Housing emergency: 65 people compete for each rental room in Palma.

PalmPalma is the city in Spain where each room listed on the rental market generates the most interest, with 65 people vying to live there, according to the latest report from the real estate website Idealista. A significant figure is the national average, with 22 people vying for each room available for rent, far from the situation in the city. After Palma, the municipality with the most competition for room rentals is San Sebastián, with 62 interested people. Likewise, in 2024, a peak of 91 people vying for a room was reached in Palma. At the other end of the ranking are Córdoba, Salamanca, and Castellón, with nine people interested for each room listed for rent.

The Idealista statement emphasizes that those most affected by this situation are young people and vulnerable people, and that more and more people are opting to rent rooms. In fact, the EFE news agency highlights that 50% of tenants who have rented a room did so because they couldn't afford a full apartment, and 23% emphasized that they couldn't find anything better, according to a study by another real estate website (Fotocasa).

According to this report, the rental price is the main difficulty for 65% of people who manage to rent a room, a situation that is added to other obstacles, such as landlord requirements (36%) and lack of supply (32%).

Rooms that exceed 1,000 euros

A glance at any real estate portal is enough to understand the magnitude of the situation. Right now, rooms in Palma are renting for over €1,000 a month, an unaffordable price for many families, even for renting an entire apartment. A room for rent in Plaza dels Flassaders is listed for €1,270. The advertisement clarifies that electricity and water are included up to a certain limit, although it doesn't specify the starting price. If the tenant is willing to pay €130 more, they can have a parking space: this way, the rent for a single room would rise to €1,400. Another supplement applies to couples, who will have to pay €200 more if they want to live together in the room. If a couple rents this room and uses the parking, they will have to pay €1,600. The advertiser highlights the area and claims that there are "eco-friendly shops" and "cultural options" such as the Augusta cinema (in Plaça Espanya). The apartment has four bedrooms, so the owner can get a maximum return of 6,400 euros per month. At the other end of the price scale, there is a room in the shed for 285 euros per month, also in a four-bedroom apartment. According to Idealista, renting a room in Palma costs around 500 euros per month on average (first half of 2025), and Fotocasa points out that in 2024, renting a room in Ciutat de Mallorca had an average price of 592 euros.