Braga, Guimarães and Viana do Castelo: house prices in northern Portugal in 2026

Updated: 9 November 2026 · RE/MAX Extra

Homes in north-west Portugal, around Braga, Guimarães and Viana do Castelo, are cheaper than the national average: over the 12 months to June 2026 the median sale price was €2,199/m² in Braga, €1,859/m² in Guimarães and €1,938/m² in Viana do Castelo, against €2,264/m² for Portugal. Below are sale prices from Statistics Portugal (INE) for the 24 municipalities around these cities, what is on offer in our catalogue, rents and IMI rates. The figures help you compare municipalities with each other; they are no substitute for valuing a specific property.

Which municipalities are covered

In INE statistics (the NUTS 2024 classification), these are three NUTS III regions. Alto Minho has 10 municipalities (concelhos): Viana do Castelo, Arcos de Valdevez, Caminha, Melgaço, Monção, Paredes de Coura, Ponte da Barca, Ponte de Lima, Valença and Vila Nova de Cerveira. Cávado has 6: Braga, Barcelos, Amares, Esposende, Terras de Bouro and Vila Verde. Ave has 8: Guimarães, Cabeceiras de Basto, Fafe, Mondim de Basto, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Vieira do Minho, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Vizela.

These regions do not match the districts our catalogue is organised by. All the municipalities of Alto Minho make up Viana do Castelo district. Cávado and Ave lie almost entirely within Braga district, but Mondim de Basto belongs to Vila Real district, while Celorico de Basto, in Braga district, is placed by INE in the Tâmega e Sousa region and is not covered here. The catalogue pages for flats in Braga and Viana do Castelo show the whole district.

Sale prices by municipality

Over the 12 months to June 2026, the median was €1,981/m² in Cávado (+19.6% year on year), €1,713/m² in Ave (+20.6%) and €1,545/m² in Alto Minho (+14.9%); for the Norte region it was €1,988/m², and for Portugal €2,264/m² (+17.7%). None of the 24 municipalities is above the national average. The most expensive are Esposende (€2,229/m²), Braga (€2,199/m²) and Viana do Castelo (€1,938/m²), and the cheapest Melgaço (€698/m²), Paredes de Coura (€797/m²) and Cabeceiras de Basto (€889/m²).

The tables show the median sale price for the 12 months to June 2026, the range between the lower and upper quartiles (a quarter of sales were cheaper than the first figure and a quarter dearer than the second), the change in the median over the year and the cost of 80 m² at the median. The last column is simple multiplication, not the price of a real flat: the median covers all homes sold in the municipality, with new and older flats and houses lumped together.

Cávado: Braga, Barcelos, Esposende

Ave: Guimarães, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Fafe

Alto Minho: Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Caminha

Over the year the median rose most in Melgaço (+46.9%), Amares (+41.2%) and Valença (+37.8%). It fell in three municipalities: Arcos de Valdevez (−3.7%), Monção (−2.0%) and Cabeceiras de Basto (−1.8%). Sharp changes are worth checking against the listings: small municipalities have few sales, and the median depends on which homes happened to sell in the period. In the three main cities the rise was: Braga +21.6%, Guimarães +25.5%, Viana do Castelo +15.2%.

Fewer homes are changing hands. In Q2 2026 there were 1,155 sales in Cávado against 1,272 a year earlier, 1,367 against 1,414 in Ave, and 759 against 777 in Alto Minho. The quarterly median still rose: to €2,171/m² in Cávado (+19.9% year on year), €1,879/m² in Ave (+19.2%) and €1,632/m² in Alto Minho (+17.8%).

INE tables break prices down by parish (freguesia) only for the cities of Lisbon and Porto, so there are no sale prices for individual areas within Braga, Guimarães or the other municipalities of northern Portugal.

New and resale homes, prices by number of bedrooms

For municipalities with 100,000 or more inhabitants, INE gives a more detailed breakdown. Four of the 24 municipalities are in this group: Braga, Guimarães, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Barcelos. The figures are medians for the 12 months to June 2026.

New homes in Braga cost 15.9% more than resale ones, and in Guimarães 12.3% more. The more bedrooms, the lower the price per square metre: in Braga a T0–T1 costs €2,972/m², and a T4 or larger €1,770/m². Per square metre, T0–T1 flats in Braga are slightly dearer than the national average (€2,920/m²).

