pics

I am myself a foreigner in Barcelona, and I'm well aware that me coming here pushes out local people out of the city.

Not sure why you're so defensive about it, is it a widely documented phenomenon.

Over the past decade, Lisbon has undergone a startling metamorphosis, shifting from one of Europe’s most affordable capitals to its most unaffordable. This dramatic change is evident in the skyrocketing house prices, which surged by 176% across the city between 2014 and 2024 and by over 200% in its historic central districts. Today, Lisbon leads Europe’s housing unaffordability rankings, a stark reflection of its home price-to-income ratio. This trend isn’t confined to the capital; nationally, Portugal has plummeted from 22nd out of 27 EU countries for housing unaffordability in 2015 to first place today. For a country where 60% of taxpayers earn less than €1,000 per month, securing a rental in Lisbon below that price is only feasible if one is willing to occupy 20 square metres or less.

Simultaneously, both the hotel industry and the short-term rental sector received significant promotion, alongside initiatives designed to attract tourists, digital nomads, international students, and transient young professionals. The impact on Lisbon’s historic centre has been dramatic, with half of all homes now holding a short-term rental licence, a figure that escalates to 70 out of every 100 in the most tourist-saturated areas. Compared to the city’s population, Lisbon’s short-term rental density is six times higher than Barcelona’s and 3.5 times higher than London’s. Furthermore, the number of hotels in the city has tripled since 2010, rising from approximately 100 to 300, with plans for around 50 more already approved by the city council. This phenomenon is not unique to Lisbon, playing out across other European cities, particularly in Southern Europe, where residents are increasingly pushing back through protests.

https://movingmarkets.org/lisbons-housing-crisis-a-capital-transformed-a-city-divided/