Elena M. chose to follow a friend’s advice and revise the rent model a few months back, after disagreements over collecting rent for the inherited flat. No longer renting the Barcelona home in Poble Sec for 950 euros, improvements allowed rooms to be rented individually at 600, 500, and 450 euros depending on size, until a total of 1,550 euros per month was reached. The first room went to a friend who managed the property and screened other tenants. This shift signals a broader break from the traditional shared student housing pattern. Market evolution, driven by price shifts or regulatory uncertainty, has pushed many owners and property managers to rent rooms to strangers who will share kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms for medium or long-term stays. In many cases, professional platforms or management companies now oversee the process from start to finish, and with a growing price segment—sometimes reaching around a thousand euros per month for a room in Barcelona—what once felt like a dormitory arrangement increasingly resembles a hotel stay.
increased prices
Non-tourist room rentals attract three primary user groups: students who have lived together during the school year, workers who struggle to find a full apartment despite having jobs due to rising costs, and international students or young professionals arriving for a period. Barcelona remains the dominant location, drawing a diverse audience with varying needs. Advertisers on major portals typically set a low price floor around 300 euros for very decentralized units, rising to about 600 euros in many cases. Fees for professional management and contracts vary by region and conditions. With demand climbing, higher-quality options with more bathrooms are appearing, with examples around 1,400 euros when a few people share a space.
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final report on shared housing shows Barcelona as the most expensive city in Spain for renting a room. The current average sits around 575 euros, up 25% from earlier figures, with some sources noting a 14% price jump and a tightened supply. A separate report from this month indicates Spotahome is breaking regional records for room rates in the Catalan capital, with subscribers averaging more than a month’s rent. In major cities, 606 euros is the typical monthly figure for contract holders.
On current listings this week, portals such as Idealista show that roughly 1,700 of 2,600 city room listings exceed 500 euros. Among these, about 652 are in the 700+ euro range, and only a handful approach a thousand euros. With the new interprofessional minimum wage at 1,080 euros, a room can feel like luxury living for a worker earning around a thousand euros in the city.
Photocasa’s studies director, María Matos, explains the trend: most people sharing apartments in large cities are aged 18 to 35, but as people age, the desire to share for social reasons grows. Sharing helps distribute expenses as rents rise, yet it can curb independence and affect family formation. The typical age of Idealista users looking in Barcelona is around 34.
No-visit and paid reservations
To illustrate the trend, nearly one-third of current listings on the same portal are professionally managed, with logos of companies or platforms appearing in ads in multiple languages. Each platform has its own fee model, ranging from a percentage of rent to a fixed monthly payment. Some stays last several months and attract high turnover. In some cases, platforms directly manage the homes they own; in others, they act as intermediaries, listing rooms across multiple floors at varied price points. Phone contact is often scarce, with most communication conducted by email. Some operators maintain headquarters abroad or in Madrid.
Expanded operators include Smart Living, which began in Madrid and is expanding to Barcelona and Valencia. They describe themselves as specialists in shared flats for students and young professionals, integrating their own portfolios with those of other owners.
Spotahome began as a startup in 2014 and now functions as a rental marketplace for non-tourist stays, offering thousands of room options in Barcelona with instant online rental and no mandatory in-person visits. A guarantee that photos reflect reality helps prevent scams, according to a responsible company representative. They are broadening services to assist individuals who market an entire house by rooms or just one room, and to support owners, including property managers with a property portfolio. Owners determine price, length of stay, and terms. The platform promises owners maximum profitability through continuous occupancy and recurring income, contrasting with tourism-sector gaps during off-peak times.
From tourist business to temporary for individual rooms
Some aspects echo the early days of tourist-oriented housing. Nearly two decades ago, early owners pioneered housing for day travelers, a model that proved lucrative until regulation halted unfettered licenses. The city council has since fought illegal operations, with more than 9,000 licensees continuing to generate value for property owners. Once it became clear that renting a house or a room for less than a month could be treated as tourism, many shifted to temporary arrangements lasting longer than a month but typically under a year. The appeal lay in freer, more profitable demand from foreign business travelers, provided there were no price caps or tenant defaults. The current shift is toward smaller units—rooms designed with nearly hotel-like efficiency in professional settings.