L'Hospitalet de Llobregat tops the list of municipalities where rent has decreased the most in the first half of 2026, with a drop of 254 euros per month. However, the average price remains at 1,428 euros for an 80-square-metre home.
The rent price in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat has experienced a historic decline during the first half of 2026, but this respite does not equate to affordability. According to the Fotocasa Real Estate Index, the city has recorded the largest absolute drop among the 231 municipalities analysed: 254 euros less per month, a 15.1% reduction compared to January. Nevertheless, the average rent for an 80-square-metre home still stands at 1,428 euros.
This figure is significant in a context of widespread increases. Out of the 231 municipalities with comparable data, rent rose or remained stable in 185, and only in 46 locations were decreases recorded. Of these, only in 11 did the drop exceed 100 euros per month. L'Hospitalet leads this select group, followed by Porto do Son (A Coruña) with 213 euros less, and Girona, with 196 euros less.
The decline in L'Hospitalet is the most pronounced in absolute terms and also in percentage, tied with Porto do Son at 15.1%. However, the final price remains high for most budgets. The 1,428 euros per month represents an effort that far exceeds the recommended 30% of income for an average family.
The drop is not an isolated phenomenon in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Esplugues de Llobregat ranks fourth in the list, with a decrease of 172 euros, although its average price is the highest on the list: 1,925 euros. Sabadell also appears, with 136 euros less, bringing it to 1,054 euros. The city of Barcelona closes the top ten with a reduction of 118 euros, now standing at 1,737 euros.
Five of the eleven locations where rent fell by more than 100 euros belong to Catalonia. This concentration is not coincidental. The community has had municipalities declared as areas of tense residential market for over two years, a regime that imposes caps on rents and which the Government has just extended and expanded: from the end of July 2026, the measure affects 302 municipalities, up from the previous 271.
The regulation has moderated the evolution of advertised prices, but with a secondary effect: the supply of long-term rental properties in Catalonia has fallen by 7.65%, leaving fewer than 95,000 homes available across the community for 2026, according to the Rental Barometer for the second quarter prepared by the Rental Observatory. In L'Hospitalet, the most striking case in the ranking, the rental supply has notably decreased, which could partly explain the volatility of prices.
The quarterly increase at the national level was 0.1%, the lowest recorded in that period since 2007. This suggests that the upward trend is moderating, although significant decreases remain the exception. At the opposite end of the ranking is Vila-real (Castellón), with the lowest rent of the eleven: 571 euros per month for an 80-square-metre home.
For tenants in L'Hospitalet, the drop of 254 euros provides relief, but the price is still well above the national average, which Fotocasa placed at 14.79 euros per square metre per month in June. For an 80-square-metre home, the national average would be around 1,183 euros, compared to the 1,428 euros in L'Hospitalet.
The question many are asking is whether the downward trend will continue in the coming months. Experts consulted by the index indicate that price regulation may continue to exert downward pressure, but the reduction in supply could generate upward tensions. For now, L'Hospitalet remains an expensive municipality, albeit somewhat less so than at the beginning of the year.
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