Housing unaffordability in Andorra fuels a mental‑health crisis

The sharp rise in the cost of living in Andorra is having a significant effect on mental health. When a disproportionate share of income goes to rent, people enter a state of constant alert: fear of not being able to pay next month, of losing their home, or of having to cut back on basic needs. This intense stress can turn the home from a refuge into a source of threat.

As living costs increase faster than wages, many who work, save and make sacrifices still feel they cannot make ends meet. That sense of failure, often misplaced, undermines self‑esteem and confidence; individuals may blame themselves for what are actually structural economic pressures. Rising rents also force frequent moves, often to smaller, older or more distant dwellings that offer no real cost advantage. Sudden relocations break social networks, weaken community ties and particularly affect children, who lose rooting and emotional stability.

When financial worries consume mental energy, the ability to plan for the medium and long term diminishes. People stop imagining a better future: they delay having children, postpone education or business projects, avoid taking risks and sometimes decide to emigrate. This stalling of life projects has a substantial psychological cost because motivation and a sense of purpose are closely tied to hope for tomorrow.

A population living under widespread financial anxiety also sees a drop in productive capacity. Chronic stress impairs concentration, memory and creativity. Health services are affected as well: anxiety, depression and other disorders linked to economic strain increase demand on care and raise public expenditure.

Young people are among the most affected groups. Difficulty accessing decent rental housing prevents them from establishing independent lives, prolongs dependence on family, or pushes them to seek opportunities elsewhere, causing a loss of local talent. The country needs professionals across sectors—healthcare workers, shopkeepers, administrators and others—whose availability is threatened when housing is unaffordable. Older residents, too, face the prospect of worse living conditions or having to move to cheaper locations after years of contributing to the community.

Housing is more than a physical space or a market commodity: it is a foundation for freedom, privacy, dignity and stability. When that foundation weakens, wider cultural and social consequences follow. Addressing housing affordability is therefore not only an economic challenge but also a public‑health and social‑cohesion imperative. When housing becomes a luxury, mental health becomes a silent emergency that affects society as a whole.