Protected housing is more expensive than existing homes in only four provinces, Ministry data show

Protected housing has a higher average value than existing homes on the open market in four provinces, not 14, according to a provincial comparison by the Ministry’s Housing and Land Observatory for the first quarter of 2026. The provinces are Jaén, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and León.

The figures show average valuation values, so they do not necessarily compare flats with the same location, floor area or features. They do not mean that a particular protected home costs more than a similar home on the open market.

In Alicante, the benchmark value for an 80-square-metre home was €91,720 in the protected sector and €157,866 for an existing home on the open market. The former figure is 41.9% lower. In Valencia, the difference between the two average values was 39.7%.

Across Spain, the average value was €1,222 per square metre for protected housing and €2,304 for existing homes on the open market. For an 80-square-metre flat, that is equivalent to €97,760 and €184,320 respectively.

The relationship is reversed in the four provinces mentioned: the value of protected housing is 28.9% higher than that of existing homes on the open market in Jaén, 25.1% higher in Ciudad Real, 13.4% higher in Cuenca and 2.9% higher in León.

Issue 57 of the Observatory’s bulletin, published on 22 July 2026 and covering the first quarter, puts the average difference between existing homes on the open market and protected housing at 46.9%. In the first quarter of 2018, it was 27.6%. In the same period in 2026, 5,215 protected homes were completed, 74.9% more than a year earlier, according to figures released by the Government.

Article produced by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, using public sources.