Although house rents will continue to rise in 2025 (the price grew by 4.6% at the start of the year), and buying a house has become more attractive with cheaper interest rates and government tax incentives, there is still a high level of interest from families in the rental market. Idealista's most recent data shows that advertisements for houses to rent received an average of 21 contacts in the first quarter of 2025. However, compared to the same period in 2024, the number of contacts for each house for rent advertised fell by 36% (at the time they received 33 contacts on average), which can be explained by the increase in the supply of houses on the rental market.

“The data shows that the pressure for contacts in rental advertisements remains high, even with the slight reduction seen in the first quarter of the year. This doesn't necessarily mean a decrease in demand from families, but rather an increase in the amount of properties available to rent,” explains Ruben Marques, spokesperson for Idealista.

It should be remembered that “in the first quarter of 2025, the supply of homes for rent grew by 49%. Even so, prices remain high and are still unaffordable for a large part of the Portuguese population,” he stresses.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Renda das casas em Portugal
Renting a house: where is the greatest pressure of demand?
The Portuguese city with the most expressions of interest at the beginning of 2025 was Portalegre, with an average of 52 contacts, followed by Santarém (39), Setúbal (31).

Below the average of 30 contacts per advert for houses to rent are Leiria (27), Évora (26), Castelo Branco (26), Faro (26), Bragança (25), Ponta Delgada (24) and Funchal (22). 

The cities of Viseu (19), Lisbon (19), Braga (18), Coimbra (17), Vila Real (17), Aveiro (16) and Guarda (15) received an average of less than 20 contacts per advertisement for homes to rent. 

The cities that received the fewest contacts on average were Beja (11), Porto (12) and Viana do Castelo (12). However, it should be noted that the low number of contacts per house for rent may be related to the greater supply in these markets. In fact, the stock of houses on the rental market rose by 67% in Beja, 71% in Porto and 92% in Viana do Castelo between the first quarter of 2025 and the same period last year.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Renting a home: how do contacts vary by area?
Data from the 1st quarter of 2025
Number of contacts per ad

Table with 2 columns and 20 rows.
District capitals Contacts per ad
Portalegre 52
Santarém 39
Setúbal 31
Leiria 27
Évora 26
Castelo Branco 26
Faro 26
Bragança 25
Ponta Delgada 24
Funchal 22
Viseu 19
Lisbon 19
Braga 18
Vila Real 17
Coimbra 17
Aveiro 16
Guarda 15
Porto 12
Viana do Castelo 12
Beja    
Fewer contacts per rental house in 18 cities
The average number of contacts per advertisement for houses to rent in the first quarter of 2025 fell in 18 district capitals compared to the same period last year. The biggest drops were recorded in Viana do Castelo (-57%), Porto (-48%), Braga (-46%) and Leiria (-44%) 

There was also a decrease in visits to advertisements for houses to rent in Faro (-39%), Coimbra (-37%), Lisbon (-36%), Vila Real (-36%), Bragança (-35%), Aveiro (-34%), Viseu (-33%), Évora (-32%), Beja (-29%), Setúbal (-21%), Santarém (-17%), Guarda (-7%), Funchal (-3%) and Castelo Branco (-1%).

On the other hand, Portalegre saw a 47% increase in the number of contacts for advertisements for houses to rent, making it the district capital with the biggest increase. It was followed by Ponta Delgada, where contacts increased by 4% over the same period. 

Evolution of contacts by advertisement of houses for rent
Variation between the 1st quarter of 2025 and the same period of the previous year (%)

Table with 2 columns and 20 rows.
District capitals Annual change (%)
Viana do Castelo -57%
-57%-57%
Porto -48%
-48%-48%
Braga -46%
-46%-46%
Leiria -44%
-44%-44%
Faro -39%
-39%-39%
Coimbra -37%
-37%-37%
Lisbon -36%
-36%-36%
Vila Real -36%
-36%-36%
Bragança -35%
-35%-35%
Aveiro -34%
-34%-34%
Viseu -33%
-33%-33%
Évora -32%
-32%-32%
Beja -29%
-29%-29%
Setúbal -21%
-21%-21%
Santarém -17%
-17%-17%
Guarda -7%
-7%-7%
Funchal -3%
-3%-3%
Castelo Branco -1%
-1%-1%
Ponta Delgada 4%
4%4%
Portalegre 47%
47%47%