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One-bedroom flats gain ground in Barcelona’s new-build market
One-bedroom flats are no longer a rarity in new-build developments in Barcelona. Nearly one in three new construction or full-refurbishment developments already includes this type, with prices starting at around 242,000 euros and able to exceed a million by a wide margin in the most exclusive projects.
The change responds to a city with increasingly smaller households and tighter budgets. Living alone, as a couple or without needing three bedrooms is prompting developers to set aside part of their projects for compact homes, especially in areas where every square metre comes at a high cost.
The supply is now spread across much of the city. In Roquetes, new units can still be found at around €250,000, while Marina del Prat Vermell has become one of the areas with the greatest concentration of one-bedroom developments, with prices starting at approximately €276,000.
Options also appear in Ciutat Vella. In the Gòtic, some homes are priced at around €285,000, although more central refurbishments can raise the price considerably even for inward-facing flats. Horta-Guinardó and Sant Andreu offer a middle range, with transactions roughly between €320,000 and €400,000.
The jump becomes much more evident closer to the centre. In Eixample, a one-bedroom home of around 69 square metres with a terrace can reach €590,000, while in Gràcia a new flat with these characteristics is already around half a million in some developments.
Prices soar in the luxury segment. A penthouse of just over 50 square metres on Consell de Cent can exceed €600,000, and certain high-end projects in Gràcia or near the Fòrum offer one-bedroom homes above €1 million. In those cases, the price also includes terraces, communal areas, services and particularly sought-after locations.
For developers, reducing the number of bedrooms makes it possible to adjust the total price without giving up areas where the square metre is expensive. For the buyer, however, the entry price remains high: the flat may be smaller, but that does not necessarily mean it is cheap.
This leaves a Barcelona where new housing is beginning to resemble the people who live in it more closely. Fewer large families, more one-person households and prices that penalise every extra metre are changing developments from Nou Barris to Eixample. The question is no longer only how many rooms a home needs, but how much space someone who wants to buy it can really afford.