Ranked: areas with most expensive housing in Catalonia
Avinguda Pearson, Passeig de Gràcia and Bosch i Gimpera top the list at over €6,700 per square meter
BarcelonaThe district of Pedralbes is the area of Barcelona with the highest housing prices, according to a study made by the real estate agents Engels & Völkers, which has also prepared the ranking of the most expensive streets. A ranking that leads the Avinguda Pearson, in Pedralbes, with a price of over €10,000 per square metre. In second place is Passeig de Gràcia, in the Eixample, with €7,500 per square metre, and in third place is Carrer Bosch i Gimpera, also in Pedralbes.
According to this study, the average sale price in the city of Barcelona is €4,478 per square metre, while the average rental price is €17.70 per square metre per month. But there is a large variation between districts. Thus, Les Corts (€5,381 per square metre), Sarrià-Sant Gervasi (€4,906), Eixample (€4,904), Sant Martí (€4,025) and Gràcia (€4,010) are the districts with the highest prices.
On the other hand, the cheapest districts are Horta-Guinardó (€2,693 per square metre), Nou Barris (€2,880), Sant Andreu (€3,500), Sants-Montjuïc (€3,789) and Ciutat Vella (€3,892).
In the case of rent, however, the order of the districts changes slightly. Thus, the cheapest is Nou Barris, at €8 per square metre per month, followed by Horta-Guinardó (€15.06) and Sant Andreu (€15.17). In the case of the most expensive, the order is the same as when buying, with Les Corts in front with €19.02 per square metre per month.
The return of the domestic buyer
Engels & Völkers also detected a change in buyers as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. Faced with the impossibility of travelling, domestic buyers have taken over from foreigners, according to Oriol Canal, general manager of Engel & Völkers Barcelona. "Despite the fact that the demand for high-end housing has been affected by the decline in investors, the well-located product, with a discount of between 5% and 10%, has been sold to Catalan investors and families who have taken advantage of the drop in prices to buy in their preferred location," he explains.
In addition, the agency has also detected interest among buyers of high-end housing to leave the city. The municipalities most appreciated by these buyers of high purchasing power have been localities such as Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Sant Vicenç de Montalt, Tiana, Castelldefels, Gavà and Sant Cugat del Vallès.