It’s a bit different, Amsterdam and Paris are touristic destinations, but not to the same level as Barcelona.
By absolute numbers, Paris has obviously more visitors (22 millions vs 13 for Barcelona and 10 for Amsterdam), but Paris is much more populated than Barcelona.
Also, the type of tourism is quite different. Amsterdam and Paris are more expensive, while Barcelona is still seen as a cheaper destination, which brings a different type of crowd. On the same topic, the average level of income of the people living in Barcelona is quite lower than people living in Paris or Amsterdam, making it even more difficult for people living in Barcelona to compete against either tourists or “digital nomads” coming here to work without paying taxes locally.
No I get it is not the same but the problems are similar. Too many tourist in a city with too few houses and apartments that are now being used as bnbs.
Yes indeed. I think in Europe the worst is probably Lisbon, that has basically been overrun by foreigners, but that’s a common phenomenon in all major cities.
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.
Did you ask to pay more for rent or a house? Didn’t think so.
Did your landlord/seller raise prices 'cos The Market™ allows them to be greedy bastards? I’d bet so.
Maybe a picture will help: replace “refugees” with wichever group you want to blame for rising prices.
I was ready to pay more as my salary is much higher than an average salary from a local company (and I know, my gf has a local salary).
Remove the higher salaries from a place and rents will drop as nobody can afford higher rents. They did during covid, when a lot of people left Barcelona.
And let’s be honest, I came from a good work situation to another good work situation, my move has nothing to do with being a refugee.
I did know about Lisbon. I remember hearing the Swiss canton of Vaud had around 60% of it’s population was foreigners. Which resulted in the local Swiss no longer being able to afford any form of housing anymore.
It’s a bit different, Amsterdam and Paris are touristic destinations, but not to the same level as Barcelona.
By absolute numbers, Paris has obviously more visitors (22 millions vs 13 for Barcelona and 10 for Amsterdam), but Paris is much more populated than Barcelona.
Also, the type of tourism is quite different. Amsterdam and Paris are more expensive, while Barcelona is still seen as a cheaper destination, which brings a different type of crowd. On the same topic, the average level of income of the people living in Barcelona is quite lower than people living in Paris or Amsterdam, making it even more difficult for people living in Barcelona to compete against either tourists or “digital nomads” coming here to work without paying taxes locally.
Sources
No I get it is not the same but the problems are similar. Too many tourist in a city with too few houses and apartments that are now being used as bnbs.
Yes indeed. I think in Europe the worst is probably Lisbon, that has basically been overrun by foreigners, but that’s a common phenomenon in all major cities.
There, FTFY
Greedy real instate investors bought everything there because there was a demand from non Portuguese people with much higher salaries than the locals.
You don’t see that type of phenomenon in random towns in the Portuguese back country
They bought because there is demand, period. “They” are both foreign and domestic, as are their customers, so stop blaming foreigners.
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.
https://movingmarkets.org/lisbons-housing-crisis-a-capital-transformed-a-city-divided/
Did you ask to pay more for rent or a house? Didn’t think so. Did your landlord/seller raise prices 'cos The Market™ allows them to be greedy bastards? I’d bet so. Maybe a picture will help: replace “refugees” with wichever group you want to blame for rising prices.
I was ready to pay more as my salary is much higher than an average salary from a local company (and I know, my gf has a local salary).
Remove the higher salaries from a place and rents will drop as nobody can afford higher rents. They did during covid, when a lot of people left Barcelona.
And let’s be honest, I came from a good work situation to another good work situation, my move has nothing to do with being a refugee.
I did know about Lisbon. I remember hearing the Swiss canton of Vaud had around 60% of it’s population was foreigners. Which resulted in the local Swiss no longer being able to afford any form of housing anymore.