Thousands marched through Lisbon and dozens of other cities and towns in Portugal on Saturday to protest at the rising cost of housing, in bid to keep up pressure on the government.
The demonstrations began last month as anger over years of rising costs and stagnating incomes bubbled over. Housing prices have risen far quicker than incomes over the past decade, at the fastest rate in the EU, according to official data.
Activists are calling for limits on rent increases, stronger protection from evictions, more public housing and measures to curb speculation in the property market.
On Saturday, protesters in Lisbon marched through the city yelling: “Lower rents, higher salaries.”
Matile Cunha, a 20-year-old arts student, told AFP: “We just want a place where we can study, but you can’t find decent accommodation.
“Prices are at a level that no-one can afford.”
“With the little we earn and the prices of rent, we are the most unequal country in Europe,” said Maite Chaves, a 40-year-old Uruguayan who has lived in Lisbon for 17 years.
The protest movement sprang up after parliament adopted a bill that would speed up the procedure for property-owners to evict tenants.
The government has taken a stern line against tent camps that have sprung up in Lisbon and Porto to protest at the situation, sending in police to forcibly clear them.
Housing prices relative to incomes across Portugal rose 60.8 percent between 2015 and 2025, according to EU data, well ahead of the Netherlands in second place in the EU at 34.3 percent.
The highest spikes were recorded in Lisbon and Porto.
Surging tourism, an increase in foreign buyers, many property owners shifting to short-term rentals, an influx of remote workers and retirees, and lagging housing construction have all contributed to the problem.
The average salary in Portugal is around 2,200 euros a month, according to official statistics.
A one-bedroom apartment in the centre of Lisbon typically costs at least 1,100 euros, according to property agents.
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