100,000 Euros Then vs. Now

Decades ago, a 100,000 euro budget in Barcelona could secure a modest home even in central areas, offering young buyers genuine housing options. Today, that same amount barely covers a garage or a small, occupied property on the city's outskirts.

With 100,000 euros today, you have to go very far out to find a home, or consider only a parking space.

The stark contrast highlights the dramatic erosion of housing affordability in the Catalan capital, where rising demand and limited supply have pushed prices far beyond historical levels.

Garages Now Cost Tens of Thousands

  • The average price of a garage in Barcelona is 17,922 euros, according to 2024 data.
  • In Sarrià - Sant Gervasi, the most expensive district, garages sell for around 20,543 euros.
  • Ciutat Vella saw the largest annual increase in garage prices, up 18.6%, from 16,329 euros in 2023 to 19,358 euros in 2024.

Despite rising interest rates, garages remain a defensive investment for small savers, with prices in Catalunya rising 7.6% in 2023. The average garage in the region sold for 13,523 euros that year, 9.1% more than in 2018.

Where Prices Are Rising Fastest

Les Corts district has seen some of the sharpest housing price increases in the city, up 15% over the past year. Yet within it, La Maternitat i Sant Ramon offers relatively accessible flats: a 100 m² property here averages 479,400 euros, below the district’s overall average of 5,748 euros per square metre.

Barcelona’s overall housing price reached a record 4,700 euros per square metre in the past year, a 12.8% increase. Sant Martí led the rise with a 16.5% jump, while Nou Barris remained the most affordable district at 2,554 euros per square metre.

For renters, 10 municipalities in the Barcelona metropolitan area still report average monthly rents above 1,000 euros, according to the latest Incasòl data.

Residents seeking affordable garages may find better deals in Sants - Montjuïc, where the average price is 16,183 euros, or in Sant Andreu at 16,476 euros, though these remain well above national averages.

While a million euros once bought luxury seafront villas or penthouses, today it secures only a high-quality central apartment, a significant downgrade in value for even the wealthiest buyers.

Reported by Eduardo López Alonso, Núria Casas, 20minutos |, Àlex Rebollo, Francesc Quintana, ocu.org, Adeleke Adewale, elperiodico.com.