The Imovirtual Semiannual Study evaluated the Portuguese real estate market between April and June 2026, demonstrating demand for coastal housing; however, the same study reports that the interior "continues to assert itself as a relevant alternative for many buyers, especially due to the greater accessibility of prices."

During the quarter, demand proved to be more consistent in the interior, as revealed by the same study. The document shows that "while in June the coast registered a 25.3% drop compared to April, in the interior this reduction was less pronounced (21.2%), reflecting a less significant slowdown in demand in these markets."

Demand hubs

Even though demand in the interior is growing, "the coast continues to concentrate the main demand hubs." The Imovirtual study says that “Lisbon represents 22.9% of all searches carried out in the country, followed by Porto (20.2%) and Setúbal (10.4%), which together represent more than half of the national demand.”

In the case of the interior, Santarém continues to stand out, “concentrating 37.1% of the demand in this region, benefiting from its proximity to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the search for more affordable alternatives.”

Price difference

Regarding prices, “the difference between the coast and the interior remains significant.” Imovirtual reveals that the average price sought “is around €260,000 on the coast and €155,000 in the interior, a difference of €105,000, equivalent to the average value of a property in districts such as Bragança or Guarda.”

On the coast, Madeira has the highest average price sought, reaching €360,000, followed by Lisbon (€325,000) and Setúbal and Faro, both at €300,000. Inland, Évora and Santarém have the highest prices (€2,000,000), "while Bragança continues to have the lowest average price sought in the country (€120,000)."

Price evolution

Differences in the evolution of prices sought between the coast and the interior are also demonstrated in the study. In inland districts there was an increase in prices, such as "in Castelo Branco (+16.7%), Beja (+9.0%), Portalegre (+7.7%), Bragança (+6.7%) and Guarda (+6.2%)", where buyers started looking for "properties at higher price levels." The opposite was recorded on the coast, namely in “Lisbon (-5.9%), Madeira (-6.7%) and the Azores (-13.0%),” which showed a reduction in the values ​​searched.

Portuguese buyer

The study also shows that “the Portuguese buyer continues to be clearly oriented towards family homes.” Currently, the demand for houses focuses above all on houses with four bedrooms (33.5%), and properties with three bedrooms (31.9%), “which means that these two types account for about 65% of searches carried out on Imovirtual.”

The trend becomes even more evident when evaluating the inland market, where “T4S are the most sought-after type in all districts analysed, while on the coast only Porto and Braga show T3S as the first choice.” Imovirtual mentions that the price difference may be the basis of these data. On the one hand, “a T4 has a median price of €310,000 on the coast, while inland this value drops to €195,000.” For example, in Bragança, “a T4 has an average asking price of only €138,750, less than half the value recorded in several coastal markets.”

Growing against the trend

It was also noted that some municipalities went against the national trend. For example, “inland, Miranda do Douro leads with a growth in demand of 87.9%, followed by Macedo de Cavaleiros (+39.3%), Vouzela (+27.3%), Celorico da Beira (+24.1%) and Portalegre (+15.7%).” On the coast, highlights include “Paredes de Coura (+63.0%), Pampilhosa da Serra (+30.0%), Pedrógão Grande (+22.9%), Estarreja (+16.5%) and Albufeira (+15.2%), the latter being the municipality with the highest absolute growth in demand during the analysed period.”

Market concentrated on the coast

Quoted in the press release sent to The Portugal News, Sylvia Bozzo, Marketing Manager of Imovirtual, informs that “the study confirms that we continue to have a market strongly concentrated on the coast, but it also shows that the interior is far from being a homogeneous reality. There are territories that are consistently gaining dynamism, driven by buyers seeking more space, more affordable prices, and a better balance between quality of life and financial capacity. It is a gradual evolution, but one that deserves to be followed because it can influence how the Portuguese real estate market evolves in the coming years.”

The Imovirtual study confirmed the trend in the Portuguese real estate market, with demand concentrated primarily on the coast, "but also showing signs of transformation in the geography of housing."