Renting a house in Portugal now has a median cost of 16.4 euros per square meter (euros/m2) at the end of January, reveals the idealista price index. In relation to the quarterly variation, house rents rose 2.1%.

House rents increased in practically all 13 district capitals analysed (and which have representative samples). The only exception is Leiria, where the cost of rent became 4.7% cheaper in one year.

The biggest increases in the prices of houses for rent were observed in Santarém (14.8%), Braga (10.2%), Funchal (8.7%) and Viana do Castelo (7.6%). Increases in income were also recorded in Setúbal (5.6%), Viseu (5.6%), Porto (5.4%), Faro (4.3%), Castelo Branco (3.2%), Coimbra (2.8%), Aveiro (2.7%) and Lisbon (2.4%).

Lisbon continues to be the city where it is most expensive to rent a house: 21.9 euros/m2. Porto (17.8 euros/m2) and Funchal (15.8 euros/m2) occupy second and third places, respectively. Next come Faro (13.5 euros/m2), Setúbal (12.4 euros/m2), Aveiro (11.3 euros/m2), Coimbra (11.3 euros/m2), Braga (9.9 euros / m2), Santarém (8.8 euros/m2) and Viana do Castelo (8.5 euros/m2).

The most economical cities to rent a house in our country are Castelo Branco (6.9 euros/m2), Viseu (7.4 euros/m2) and Leiria (8 euros/m2).