Search for houses for sale expands beyond the outskirts of Lisbon

Lisbon is the city of opportunities, where there are more jobs, healthcare services, education, and cultural activities in Portugal. But living in the capital has become a challenge due to the high housing prices, making it the main face of the housing access crisis in the country. That’s why the municipalities surrounding Lisbon continue to lead in house-hunting demand, offering the best of both worlds: proximity to the capital and homes for sale at more affordable prices. And the radius of house-hunting in the suburbs seems to be expanding even further, with municipalities in Leiria gaining prominence.

idealista/news analyzed the 50 most sought-after municipalities for buying a home in Portugal during the second quarter of 2025. Once again, it’s clear that the municipalities in Greater Lisbon lead the list – with 12 municipalities in the capital district and eight in Setúbal, totaling 20. The top 10 positions are entirely occupied by municipalities in Lisbon’s periphery, where housing prices are more accessible.

The most sought-after municipality of all to buy a home is Moita, in the district of Setúbal, followed by Amadora, Alenquer, Vila Franca de Xira, and Sintra (all within the Lisbon region), according to data from idealista/data for the second quarter of 2025. Lisbon itself ranks 12th in terms of buyer interest.

Only after that does housing demand begin to spread more widely across Portuguese territory. In 13th place appears the first municipality from the Porto district: Paredes. Apart from this one, the Porto area includes only five other municipalities among the most searched: Valongo, Maia, Gondomar, Matosinhos, and Vila do Conde. The city of Porto is not in this top 50 list of most sought-after municipalities to buy a house, ranking instead at 59th.

Buying a House in Portugal: The 50 Most Searched Municipalities

Data from Q2 2025

Faro is also absent from this housing demand ranking. In fact, there are only four municipalities in the Algarve on the list, mostly toward the bottom: Vila Real de Santo António (24th), Portimão (38th), Tavira (47th), and Albufeira (50th). This is unsurprising, given that the median home prices exceed €400,000 in all four.

On the other hand, the district of Leiria – located less than two hours from Lisbon – is standing out, with seven municipalities among the most sought-after for home buying: Caldas da Rainha, Peniche, Marinha Grande, Leiria, Pombal, Alcobaça, and Óbidos. Leiria is actually the third district with the most municipalities in the top 50, behind only Lisbon and Setúbal. Remote work, proximity to the capital, and lower house prices help explain the growing interest in this coastal western region.

Recent data from idealista/data suggest that the trend of searching for homes in the outskirts of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro continues to gain relevance and breadth in the first half of 2025, as these areas offer more affordable housing prices than urban centers (although prices tend to rise due to contagion effects).

Buying Cheaper Homes

Leiria municipalities stand out in house-hunting rankings
Photo credit: CC_by-sa_2.0_by_vitor_oliveira

How Do House Prices Vary in the Most Sought-After Municipalities?

The 50 most searched municipalities for buying a home in Portugal this spring show very different price levels: starting at around €150,000 in Castelo Branco (which is still the 41st most sought-after municipality) and exceeding €1.3 million in Cascais, the most expensive municipality of all, which ranks 28th in terms of interest among families and investors.

The vast majority have homes for sale above €300,000 – totaling 37 municipalities. Besides Cascais, there are seven other municipalities where the median home price exceeds €500,000: Oeiras, Lisbon, Albufeira, Óbidos, Mafra, Sintra, and Tavira.

Out of the 25 most expensive municipalities, 11 are in the bottom half of the demand ranking, indicating lower interest in high-priced homes. Albufeira, for example, in the Faro district, was the least searched in the top 50, with a median housing price of around €655,000. Tavira is another example, being the 8th most expensive (with a price of €520,000) and ranking 47th in demand.

On the other hand, Moita and Alenquer are the most affordable municipalities to buy a home in Greater Lisbon (€248,000 and €265,000, respectively). And in the district of Leiria – a hotspot in current housing searches – the median home prices are below €350,000 in all municipalities, except Caldas da Rainha (€395,000) and Óbidos (€626,000).

Most Expensive Municipalities (Among the 50 Most Searched)

Data from Q2 2025 – Median Home Prices (in euros)

Methodology

We calculated the ranking of the most searched municipalities during the second quarter of 2025, among those that had more than 500 listings of homes for sale on idealista (Southern Europe’s real estate marketplace). Then, we analyzed the median home prices for the 50 most sought-after municipalities in Portugal.

Using user behavior data from idealista, we collected the demand pressure indicator relative to supply. This indicator is based on the number of leads (contacts via email, offers submitted, and homes added to favorites) per listing on idealista. Leads reflect user demand, while the number of listings measures the available housing supply on the platform. This way, the indicator summarizes the pressure of demand for homes for sale versus supply in each Portuguese municipality, thus helping to identify overheated or cooled housing markets depending on whether relative demand is high or low.