How can you tell if a rent in Madrid is too high?
Compare it with what tenants who already rent in the same area pay: the contracts declared to the tax authority that Spain’s Ministry of Housing publishes as the SERPAVI reference index. That reference is adjusted for the size of the home; the contracts date from 2024 and rents have risen since.
The tool is in Spanish. It takes about a minute, it is free and you do not need to register.
Check a rent (in Spanish, 1 minute)Tip: Chrome, Safari and Edge can translate the tool into English automatically.
What do you need to compare?
Three details are enough: the area, the size in square metres and the type of home. The area matters because rents change a lot from one street to the next. The size matters because small flats usually cost more per square metre.
The type of home counts too: a flat, a house and a room are not compared with each other. With the exact address, the flat is placed in its census section, the smallest unit of the reference.
If you doubt any of these details, check the listing or your contract: the size and the type of home are written there.
Why are other listings not enough?
Listings show what is asked now, not what ends up being signed. They can come down, be negotiated or stay online for months. Each portal also has its own sample of flats.
A similar flat on another street can be advertised at a different price without saying anything about yours.
Contracts in force measure something else: what people who already live there pay. Both figures are useful, but they answer different questions and are not mixed.
How do you check it in one minute?
Type the address, the monthly price and the size, and choose whether it is your rent or a listing. The tool answers with one word and a bar showing where the price falls.
Example (hypothetical): a 70 m² flat in an imaginary area where the lower end of what tenants already pay is €700 and the upper end €900. For an excellent flat, the margin would reach €1,050
| Price per month | Result |
|---|---|
| €650 | POR DEBAJO (below) |
| €800 | DENTRO (inside) |
| €950 | ALGO POR ENCIMA (a bit above) |
| €1,150 | POR ENCIMA (above) |
What can you do with the result?
If you are looking for a flat, use it to decide whether to negotiate or keep searching. You can ask the landlord to explain the difference, for example what the price includes. If you already rent, it shows where you stand against your area.
“Inside” means your price is between the lower and the upper end of what tenants there pay. “Above” is a reason to ask why: there may be one, such as an excellent flat or a recent renovation.
The result is an independent estimate. The official value is the one at SERPAVI (serpavi.mivau.gob.es), which you can look up with the details of the home.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tell me if I pay too much?
No. It tells you where your price falls against what tenants who already rent in your area pay, not whether the price is adequate.
Does it work for any neighbourhood in Madrid?
It works for the city of Madrid, where there is enough data. If an area has very few contracts, we say so instead of giving a figure.
Do I need to register?
No. It is free. The address is sent to our server to locate the flat and is not stored.
What data does it use?
The 2024 contracts from the Ministry of Housing, as published by SERPAVI. Rents have risen since.