Inside the vast, intimate countryside of Spain, there is an opportunity to think that the less true it is, the better it seems – the chance to buy an entire village.
As Spain tackles a serious urban housing crisis, thousands of rural villages remain abandoned, offering interesting prospects for those seeking new lives and investments.
Spain's bustling cities are struggling with surges in rent and affordable prices, but the interior of the country talks about something else.
The vast area, often referred to as “Spain in the Sky,” is characterized by declining populations, abandoned homes and vanishing services.
A staggering 3,000 villages across Spain have been completely abandoned, and another 2,000 are on the verge of becoming ghost towns, according to the Spanish municipalities and provincial federations.
Meanwhile, around 5,000 people risk losing the last remaining residents.
This dramatic change is driven primarily by younger generations seeking better job prospects in urban areas. Family departures bring a downward spiral that will close schools, banks and businesses, and push the rest of the residents to move elsewhere.
For those with a pioneering spirit, buying a forgotten pueblo can be an incredibly affordable venture. Spain does not offer the famous 1 euro (80p) house scheme found in Italy, but the entire village can be purchased at a very low price.
One of the most famous platforms for purchasing abandoned villages is the Ardias abandoned, which lists more than 100 villages in areas such as Galicia, Asturia, Castila Y Leon and even Madrid.
Prices range from just 120,000 euros (£99,000) in small settlements to over 2 million euros (£1.65 million) in larger developed regions.
Not all lists labeled “Aldeas” are actually made up of village-wide on Terrenos.es and other ideal platforms for popular property portals.
Foreign investors are already beginning to transform these forgotten places. In early 2024, the Dutch couple purchased Barcena de Breba, an abandoned village of 40 kilometres from Burgos for 339,000 euros.
The purchase includes 62 homes and farms, which has not been mentioned for more than half a century.
Entrepreneurs are also seeing possibilities in these villages, turning them into rural hideouts, sustainable agricultural communities and digital nomadic coworking spaces.
Unlike the short-term rental explosion in Spanish cities that have raised rent prices, these rural investments focus on neglected areas without disrupting the local housing market.
