The trend of rental prices in Sitges, as in many other Catalan coastal towns, has been marked by a constant increase over the last few years, driven by factors such as tourist pressure, international demand and proximity to Barcelona.
Although the pandemic saw a stabilisation or a slight drop in prices between 2020 and 2021, the economic recovery and the return of tourism have caused prices to rise again and, in 2024, severely.
With the average price per square metre being between 17 and 20 euros, it means the monthly cost of an 80m² flat ranges from between €1,360 and €1,600 per month, depending on the location and characteristics of the property. This is the hard reality and especially for the younger population, who barely have this sum as their monthly income.
It is a widely accepted rule of thumb that the cost of housing should not exceed one-third of an individual or family’s monthly income. This rule is based on the idea that if more than 30% of income goes to rent or mortgage, this can compromise the ability to meet other basic expenses such as food, transport, education and savings.
If this rule is applied to the housing situation in Sitges, earnings should be between €4,100 and €4,800 per month, or more than €75,000 gross salary per year. According to Idescat, this figure (or above) is the salary of only the richest 6% in Catalonia. The average gross annual salary of Sitges residents is quite high compared to the Catalan average, but it does not reach 40,000 euros a year.
In recent years, prices have been rising gradually, and at some points, especially between 2015 and 2020, the increase has been more pronounced. In 2022 and 2023 there was an acceleration of prices due to the post-pandemic recovery, and which during 2024 is being accentuated.
This means that young people are leaving the parental home later and later, or even having to leave Sitges altogether to find cheaper rental prices elsewhere.
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