Where rent eats most of local income: 104 districts in 9 Spanish cities (2024)

7 November 2026

In La Merced – San Felipe Neri (Málaga), renting a 75 m² flat at the district's median rent takes about 35% of the average household's net income there, the highest of 104 districts. In El Pinar – Puente Duero – La Overuela (Valladolid) it takes 8%. Cheap rent does not mean affordable: in Madrid, Puente de Vallecas has some of the city's lowest rents but they take 30% of local incomes, against 18% in Moncloa-Aravaca.

City by city

The 15 districts where rent takes the biggest share of income

The 15 districts where rent takes the smallest share

How we calculated it

Rent: median rent per m² of all leases declared to the Spanish tax agency in 2024 (Ministry of Housing, SERPAVI), times 75 m², times 12 months. Income: average net income per household in the same census district in 2024 (INE, Household Income Distribution Atlas). The share compares what a typical flat costs with what the people already living there earn; it is not anyone's actual rent burden, since many residents own their home or pay older, lower rents.

Every district has its own page with rent, income, age and household figures.

Source: SERPAVI (MIVAU) · INE – ADRH 2024.