José Antonio, a public-sector worker earning €1,400 a month, has lived in a converted Volkswagen Transporter for almost two years. Without paying rent, he saved about €7,000 over the past year. He calculates that a 30% deposit on a €200,000 flat would be €60,000, rising to €80,000 with associated costs. At his current saving rate, he would need more than eight and a half years for the deposit and almost 11 and a half years for the full amount. Saving the entire €200,000 in cash would take more than 28 years.
