On the western edge of Barcelona, just a few meters separate rich and poor. In a territory of barely three square kilometers where opposite economic realities collide. It is a “triangle of inequality” formed by the richest municipality of Catalonia (Sant Just Desvern), one of the 10 most expensive neighborhoods in Spain (Finestrelles, in Esplugues) and, touching wall with both, neighborhoods of L’Hospitalet as Can Vidalet or Collblanc.
The richest area of Barcelona
On the one hand, we have the pole of extreme wealth. According to Idescat data, Sant Just Desvern is the locality with the highest per capita income in all of Catalonia (30,352 euros).. It is a haven for executives, athletes and businessmen, where the average rent of the few homes available is around 5,200 euros per month.
A few meters away, the Finestrelles neighborhood, in Esplugues de Llobregat, ranks as one of the 10 most expensive in Spain to buy a house in 2024. The average price reaches 7,654.9 €/m², 246% more than the national average, according to Fotocasa.
Here, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics, the median income is 41,000 euros. This income is chosen as opposed to the average because it is a firmer indicator: it is simply the value that remains at the midpoint, so that the presence of households with extreme wealth has less influence than in the final calculation.
The “other side” of the invisible frontier
Just on the other side of this island of exclusivity, the reality of L’Hospitalet is radically different. We look again at the INE map and in the Can Vidalet neighborhood, the median income plummets to 15,000 euros. In neighboring Collblanc, the figure is similar: 16,500 euros.
The problem gets worse when we look at the housing market. One might think that the difference in income is compensated by much lower purchase prices. However, not quite.
Buying an apartment in Collblanc (with an income of 16,500 €) costs on average 2,785 €/m². Meanwhile, in the municipality of Esplugues (with an average income of 41,000 €), the average price is 4,454 €/m². The price almost doubles, but the disposable income is multiplied by almost 3.
These and other data, such as the source of income of your neighbors, can be consulted on the official website of the INE, through this link.