Average rent now swallows 98.7% of young workers’ pay for one-person flats in Spain

By Lucia Blasco Published on 22/05/2026 - 18:45 GMT+2•Updated 20:32 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

The youth emancipation rate fell to 14.5% in 2025, the worst figure on record, says Spain's Youth Council, adding that a young person must spend almost all their wages to rent a home alone.

The housing access crisis continues to push young people in Spain further away from the possibility of living independently. The youth emancipation rate fell in 2025 to 14.5% of 16- to 29-year-olds, the lowest level since comparable records began, according to the latest data from the Emancipation Observatory of the Spanish Youth Council (CJE).

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The report (source in Spanish), published on Friday, notes that a young employee would have to allocate 98.7% of their net salary to rent a home on their own in Spain. The estimated average age for leaving home is now over 30.

It also highlights that the difficulty of accessing housing is currently one of the main factors behind youth impoverishment in Spain: "Among young people who rent, the risk of poverty rises from 25.9% before paying for housing to 43% afterwards."

"For young people, moving out means becoming poorer," says Andrea Henry, president of the CJE. "The labour market and the housing market no longer speak the same language for young people," Henry warns.

According to data from the Observatory, the average net salary of a young person is around 1,190 euros a month, while the average rent for a home has reached 1,176 euros. The CJE warns that access to housing has become "one of the main drivers of inequality" between generations.

The organisation argues that the problem no longer affects only those who are unemployed or in situations of exclusion, but also part of the young working population. "Even when they are working, a huge proportion of young people cannot build an independent life without falling into precariousness, over-indebtedness or dependence on their families," the report notes.

Flat-sharing is not affordable either

Rising housing costs are also driving room rentals and shared arrangements as an alternative for those who cannot afford the cost of living alone. However, the Youth Council warns that sharing a flat does not guarantee affordable conditions in many cities either, and accounts for 33.6% of the average salary.

The report also stresses that financial support from families is increasingly what makes the difference between those who can move out and those who cannot, in a context in which buying a home remains out of reach for a large proportion of young people.

The Spanish Youth Council is calling for public measures to expand the supply of affordable housing and to make it easier for young people to access decent housing. "The problem is structural and is having serious consequences for an entire generation," it warns.

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