The suffocating surge in rental prices is triggering a structural shift in the mindset of Spain’s residential market. With monthly rents systematically hitting record highs, public perception is crystallising in a clear direction: seven in ten private individuals (71%) believe that, at current levels, it is financially more profitable to pay a mortgage than to take on a rental.
This is the main conclusion of the report Radiografía del mercado de la vivienda en 2026 (source in Spanish), drawn up by Fotocasa Research. The figures show the highest level of consensus in the entire study (with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10) and point to a slight increase compared with the first half of 2025, when 70% of those active in the market agreed with the statement.
Home ownership as a “refuge” from an imbalanced rental market
The analysis shows that the preference for buying is not driven solely by cultural norms, but is also a strategy for financial survival in the face of the sharp rise in rents.
“Although accessing home ownership remains difficult because of a lack of savings and high purchase prices, more and more people feel that, if they are in a position to take the plunge, paying a mortgage is a more profitable option than allocating a monthly income to rent that keeps on becoming more expensive. This perception reflects the huge imbalance currently affecting the rental market,” explains María Matos, head of Research and spokesperson for Fotocasa.
Private individuals engaged in housing demand activities (percentage of the population aged over 18).-
Fotocasa
This environment has strengthened other traditional indicators of the Spanish market:
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Safe investment:68% of respondents maintain that buying property is still a good investment (7.2 points out of 10).
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Deep-rooted ownership: another 68% say that the feeling of having one’s own home remains deeply rooted in Spanish society. However, this conviction has weakened compared with the first half of 2025, when support stood at 72%.
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Housing as an inheritance:59% of private individuals still believe that a home is the best inheritance one can leave to one’s children, a figure that has edged down slightly from 61% the previous year.
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The spectre of a new property bubble looms larger
The flip side of this preference for buying is fear. The speed at which both purchase and rental prices are rising has set alarm bells ringing among citizens. Some 56% of those surveyed fear that the market is heading towards a new property bubble, up two percentage points from the 54% recorded in 2025.
Meanwhile, the cultural perception of renting remains mired in pessimism. Half of active private individuals (50%) still insist that living in rented accommodation is “throwing money away”, the same proportion as last year. In line with this, expectations that Spain will converge with the European rental model are falling: the belief that the market will evolve towards a greater role for renting over ownership has slipped to 40% (from 41% in 2025).
The Housing Law fails to win over the property market
The report also once again highlights the widespread disapproval among the public of the current regulatory framework. Assessments of the Housing Law remain firmly in negative territory. Although the share of private individuals who approve of it has inched up from 27% to 28% over the past year, the average rating is stuck at 4.7 out of 10.
Profile of people who rent in Spain-
Fotocasa
The macroeconomic factor to bear in mind
It is crucial to put this snapshot in context: Fotocasa carried out the survey in February 2026. The answers given by citizens therefore reflect the impact of the 2023-2025 biennium, marked by a gradual easing of interest rates that made mortgages cheaper, coupled with a parallel increase in rents.
The recentinterest rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB) last June adds a new layer of uncertainty. The impact of this tightening of mortgage credit on citizens’ perception of profitability will have to be assessed in upcoming sector reports.
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