TodoAlicante reports that asking rents in Idealista listings in Alicante differ markedly from the upper limit of the range set by the Sistema Estatal de Referencia de Precios de Alquiler de Vivienda (the state rental reference price system). Depending on the district, the gap reaches €593 a month. The comparison is based on September 2026 data and on homes with equivalent characteristics.
The biggest gap is in Los Ángeles. There the market reference price is €1,100 a month, against an upper limit of €506.61 in the state range, a difference of €593.39 a month. If that gap held for a full year, it would come to more than €7,100. In Virgen del Remedio-Juan XXIII the difference is €486 (€890 against €404), and in Parque Avenidas-Vistahermosa it is €479.03 (€1,480 against €1,000.97).
In Playa de San Juan-El Cabo the gap is €447.78 (€1,350 against €902.22), and in Benalúa-La Florida-Babel-San Gabriel it is €390.34 (€1,000 against €609.66). In Centro it is smaller, at €204.68 (€1,200 against €995.32). According to the outlet's infographic, Idealista prices are on average 55% higher than the state index.
The biggest gap does not necessarily fall in the most expensive areas: the market price in Los Ángeles is lower than in Playa de San Juan, yet its difference from the state maximum is larger. The comparison sets prices of flats listed on Idealista against the ranges of the state system, but the two sources measure different things. The state system gives a reference range calculated from statistical data and the characteristics of the property, while listings show the prices being asked for homes available at a given moment. The article does not explain how the market reference price was calculated.
Iván Payá Sastre, professor of economics at the University of Alicante and co-director of the International Housing Observatory, says portal listings do not necessarily reflect the whole market. In his estimate, homes on Idealista are usually dearer than the provincial average and slightly dearer than on other portals. Ministry statistics, he says, may reflect the latest market movements with some delay, but the state sample is wider.
Payá Sastre regards Alicante as one of the most dynamic property markets in Spain, with rising prices linked to new households forming faster than new homes are built. Among the factors behind demand he names people moving in from elsewhere for work and an inflow of people from other European countries. He says the growth in tourist accommodation reduces the supply of homes for long-term rental. He adds that a similar situation is seen in other parts of Spain with intense economic and tourist activity, such as Madrid and a number of coastal municipalities.