Madeira sold 17.9% fewer homes between April and June 2026 than a year before. That was the biggest fall of any region in Portugal, according to new data from the national statistics institute, INE.
Prices still went up. The median price rose 18.3% over the same period.
Fewest Sales Since 2020
Only 615 homes changed hands in the second quarter, 265 of them in Funchal. That compares with 639 in the first quarter and 749 a year earlier.
Madeira has not sold so few homes since mid-2020. In the third quarter of that year, the figure was 429. The best quarter on record was October to December 2024, with 1,244 sales.
Across Portugal, sales fell 9%, about half the rate in Madeira. Among the 26 sub-regions, the Porto Metropolitan Area came second, with a fall of 16.2%. Only four sub-regions sold more homes.
Prices Stay Above the National Level
A home sold in Madeira cost a median of 2,816 euros per square metre. The national median was 2,445 euros.
That makes Madeira the fourth most expensive sub-region. Only Greater Lisbon, the Algarve and the Setúbal Peninsula were higher.
Within the region, Funchal had the highest median price and Ribeira Brava the lowest, over the 12 months to June.
In Funchal, studios and one-bedroom flats cost 3,828 euros per square metre. Homes with four or more bedrooms cost 1,961 euros. That gap was the widest among Portugal's 24 municipalities with over 100,000 people.
What the Data Does Not Show
The INE figures do not explain why sales fell. Lower demand, harder access to loans, a lack of suitable homes or prices out of reach for families are all possible causes.
The data also cannot say whether the drop will continue next quarter. What it shows is fewer sales and high prices together, which keeps pressure on access to housing.
Source: dnoticias.pt
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