In Spain's richest municipalities, housing prices have risen up to 30% more than incomes over the past year, according to data from the Tax Agency and Idealista. This gap worsens perceptions of inequality, with over half the population feeling social mobility is broken. An Oxfam Intermón survey identifies housing as the main source of inequality in the country.
Pozuelo de Alarcón in Madrid remains the municipality with the highest average gross income in 2023, at 88,011 euros per taxpayer, up 3.2% from the previous year, according to the Tax Agency's IRPF statistics by municipality. However, the price per square meter of housing rose 21.8% over the same period, implying a cost of about 383,600 euros for an 80-square-meter apartment, based on Idealista's Price Index.
The widest gap is in Alcobendas (Madrid), ninth on the richest list, where income fell 0.2% to 60,576 euros, while housing prices surged 31.9%. In Cabrils (Barcelona), income dropped 11.4% to 58,951 euros, against a 10.2% rise in square meter prices, with an 80-square-meter apartment costing around 201,360 euros. Of the 25 richest municipalities, 17 have seen housing prices increase more than incomes, mainly concentrated in Madrid and Barcelona, with only four outside: two in Valencia, one in Alicante, and one in Las Palmas.
This disparity fuels perceptions of inequality. An Oxfam Intermón survey, based on 4,000 interviews, shows 52% believe social mobility is broken and 45% feel affected by the housing crisis. 73% of renters see themselves directly impacted, and fewer than 15% of non-owners think they can buy a home. “In a country where more than 60% of those without property believe they cannot access one, inequality is an everyday reality that has become chronic in the lives of thousands of people,” states Ernesto García López, the report's coordinator.
As of September 2025, 10 of the richest municipalities hit record housing prices, such as Sitges (Barcelona), where an 80-square-meter apartment costs 386,640 euros, equivalent to six or seven years of average gross income. 79% view Spain as unequal, and 40% prioritize housing access as the urgent measure to address it.