According to the latest data from the Fotocasa Real Estate Index, the price of rental apartments in our country has increased by 3% in 15 of the 17 autonomous communities compared to the previous quarter, which is 4.2% compared to last year.
Since March 2015, rental housing prices have continued to rise, and Valencia stands out as the only autonomous community to have recorded an interannual increase of more than 10%.
The amount, which now stands at €8.45/ m2 per month, is still quite far from the maximum reached in 2007 (€10.2/ m2) . And although it has increased less rapidly in recent months, it has been particularly noticeable in major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
The price of rental apartments is on the rise in Madrid and Catalonia
Despite having been surpassed this quarter by Murcia and the Canary Islands with 9.4% and 9.3% respectively, Madrid and Catalonia continue to be the communities with the most expensive rental apartments today with a price of €12.38/ m2 .
On the contrary, Extremadura is the cheapest community to rent, with a price of €4.71/ m2 , followed by Castilla-La Mancha (€5.09/ m2 per month) and La Rioja (€5.34/ m2 per month).
The Basque Country and La Rioja are the only communities where prices have fallen, with a -3.6% and a -0.8%.
Prices rise in 16 districts of Madrid and 6 in Barcelona
The fotocasa study also reveals the neighbourhoods where rent prices have increased the most; the centre of the capital continues to be the most expensive area with an increase of 11.6%, while the Salamanca district is the second most expensive with 5.6% and a price of €17.68/ m2.
On the contrary, Villaverde has registered a decrease of 2.8% compared to the previous month and remains the cheapest neighbourhood to live in Madrid with an average price of €9.70/m2.
For its part, the Barcelona neighbourhoods where the highest increase has been recorded are Ciutat Vella with 3.2% with a price of €17.38 per 7m2 , followed by Eixample with 3.1%.
The district of Catalonia where the cheapest rental apartments are located is Nou Barris, which only rose 2% compared to the previous month and its price stands at €12.02/ m2 .