Barcelona new rents rise 4.6% to €1,137 as mayor says rent controls are working

The average price of new rental contracts in Barcelona city rose 4.61% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching €1,137.35 a month, according to data from the Catalan Land Institute (Incasòl).

Across Catalonia's designated "high-pressure housing areas," including Barcelona, new rents increased 3.71%, to an average of €876.56.

In the rest of Catalonia – those areas without a rent cap – prices rose slightly more, climbing 4.04% to an average of €861.23.

Despite the annual rise, rents fell compared with the previous quarter across Catalonia as a whole (-2.6%), in Barcelona city (-2.04%) and in areas with a rent cap (-2.8%).

Rent control measures currently apply in 271 municipalities, covering around 90% of Catalonia's population.

Rent cap impact

Compared with the first quarter of 2024, when the rent cap system came into force, average rents are now 1.28% lower in regulated municipalities and 4.71% lower in Barcelona city.

In other areas, rents have risen 9.53% over the same period.

"The law works and the law is positive," Catalan president Salvador Illa said, defending the impact of the measure and highlighting that Catalonia was "a pioneer" in applying Spain's new housing law.

"We are clear that housing is a right of the people, not a business without limits," he said during an event in Madrid on Monday.

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said the city’s rental price regulation is working, arguing that the latest figures show the policy has achieved the results expected by authorities.

"These are the results we expected," Collboni said during a media appearance on Monday.

The mayor said Barcelona had "stopped and frozen" rental price increases.

By province, Barcelona continued to record the highest average rent, at €960.56 per month, followed by Girona (€676.79), Tarragona (€587.84) and Lleida (€512.96).

In Barcelona city, year-on-year rent increases were recorded in every district, with the sharpest rises in Sant Martí (+7.5%) and Nou Barris (+6.1%).

Horta-Guinardó also saw a notable increase, with rents rising 4.4%.

Compared with the previous quarter, rents fell across the city except in Nou Barris (+1.4%) and Sant Andreu (+2.6%).

Sarrià-Sant Gervasi remained Barcelona's most expensive district, with average rents of €1,599 a month. Horta-Guinardó had the lowest average, at €929.

Alella records Catalonia's highest rents

Alella, a town 18km north of Barcelona, recorded Catalonia’s highest average rents in the first quarter of 2026, at €1,797.56 a month, followed by Sant Vicenç de Montalt (€1,776.56) and Cabrils (€1,713.80).

The lowest prices were recorded in La Sénia, where rents averaged €362.37.

Seasonal rentals rebound

Seasonal rental contracts increased again in the first quarter of the year. Catalonia recorded 2,300 such contracts, 54.8% more than the 1,486 registered in the previous quarter, when the market saw its first decline since seasonal rental regulations came into force.

Despite the quarterly rebound, the figure remained 32.7% below the first quarter of 2025, when 3,417 seasonal rental contracts were recorded.

In December 2025, the Catalan Parliament approved a landmark new law regulating seasonal rentals (between one and 12 months) to prevent landlords from evading rent caps on long-term leases of over a year.