Young people in Santa Brígida give up on buying their first home as prices double what they were a decade ago

Santa Brígida, traditionally regarded as one of the municipalities with the best quality of life in Gran Canaria's metropolitan area, faces a growing struggle to help its young population buy a first home within its own boundaries. According to property sector sources, the average price of resale housing in the municipality has risen steadily over the past decade, driven by buyers arriving from the capital.

The capital's green refuge

Its proximity to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, just a few minutes away by car, combined with a rural setting and a cooler climate than the coast, has made Santa Brígida a preferred destination for higher-income families seeking a detached house with a garden. This demand has put pressure on the market for villas and rural estates, whose prices, according to property portals, are among the highest on the island outside the tourist strip.

No affordable new-build supply

Unlike other municipalities in the metropolitan area, Santa Brígida has very little developable land for moderately priced new-build schemes, which concentrates almost all supply in the resale market. Young people in the municipality who want to leave home are therefore faced with a scarce and expensive housing stock, well beyond their savings, according to local estate agents.

Moving away to neighbouring municipalities

This situation is causing, according to municipal sources, a wave of residential emigration among young people from Santa Brígida to nearby municipalities such as San Mateo or Vega de San Mateo, where prices are somewhat more affordable, though also clearly trending upward for the same reason of proximity to the capital.

Calls on the town council

Youth groups in the municipality have urged Santa Brígida town council to release public land for subsidised housing, whether for rent or price-capped purchase, a demand the council says it is studying as part of its planning review.