Buying a home in Spain is becoming increasingly difficult, as new data shows that property prices are rising much faster than wages.
According to a study by Fotocasa and InfoJobs, in 2025 a worker needed an average of 8.4 years of their total gross salary to purchase a second-hand 80-square-metre apartment. This represents a significant deterioration compared to 2024, when 7.1 years were required—around 16 months less.
The main reason for this gap is the sharp rise in property prices, which increased by 20.5% in 2025, while wages rose by only 1%. The average price of second-hand housing reached €2,879 per square metre.
Experts warn that Spain is facing one of the most severe housing affordability crises in its history, as citizens must dedicate an increasingly large share of their working lives to owning a home.
Regional differences are significant. The least affordable areas are the Balearic Islands, where buying a home requires 15.1 years of salary, followed by Madrid with around 15 years. In these regions, property prices have risen most sharply, placing the greatest strain on the market.
Significant pressure is also seen in the Canary Islands, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Málaga, where the required years of salary range from 9 to over 12 years. On the other hand, the most affordable regions are Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, where a home can be purchased with around four years of salary.
At provincial level, the Balearic Islands again rank at the top, while Jaén is the most affordable area, requiring around three years of salary to buy a home.
The report concludes that wage growth of just 1% is nowhere near enough to keep up with the surge in property prices, deepening the housing affordability crisis in Spain.
