Young people in Puerto del Rosario give up on buying a first home amid a shortage of affordable land

Puerto del Rosario, the administrative and economic capital of Fuerteventura, is the municipality with the largest population and the highest volume of property transactions on the island, but it is also one of those that most clearly reflects the difficulties young Majorero residents face in buying their first home.

Island wages versus rising prices

According to Istac data, average wages in Fuerteventura are below the regional average, while house prices in Puerto del Rosario have maintained a steady upward trend in recent years, driven in part by the arrival of tourism and service-sector workers who live in the capital and commute daily to the south of the island.

Neighbourhoods like La Matilla gain appeal on price

Outlying neighbourhoods such as La Matilla and the expansion areas around the city's main avenue have become the preferred choice for young buyers, offering noticeably lower prices than the historic centre or the seafront, according to property portals.

Renting as the main way out

Faced with the difficulty of raising the deposit demanded by lenders, industry sources say a growing share of young people in Puerto del Rosario are opting directly for long-term renting instead — a market that has also seen prices climb under the pressure of demand and the limited turnover of available homes.

Calls for subsidised housing

Residents' associations and trade unions have called on the Town Council and the Government of the Canary Islands for more subsidised housing development in the capital, arguing that without new public supply, access to a first home will keep getting harder for the island's younger generations.

The experience of those searching for a flat

Young people in Puerto del Rosario who have spent months searching for their first home describe similar difficulties: listings pulled from the market within days, deposits that comfortably exceed their savings, and the need to bring in family guarantors to secure a mortgage. Several say they have widened their search to neighbouring municipalities such as Antigua or Tuineje, where prices are somewhat more accessible, even if that means longer daily commutes to their jobs in the capital or in the island's tourist south.

Comparison with other Canary Island capitals

The phenomenon is not unique to Puerto del Rosario: property portals report similar strains in Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, although prices in Fuerteventura remain, in absolute terms, more moderate than those in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Industry analysts explain that the key difference lies in the ratio between average wages and house prices, which is especially unfavourable in Fuerteventura because of the weight of seasonal tourism employment, with modest pay and high staff turnover.

The Council explores new routes to home ownership

The council is exploring, according to municipal sources, public-private partnership models to release land for subsidised sale and affordable rental housing, along with loan-guarantee schemes aimed specifically at people under 35. Residents' groups are calling for these initiatives to come with firm timetables, noting that similar announcements in previous years have not always translated into developments that were actually built and delivered.