analyzes advertisements published in the third quarter of 2025, the second quarter of 2025, and the third quarter of 2024.

The report focuses exclusively on single rooms. These rooms are primarily aimed at students and young professionals moving within the country or from abroad for academic or professional reasons.

99.8% of the available rooms were furnished, and 52.2% included bills in the rental price. The data used comes directly from active advertisements on the HousingAnywhere platform, published by both private landlords and real estate agents.

The rental price is calculated from the values provided by the advertisers. The rental price for a city is calculated using the median. To determine the national median price, the median is calculated across all rooms analyzed in the report. By comparing this figure with that of the same period the previous year, the annual variation in room prices on a national scale is obtained.

The 11 cities included in the report are: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia, Salamanca, Seville, Valencia, and Zaragoza. For the analysis, cities where HousingAnywhere has at least 40 rooms offered have been included.

About HousingAnyhwere

HousingAnywhere is Europe’s largest mid-term rental marketplace, enabling people to rent wherever they choose thanks to a convenient and secure booking experience. It connects tenants with verified landlords, allowing tenants to book their new home entirely online. HousingAnywhere operates in over 125 cities in Europe and the U.S. and primarily serves students and young professionals aged 18 to 35 who rent accommodation abroad for six to twelve months.

Together with the Dutch platform Kamernet and French Studapart, HousingAnywhere represents three fast-growing brands. The HousingAnywhere and Studapart marketplaces generated 60,000 bookings in 2024, while Kamernet had 80,000 paying subscribers in the same year. Headquartered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, the company employs 250 professionals.

Press contact

For more information, please contact press@housinganywhere.com. For more reports, go to the press page.