Madrid has once again topped the list of Spanish cities with the highest demand pressure relative to supply in the first quarter of 2026, according to a study by Idealista.
The research analyses how many homes were for sale between January and March compared to the number of buyers looking.
If an area has a high demand pressure, it means there are lots of buyers competing for relatively few available properties.
This creates a ‘pressure cooker’ effect in the housing market and typically leads to faster sales, more competition among buyers and upward pressure on prices.
According to the study by Idealista, Madrid is followed by Zaragoza and Valencia, although the early months of 2026 have seen significant shifts in the rankings.
Hospitalet de Llobregat and Valladolid have climbed the list, now surpassing Barcelona and Vitoria thanks to more affordable average housing prices.
The national top 10 is completed by Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Sevilla in Andalucia and A Coruña.
The relative demand ranking includes housing markets with more than 1,300 listings published between January and March.
Madrid stands out as the leading city despite average home prices exceeding €608,000.
Following Spain’s capital are Zaragoza, with average prices near €235,000; Valencia, averaging €323,000; and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where prices hover around €302,000.
The fifth municipality on the list is Barcelona’s L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, where average home prices fall below €196,000, followed by Valladolid at €232,000.
These more affordable prices have allowed them to overtake two Spanish capitals with the highest housing costs: Barcelona, averaging over €428,000, and Vitoria, where homes approach €320,000 on average.
The data shows that demand is soaring in more affordable areas and people are being pushed out of hot markets.
Andalucian cities feature prominently
Sevilla, where the average price is €278,000, ranks ninth on the national pressure ranking, highlighting strong demand in Andalucia’s capital.
The region features prominently throughout the rankings, with Almeria appearing at 17th place with notably affordable prices averaging €187,471.
Further down the list, Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) appears at 26th position, with prices averaging €234,236, demonstrating sustained demand across Andalucian markets.
Alicante province dominates
Alicante emerges as the province with the most municipalities showing high demand pressure, with 16 of the 84 ranked localities.
Beyond the capital, the list includes Elche, Santa Pola, Denia, Benidorm, Torrevieja, Altea, Javea, and Calpe.
Malaga follows with nine municipalities (including the capital, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Mijas, Fuengirola, Estepona, Manilva, Marbella, and Benahavis), while Barcelona and Murcia each contribute six localities.
Cadiz rounds out the Andalucian presence with five municipalities: the capital, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Chiclana, and Sotogrande.
Luxury markets
Regarding housing prices, Benahavis (Malaga) tops the classification with an average of €2.4 million, followed by neighbouring Marbella at €1.77 million and Calvia (Balearics) at €1.74 million.
Sotogrande (Cadiz) also exceeds €1.7 million, while Altea (Alicante) completes the top 5 with €1.22million average prices.
Below the million-euro mark, Javea (Alicante) averages nearly €985,000, followed by Palma de Mallorca (€806,000), Estepona (Malaga) at almost €796,000, and Adeje (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) averaging around €760,000.
The remaining localities register average prices below €700,000, with Roquetas de Mar (Almeria), Jaen, and Lleida as the most affordable high-demand cities, with averages below €180,000 in the first quarter of 2026.
