The housing problem in Spain affects not only young people but also adults who are working and even retirees. It is already known that paying mortgages is often inaccessible to older people, because they ask for savings that they do not always have. But in the case of rent, the skyrocketing monthly payments mean that many retirees have to live with their children and even, share a flat or rent rooms.
This is the case of Flora Ropero who in the program ‘Directo al Grano’ has explained what her situation is and why it is increasingly difficult for her to make ends meet. He is receiving a pension of 900 euros, and has to live with a friend since You cannot afford to rent an apartment, much less buy one..
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Social Security will lower the retirement pension by filling in with only 50% of the minimum base the months in which contributions have not been made starting from the fourth year of the legal vacuum.
Retirees who will collect 5,822.04 euros this November from Social Security
During his intervention on the television program, collected by The Spanishassures that “the rent for this apartment costs 839 euros and I more or less receive 900 euros in pension, it is very fair for me not to say that it is impossible to live like this.”
That is why he is considering leaving the Balearic Islands, which is where he lives, to the Peninsula “if there is no other option” since he understands that he would pay less as it is the cheapest home.
Jorge, 73, shares a flat with “three other grandparents”
Another of the testimonies collected by the Gonzalo Miró program reflects the reality of Jorge, 73 years old, who assures that “I live with three other grandparents” since “getting a more or less reasonable rent is almost impossible.”
Because the reality is that the retirement pensions that many seniors receive are ridiculous next to the high price of rents. In large cities like Madrid or Barcelona, they ask for up to 2,200 euros in rent according to data from several real estate portals, including Idealista.
Then, the data from the INE (National Institute of Statistics) reflects the increase in the price of housing, which has risen by 12.7% in 2024 to reach an average of 2,093 euros per square meter, the highest amount since 2008.
Many choose to return to ‘university life’ and among those over 40 it is increasingly common to find shared apartments. Data from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda reveal that the average age of those who decide to share a flat has increased by 63% in 5 years.
The average retirement pension is 1,500 euros per month
The average retirement pension, according to the latest data published by Social Security for the month of November, is 1,510 euros per month, showing an increase of 4.3% when compared to that of 2024.
These are the official data that can be check this link where it is also reflected that the average pension (the one that is not retirement) is 1,315.3 euros per month. Then, there are the Coal Mining retirees who receive an average of 2,909 euros per month or 1,672.8 euros in the case of Sea Workers.
The average widow’s pension in Spain is 936.7 euros per month and is the main income for 1.5 million people, 95.7% of whom are women.