At a time when the average price of second-hand properties in Spain has reached a record high, where people choose to live can make a substantial difference to housing costs. According to data from the end of 2025, buying a home in an urban area is 99% more expensive than purchasing one in a rural location. This is highlighted in the latest housing market analysis by idealista/data, the proptech arm of idealista, which points to wide disparities between provinces.
The analysis shows that the average price of second-hand homes in urban areas – those with higher population density – stood at €2,906at the end of 2025. By contrast, prices in rural areas, which are less densely populated and characterised by different types of housing, averaged €1,459/m².
Madrid leads the ranking with the widest housing price gap between urban and rural areas, at 131%, followed by Álava (126%) and Salamanca (115%). Cáceres (114%) and Valladolid (102%) round out the group of provinces with the most pronounced disparities, driven largely by very low rural prices, which in most cases remain below €1,000/m².
In major residential markets, the gap stands at 73% in Barcelona and 72% in Seville, reflecting sharp contrasts between city and countryside. Differences are more moderate in Málaga, at 48%, and Valencia, at 33%.
The average price of urban housing in Madrid stands at €4,821/m², compared with €2,085/m² in rural areas. Prices are even higher in the Balearic Islands, where urban homes average €5,246/m² – the highest in Spain – while rural properties reach €3,801/m², resulting in a narrower gap of 38%.
Other provinces with some of the most expensive city housing include Gipuzkoa (€4,452/m²), Málaga (€4,241/m²) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (€3,626/m²). The urban–rural price gap is 64% in Gipuzkoa and 47% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In both cases, rural prices are also relatively high, at €2,721 and €2,461/m², respectively.
Urban prices above €3,000/m² and exceeding the national average are also recorded in Biscay (€3,496), Barcelona (€3,281) and Las Palmas (€3,086).
Lleida also stands out, but for the opposite reason. In this province, rural prices (€1,666/m²) are higher than urban ones (€1,421/m²), driven by demand in mountain areas close to ski resorts. This results in a 15% premium for rural housing.
At the other end of the scale, Spain’s most affordable urban housing is found in Ciudad Real (€828/m²) and Jaén (€900/m²), both below €1,000/m². They are followed by Cuenca (€1,053), Teruel (€1,067) and Zamora (€1,124).
As noted above, average housing prices in some rural areas are significantly higher than in urban markets elsewhere in the country. Beyond the Balearic Islands, Gipuzkoa and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, notable examples include rural Málaga, where prices average €2,872/m², and Biscay, at €2,347/m².
Rural prices also exceed €2,000/m² in Madrid (€2,085), as well as in Alicante (€2,071), Las Palmas (€2,069) and Girona (€2,067).
At the other end of the scale, average rural housing prices fall below €1,000/m² in as many as 15 provinces. The lowest levels are seen in Cáceres (€590/m²), Jaén (€615), Ciudad Real (€640) and Cuenca (€645).
Prices in these rural areas are shaped by factors such as the condition and size of the homes, as well as population levels, the availability of infrastructure and the overall economic development of each area.
In nine provinces, housing demand favours rural areas over cities
Another key dimension of this location-based analysis of house prices is demand. On average, by the end of 2025, almost 60% of housing demand was concentrated in urban areas, compared with 40% in rural locations.
Álava leads the ranking, with 74% of demand focused on urban areas, followed by Zamora (69%), Burgos and Valladolid (both 66%), and Huelva and Navarra (both 65%).
Among Spain’s main residential markets, Seville records 64% of demand in urban areas, ahead of Barcelona (59%), the Balearic Islands (57%), and Madrid and Valencia (both 55%).
By contrast, there are nine provinces where demand is stronger for rural housing. This includes some high-priced markets such as Málaga, where 57% of demand is directed towards rural homes, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (55%). Rural demand is even higher in Girona (59%) and Granada (56%), and also outweighs urban demand in Alicante and Murcia (both 54%), Castellón (53%), as well as Almería and Cádiz (both 51%).