Priced out of cities, young Spaniards are moving to rural villages for housing

Spain's housing crisis, which has deepened for years, is reshaping how young people plan their futures. Buying a flat in Madrid, Barcelona or Málaga is essentially unattainable for most people under 40, and renting alone is barely viable — those who live independently spend on average 98.7% of their salary on housing.

As a result, only 14.5% of people aged 16 to 29 have managed to move out of their parents' home, and the average age of leaving has risen to 30, compared with 26 across the EU. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), 44.3% of those aged 26 to 34 were still living with family in 2025. Purchase prices climbed 14.7% and rents 10.9% over the past year, per Bankinter data, while wages for under-35s have barely moved in real terms. Overcrowded, polluted cities add further pressure.

The village as an answer

More young people are now trading cities for depopulated villages, where buying a home has not yet become unaffordable. A Fotocasa Research study from the first half of 2026 found that 13% of home seekers in Spain plan to move to a municipality of fewer than 10,000 residents in the coming months.

These are not retirees seeking quiet — the average age is 35, with monthly incomes between 1,000 and 3,000 euros, and many still live with their parents. Most come from Catalonia (22%), Andalusia (19%) and Madrid (18%), and the majority are relocating not from major capitals but from mid-sized cities.

A generational shift, not a trend

María Matos, head of research at Fotocasa, says the people now choosing rural life are mainly of working age with life plans still ahead of them, suggesting rural areas are becoming a genuine residential alternative. She cautions, however, that sustained investment in jobs, services and infrastructure is needed for this to translate into real demographic recovery.

The most common arrangements are moving with a partner and children, or with parents, suggesting the shift is often driven by necessity rather than choice alone. Villages still lack stable employment, quality healthcare, schools and fast internet — gaps that must be closed for the trend to become a lasting solution to Spain's housing crisis.