The percentage of household income needed to access housing grew to 24% in Spain in the case of buying and to 38% in the case of renting during the last year, according to a study published by idealista based on data from the second quarter of 2025.
In the province of Las Palmas, the percentages remain almost unchanged from last year. In Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, each family must allocate 26% of income to meet a mortgage and 36% to rent a home (one point less than last year when it reached 37%).
The lack of supply and the consequent increase in prices is the reason why the effort to buy or rent has increased in the country, far exceeding the limits recommended by experts in the case of rent.
For Francisco Iñareta, spokesperson for idealista, “the situation of housing for rent is in a state of emergency and close to overflowing in many localities, pushing families who have the slightest possibility to buy".
"This, together with the short-sightedness of recent years in the administration that has prevented the construction of new homes where they are needed, is greatly straining the buying market, with rates in the large markets that far exceed the recommended levels of debt", he added.
The province of Málaga is the one that requires the greatest effort to rent a home to locals, as it reaches 55% of family income. It is followed by the Balearic Islands (with 52% of income), Barcelona (42%), Valencia (39%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (38%), Alicante (37%), Madrid (37%), Las Palmas (36%) and Guipúzcoa (34%).
Teruel (19%), Lleida (20%), Huesca, Palencia, Ciudad Real, Jaén and León (21% in the 5 provinces) are the ones that require the least effort.
With respect to buying, Balearic Islands and Málaga are the provinces that require the greatest effort, with 44% of family income. They are followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (35%), Alicante (29%), Madrid (27%) and Las Palmas (26%). In the province of Barcelona it stands at 19%. With a rate of 10%, Ciudad Real, Jaén and Teruel are the least demanding for buying a home.
