Buying a home outside of Madrid or Barcelona no longer guarantees finding contained prices. The increase is spreading to their metropolitan areas and to medium-sized cities, where some buyers are looking for alternatives to the prices of the large capitals.
The latest IMIE Local Markets report from Tinsa shows that 50 of the 84 municipalities analyzed recorded increases greater than 10% year-on-year during the second quarter of 2026. In Spain, the price of new and used housing increased by 15.2% in that period.
Torrejón, Viladecans, and Talavera, among the largest increases
In Torrejón de Ardoz, the price of housing increased by 32.6% in one year, the largest increase among the municipalities analyzed. It is followed by Viladecans, with 26.7%, Sagunto, with 23.1%, and Talavera de la Reina, with 20.7%.
The phenomenon is also noticeable in the Madrid area. Fuenlabrada, Parla, Coslada, Alcorcón, and Móstoles record increases of between 15% and 20%, according to Tinsa. In Barcelona, in addition to Viladecans, municipalities like Montcada i Reixac, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Ripollet, Rubí, and Sabadell exceed 10%.
Moving away from the capital no longer always means paying less
The price difference with the large cities continues to be significant in some municipalities, but it is decreasing. In Madrid, for example, Parla registers a value of 2,209 euros per square meter, while Pozuelo de Alarcón reaches 4,734 euros, above many areas of the capital.
In Barcelona, something similar happens: Sant Cugat del Vallès even exceeds the price of the city, while Castelldefels reaches 4,033 euros per square meter. The periphery, therefore, offers very different markets from each other: from towns that are still more affordable to municipalities where the real estate pressure is already approaching that of the large capitals.
The movement of buyers towards these areas is related to the increase in the main employment hubs. According to Cristina Arias, director of Studies at Tinsa by Accumin, part of the residential demand from large cities has shifted to metropolitan areas due to the high prices of urban centers.