Residents and non-residents

INE calculates separate medians for buyers with a tax residence in Portugal and abroad: for the regions, for Q2 2026; for Braga and Guimarães, for the 12 months to June 2026. No non-resident median is published for Vila Nova de Famalicão or Barcelos.

In Cávado and Alto Minho the median for non-residents is higher than for residents; in Ave it is lower. In Braga itself non-residents paid 16.2% more, and in Guimarães 8.0% less. For comparison, in Q2 the national figures were €2,421/m² for residents against €3,182/m² for non-residents. This is the gap between the medians of all sales in each group, not a mark-up on the same property.

What is for sale now

Our catalogue on 9 November 2026 has 3,572 properties for sale in the 24 municipalities; after applying the rules below, 769 flats and 1,170 houses. Identical listings from different agencies are counted once, listings under €30,000 are left out, and a median is shown only where there are five or more properties. The ‘All listings’ column counts every active listing without these rules, plots of land included. The table shows municipalities with 50 or more listings.

Braga and Viana do Castelo have no links in the table: the catalogue page with that name shows the whole district. Municipalities with fewer than 50 listings: Caminha, Mondim de Basto, Paredes de Coura, Monção and Melgaço.

In Fafe, Vieira do Minho, Ponte da Barca and Ponte de Lima the median house in the listings is cheaper than the median flat. A median shows the middle of a particular set of listings, not the price of a typical home, so compare size and condition in the listings themselves. What to look out for when buying a house with land is covered in the article on buying a house in Portugal; for houses in our catalogue, see houses in Braga and Guimarães. T1 flats in new developments are on the page new T1 flats in Braga.

Asking prices are higher than sale prices. The median price per square metre for flats in the municipality of Braga in our catalogue is €2,860/m², while INE’s median sale price is €2,199/m². The catalogue shows asking prices and a different mix of properties, whereas INE records completed sales of every type of home.

Renting: rents on new leases

INE publishes the median rent on new leases. For the 12 months to June 2026 it was €8.33/m² a month in the Norte region and €9.76/m² nationally. By region: Cávado €8.08/m², Alto Minho €6.78/m², Ave €6.25/m². The table lists municipalities with 200 or more new leases in the 12 months; the ‘80 m²’ column is simple multiplication.

In the other municipalities there were fewer than 200 new leases in the year, or the number is not published. The lowest median of all 24 is €3.85/m² (Mondim de Basto); INE gives no figure for Terras de Bouro. Listings are in our sections of flats to rent in Braga, Guimarães and Viana do Castelo. For leases, deposits and terms, see renting a home in Portugal.

IMI rates by municipality

IMI, the annual property tax, depends on the municipality. The rates below are those for 2025 for urban properties, from the Portal das Finanças (the tax authority’s website); they apply to the property’s tax value, not its market price. The table gives an example for a tax value of €200,000.

The minimum rate of 0.3% applies in 12 of the 24 municipalities. The highest is 0.39%, in Caminha. The rate is 0.32% in Braga, 0.31% in Guimarães and 0.35% in Viana do Castelo. Reliefs and other owner costs are covered in the article on the cost of owning property.

How to narrow down your choice

1. Set your budget with taxes included. On purchase you pay IMT (property transfer tax) and stamp duty, and non-residents have their own IMT rate for homes; the calculation is in the article on taxes.
2. Compare your budget with the medians. At the median sale price, 80 m² costs €175,920 in Braga, €148,720 in Guimarães and €155,040 in Viana do Castelo, but asking prices are usually higher.
3. Look at neighbouring municipalities. Each of the three cities has noticeably cheaper municipalities nearby: compare them in the tables above and check how many listings they have.
4. Check the property, not just the municipality. The median lumps new and older homes together; the condition, size and paperwork of a specific property matter more than the average price.

The buying process is explained in how to buy property in Portugal, financing in the article on mortgages for non-residents, and new flats in the article on affordable new builds. For prices in other regions, see our articles on Porto and its surroundings, Leiria, Coimbra and Aveiro, Lisbon and the Algarve. Our team can help you shortlist properties in northern Portugal and arrange viewings: get in touch.

This article is for information only and is not legal or tax advice. Rates and rules change — always check official sources and a professional before a transaction.