House prices relative to income: Spain 56 percent above 2000 level
An Al Jazeera data analysis based on OECD and Eurostat figures shows how much housing and everyday life have become more expensive in Spain, France, Portugal and Italy since 2000.
Symbolic image · Photo: Luis García (Zaqarbal) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
In Spain, homes are now 56 percent more expensive relative to incomes than in 2000. That is according to a data analysis published by broadcaster Al Jazeera on Oct. 19, 2026, which uses the house price-to-income ratio of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), rebased to the year 2000 (equal to 100). In France the figure is 39 percent above its starting level but has eased slightly since its 2022 peak; in Italy it is only 5 percent higher. Portugal shows a distinctive pattern: there, house prices relative to income fell for about 15 years after 2000, but according to the analysis the ratio has risen 67 percent since 2015.
Consumer prices overall have also risen markedly: according to Eurostat's consumer price index, a basket of goods that cost 100 euros in 2000 now costs about 178 euros in Spain, about 171 in Portugal, 168 in Italy and 159 in France. Real wages developed differently, according to OECD data: between 2000 and 2025 they rose 20 percent in Portugal, 11 percent in France and 7 percent in Spain, while in Italy they fell by almost 5 percent.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.