Shared rooms in Palma: Scarcity and higher prices (Q3 2025 figures)

Shared rooms in Palma: More supply, but higher costs

For several months, street chatter has been repeating the same plea: a room, please, affordable. The reality in Palma is more complicated than the glossy photos. In the third quarter of 2025, the number of individually rented rooms has risen noticeably, while prices continue to climb.

The hard numbers

In Palma, the average price for a shared room is currently 510 euros per month. This is about 2% higher than a year ago. By comparison, across Spain, renters pay on average around 405 euros. Only Barcelona (about 600 euros) and Madrid (about 550 euros) are more expensive.

Interestingly: The supply of rooms increased in the same period by around 28%. One might think more supply should push prices down—but it does not. Demand in Palma is even slightly lower, roughly by 2%, while it rose elsewhere in Spain.

Why this is so

In short: Many owners see room rentals as a chance to offset the higher housing costs. I almost daily meet people in cafés on Passeig Mallorca who tell me how friends have a room available — or how they themselves have three listings running at once to cobble together a deposit.

In several provincial capitals, listings exploded: Castellón de la Plana reports increases of over 115%, Teruel about 88%, Badajoz around 85%. This shows the phenomenon is not a Palma-only problem, but part of a nationwide trend.

What this means for tenants

For students and young professionals, that means: decide quickly, compromise, or keep searching. Some flat-share prospects today arrive at 6 PM for viewings at Plaça Major, because previous tenants bail after three days. Others pay more for location than for space — centrality costs.

The city government is discussing measures and information campaigns to create transparency and prevent abuse. Concrete decisions are still pending. In the meantime, many are seeking creative solutions: longer co-tenant contracts, subletting for a semester, or sharing utility bills via an app.

Short note

The figures show: more rooms do not automatically mean relief. If you are currently looking for housing in Palma, you should compare prices, ask well, and, if necessary, consider a room a bit further out — the S-Bahn to work is inconvenient, but sometimes cheaper.

A neighborhood tip: When viewing, specifically ask about utilities, internet, and security-deposit rules. This often saves trouble later.