Average rental prices in Portugal fell by 1.2% in March compared to the same month in 2025, reaching 16.4 euros per square metre by the end of the month, according to the idealista index released this Thursday, 2 March. This marks a sequence of declines over the last three months, following drops of 1.9% in January and 1.4% in February. The trend was mixed across urban areas, with prices rising in 12 of the 16 district capitals and autonomous regions, remaining stable in Lisbon (-0.1%) and falling in Porto (-4%), Viseu (-3.9%) and Braga (-3.2%). The largest annual increases in capitals were seen in Bragança (+23.2%), Viana do Castelo (+15.2%) and Setúbal (+12.2%). By district and island, 14 of the 20 territories recorded increases, with a notable rise in Bragança (+47.3%), followed by Beja (+15.3%) and the island of São Miguel (+11.8%). Conversely, the largest drops occurred in Vila Real (-17%) and Guarda (-13.4%). In the price ranking, Lisbon remains the most expensive market to rent, with a median price of 22 euros/m2, followed by Porto and Funchal (16.8 euros/m2 each). At the lower end are Viseu and Bragança (7.5 euros/m2) and Castelo Branco (6.9 euros/m2). Regionally, rents rose in four of the seven regions: Azores (+8.8%), Centre (+6.3%), Madeira (+6.1%) and Alentejo (+5.3%). On the other hand, the North (-4.6%) and Algarve (-1%) recorded decreases, while the Lisbon Metropolitan Area remained practically stable (0.1%). The idealista index is calculated based on asking prices published on the platform, excluding atypical or inactive listings and using the median of valid records, a methodology that the real estate portal notes may influence variations depending on the sample composition.