The price of housing in the province of Málaga exceeds €4,200 per square metre, the fourth highest in Spain, and rent requires allocating 58% of household income, the highest percentage in the country, according to Idealista. Only 2.1% of the homes built in the last decade are officially protected.
Access to housing in the province of Málaga has become the most burdensome expense for families. Rent absorbs 58% of the average household income, the highest percentage in Spain, according to data published by Idealista and collected by Diario Sur. The 2023 Housing Law sets the threshold for considering rent affordable at 30%, a limit that the capital of Málaga more than doubles: there, the effort rate reaches 40%, only surpassed by Palma.
The price of rental per square metre in the capital rose from €6.9 in January 2015 to €16.5 in August 2026. For purchase, used homes are listed at €3,939 per square metre in the capital and €4,293 across the province, compared to the national average of €2,924. Málaga is the fourth most expensive province to buy a house, behind the Balearic Islands, Madrid, and Guipúzcoa.
Foreign demand is driving prices up. 32.8% of the housing purchases recorded in 2025 in the province were made by foreigners, a percentage only surpassed by Alicante, according to the Annual Report of Real Estate Registration Statistics from the College of Registrars.
Tourist housing occupies a central place in the market. The capital has 12,620 homes registered for tourist use in the Andalusian Tourism Register. The City Council approved a three-year moratorium on new licenses for residential land in August 2025, and since August 31 of that year, no new registrations have been recorded. The INE, using a different method, counted a total of 8,288 active listings on Airbnb, Booking, and Vrbo in May 2026, representing 3.17% of the properties in the city.
The construction of protected housing remains minimal. Of the 48,222 new homes completed in the province in the last decade, only 2.1% were officially protected, according to the Official College of Architects. In 2025, 142 protected homes were completed compared to 6,694 free homes.
The general rise in the cost of living accompanies housing: the provincial CPI rose 4.3% in August compared to the same month the previous year, according to the INE.
The data comes from Idealista (offer prices and effort rate), the Andalusian Tourism Register, the INE (CPI and experimental measurement of tourist housing), the College of Registrars, and the Official College of Architects of Málaga.
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