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Living in Russafa, Valencia: What the Data Shows

Eyeing a flat in Russafa (Ruzafa in Spanish)? The barrio has 25,514 registered residents, and 20.4% are foreign nationals. Its average age is 44.8, the same as the city's. Dwellings are mostly old: 62.46% sit in the four oldest cadastral age bands. Check the building, the tourist-flat caps and the lease before you sign.

By Settle Valencia editorial team

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On this page
  1. Russafa at a glance
  2. Who lives in Russafa
  3. Market, parish, health centre and town hall office
  4. Buildings, parking and shops
  5. Tourist-flat caps in Russafa
  6. Before you rent in Russafa
  7. Register on the padrón after you move in
  8. Step by step
  9. Common questions

On this page

  1. Russafa at a glance
  2. Who lives in Russafa
  3. Market, parish, health centre and town hall office
  4. Buildings, parking and shops
  5. Tourist-flat caps in Russafa
  6. Before you rent in Russafa
  7. Register on the padrón after you move in
  8. Step by step
  9. Common questions

Russafa at a glance

Russafa (Ruzafa in Spanish) has 25,514 registered residents. That makes it the largest barrio of the l’Eixample district, ahead of La Gran Via with 12,378 and El Pla del Remei with 7,344.

Foreign nationals are 20.4% of the registered population, against 17.7% for the whole district. The city figure is 19.7%. Residents born abroad number 6,696.

The average age is 44.8, the same as the city’s 44.8. Children are 12.51% of residents.

Pedestrian street in Russafa at night, seen from above, with restaurant terraces lit along both sides.
A pedestrian street in Russafa with restaurant terraces.

Who lives in Russafa

People born abroad are 26.24% of residents. One-person households are 43.27% of family households.

Households with a child are 17.62% of the total. In 2024 the barrio recorded 1,934 registrations by immigration (alta por inmigración).

Foreign nationals by origin on 1 January 2025:

Origin Foreign nationals
Other EU-27 countries 1,874
South America 1,082
Europe outside the EU-27 903
North America 487
Asia 392
Africa 232
Central America 211
Oceania and other 27

The table adds up to 5,208 foreign nationals.

By age, the barrio has 3,193 residents aged 0-15, 17,094 aged 16-64 and 5,227 aged 65 and over. Family households by size:

People in the household Households
1 5,285
2 3,286
3 1,859
4 1,222
5 371
6 105
7 or more 85

Padrón movements in 2024:

Movement Registrations
Registrations by immigration 1,934
Registrations by birth 188
Registrations by change of address 994
Total registrations 5,456
Deregistrations by emigration 869
Deregistrations by death 198
Deregistrations by change of address 1,211
Total deregistrations 2,798
Roof edge of the Mercat de Russafa with its name on the facade and a church bell tower behind.
The Mercat de Russafa with the bell tower of the parish church behind it.

Market, parish, health centre and town hall office

Four public places in Russafa sit on the map below.

  • The Mercat de Russafa is the neighbourhood market.
  • The Parròquia de Sant Valero is the parish church.
  • The Centre de Salut Ruzafa is the public health centre on Carrer de Sant Valero.
  • The Junta Municipal de Russafa handles padrón procedures, Monday to Friday, 8.30 to 14.00.

Your health centre follows your padrón address once you hold a SIP card. The SIP guide and the GP registration guide cover the steps.

Mercat de Russafa, Pl. del Baró de Cortés, s/n, L’Eixample, 46006 València. Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Mercat de Russafa
Pl. del Baro de Cortes, s/n, L'Eixample, 46006 Valencia, Spain · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Parròquia de Sant Valero, Carrer del Pare Perera, 6, L’Eixample, 46006 València. Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Parroquia de Sant Valero (Russafa)
Carrer del Pare Perera, 6, L'Eixample, 46006 Valencia, Spain · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Centre de Salut Ruzafa, Carrer de Sant Valero, 8, L’Eixample, 46005 València. Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Centre de Salut Ruzafa
Carrer de Sant Valero, 8, L'Eixample, 46005 Valencia, Spain · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Stone doorway with a carved surround and closed wooden doors on the church of Sant Valero.
The doorway of the Parroquia de Sant Valero in Russafa.

Buildings, parking and shops

Check the building before the street, because 62.46% of Russafa’s dwellings sit in the four oldest cadastral age bands. The barrio has 14,462 dwellings.

Dwellings by cadastral age band:

Built Dwellings
1801-1900 196
1901-20 1,199
1921-40 4,482
1941-60 3,156
1961-80 2,764
1981-2000 1,767
2001-10 582
2011-20 215
After 2020 101

Dwellings by built area, in square metres:

Built area Dwellings
Up to 60 987
61-80 2,647
81-100 3,171
101-120 2,913
121-150 3,114
151-200 1,366
Over 200 264

Dwellings in the smallest size band are 6.82% of the total.

The barrio has 10,079 registered passenger cars and 2,199 motorcycles, against 12,213 family households.

The economic census counts 4,997 commerce and service activities in the barrio, and 2,013 are commerce, restaurants, lodging and repairs. