According to data published by Eurostat, in the first quarter of 2026 the annual increase in prices for housing in Spain was 12.8%, the EU average was 5.1%, and the eurozone average was 4.7%.
Spain ranks fifth among the EU member states with the highest increase in housing prices compared to the same period last year, behind only Portugal (17.8%), Bulgaria (14.8%), Slovakia (14.4%) and Croatia (14.3%). At the opposite end of the ranking is Finland – the only country where prices decreased (-2%).
Quarterly growth in Spain also exceeded the EU average
Compared to the previous quarter, house prices in Spain increased by 3.5%, while in the eurozone the increase was 1%, and in the EU as a whole – 1.2%.
Only Bulgaria (6.2%), Portugal (3.8%) and Slovakia (3.6%) showed quarterly growth exceeding Spain’s.
Rent in the EU continues to rise in price
Eurostat also notes that rent continued to increase across the EU as a whole, although at a slower pace than house prices: an increase of 3% compared to the first quarter of 2025 and 0.7% compared to the previous quarter.
The statistics office indicates that between 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, house prices rose faster than rents in 19 countries.
Portugal (10.3%), Bulgaria (9.4%) and Slovakia (9.1%) led the way, while France and Finland were the only countries where housing prices fell during this period.
Where rent has increased the most?
As for rents, they rose in all EU countries with the exception of Slovenia, where there was a decrease of 0.9%, and Finland, where they remained at the same level.
At the same time, the largest growth was observed in Croatia (21.9%), Bulgaria (6.4%) and Greece (5%).
Home prices and rent have reached historic highs
In the long term, Eurostat notes that both residential property prices and rents have shown an upward trend since 2015.
However, house price growth has become much more intense since 2020, with both indicators reaching their highest values on record in the first quarter of 2026.
Against the backdrop of rising prices, issues of financing, inspection of the property and subsequent maintenance of the property become of particular importance for buyers and owners. In Spain this may require services such as mortgage registration, receiving Nota Simple and calculation of expenses for property maintenance.
