For what it costs to buy a home in the Balearics you could buy three in Murcia

This price, which has risen some 20% over the past two and a half years, is in stark contrast to Spain's least expensive regions. In Extremadura, where the price per square metre was 813 euros, the same property would have been 73,170 euros. For the price of one property in the Balearics, four could have been bought in Extremadura. And there would still have been some 25,000 euros left over. It was much the same in Castile-La Mancha, while in coastal Murcia three properties could have been bought.

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As well as being the most expensive region, the Balearics have the highest percentage of foreign buyers - the figure is consistently around a third. The national average is just under 15%. The average value of mortgages in the Balearics is the highest. In June this was 229,582 euros. For Spain as a whole it was 145,229 euros.

At the same time, the College's figures indicate that only 68% of purchases needed a mortgage. In the Basque Country, by way of contrast, 99.2% of homes required mortgages.

Depending on the source, the house prices do vary. The College of Notaries price per square metre in June was 3,104 euros. This was down by 5.9%. Sales in June, according to the College of Notaries, were down 22.4% year-on-year. The high price of property, it was noted, puts people off purchasing. And it explains why there is trend towards residents of the islands looking to move and buy on the mainland.