The municipalities in the Greater Lisbon area lead the list of the most sought-after locations for home purchases, according to a study by idealista. The most in-demand municipality is Moita in the Setúbal district, followed by Amadora, Alenquer, Vila Franca de Xira, and Sintra, all in the Lisbon district.
“The top 10 positions are occupied by peripheral municipalities around Lisbon, where housing prices are more affordable,” states a communiqué from Notícias ao Minuto.
It is also noted that “Lisbon appears only in the 12th position among the municipalities that generate the most interest from buyers.”
“Only from there does the search for houses for sale start to spread more across the Portuguese territory. It is in the 13th position that the first municipality from the Porto district appears: Paredes. Besides this one, the Porto area has only five other municipalities among the most searched: Valongo, Maia, Gondomar, Matosinhos, and Vila do Conde. The city of Porto is outside this top 50 of the most sought-after municipalities for buying a home, ranking 59th,” reveals idealista’s analysis.
And in Porto?
The first municipality from the Porto district to appear on the list is Paredes, in the 13th position, according to the real estate platform.
“Besides this one, only five other municipalities in the Porto Metropolitan Area appear among the most searched: Valongo, Maia, Gondomar, Matosinhos, and Vila do Conde,” adds the released note.
The “Leiria district — located less than two hours from Lisbon — also stands out, with seven municipalities among the most sought after for housing acquisition: Caldas da Rainha, Peniche, Marinha Grande, Leiria, Pombal, Alcobaça, and Óbidos.”
“The data indicates that the trend of seeking housing in the peripheral municipalities of the Lisbon, Porto, and Faro metropolitan areas continues to intensify, gaining more relevance and scope,” concludes the platform.
How do house prices vary in the most sought-after municipalities?
According to idealista, house prices in the 50 most sought-after municipalities for purchase in Portugal vary significantly, ranging from about 150,000 euros in Castelo Branco to more than 1.3 million euros in Cascais.
“A significant part of these municipalities, specifically 37, has median house prices above 300,000 euros, with Cascais, Oeiras, Lisbon, Albufeira, Óbidos, Mafra, Sintra, and Tavira having median prices exceeding 500,000 euros,” the note reads.
It is also highlighted that “11 of the 25 most expensive municipalities only appear in the second half of the demand ranking, indicating that high prices do not necessarily translate into greater buyer interest.”
“Moita and Alenquer stand out in Greater Lisbon for having the cheapest houses, with median prices of 248,000 and 265,000 euros, respectively,” it is mentioned.
Furthermore, “in the Leiria district, all municipalities — except for Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos — have median housing prices below 350,000 euros, revealing the region as more affordable housing territory.”
