The most recent data from Idealista shows that the value of rental homes varies greatly depending on the location of the property. However, the same data indicates that the higher the rent, the less interest from potential tenants. Such is the case with the properties found in Cascais and Loulé, with rents of over two thousand euros per month.

Of the 88 municipalities with a minimum of 35 homes for rent advertised on the idealista platform in 2024, 18 will have homes with an average cost of more than €1,500 per month, making them the least sought after by the platform's users.

Cascais, located in the district of Lisbon, is the Portuguese municipality where renting a house is the most expensive, with rents costing an average of €2,970 per month. The same goes for Loulé, where the average rent is €2,166 per month, ranking 65th in terms of tenant interest.

Also in the Algarve, in third place as the most expensive municipality to rent in, is Portugal's southernmost district capital.

Faro has monthly rents averaging at €1986 per month and ranks 36th as the most sought-after municipality to rent. Portugal's capital, meanwhile, is 10 places below Faro as the most sought-after municipality to rent a house in.

Idealista's data therefore concludes that municipalities with higher rents end up alienating the interest of families looking for a new home to rent. The same study reveals that the 31 municipalities where rents are below one thousand euros per month are among the most sought-after municipalities for renting a home.

Which municipalities are the most popular?

The top 7 of the ranking begins with municipalities located on the outskirts of Lisbon. Moita is the most sought-after municipality for renting a house, with monthly rents averaging 1100€. This is followed by Barreiro, Amadora, Sintra, Loures, Odivelas and Vila Franca de Xira. Seixal is in ninth position in a ranking in which the country's capital is at the bottom of the list.

As for the Porto Metropolitan Area, it is the municipality of Valongo that has the most people interested in renting a house. It occupies eighth place in the ranking, with average monthly rents of €901, according to Idealista. The same study concludes that the city of Porto isn't even in the top 50 of those interested in renting a home, with average rents of €1,327 per month.

According to idealista, the current trend is to look for houses to rent outside the urban centres of Lisbon and Porto. The answer to this phenomenon is explained by the same organisation as the fact that lower rents are found on the outskirts than in the two Portuguese metropolises. However, they consider the rents on the outskirts to be high, due to the effect of the increase in rent prices throughout the country.

The 50 most popular municipalities for renting a house vary greatly in geographical terms, including Aveiro, Braga, Faro, Leiria, Santarém, Vila Real, Castelo Branco, Évora and the island of São Miguel (Azores). Évora, Póvoa de Varzim and Barcelos also appear in the ranking, but in lower positions.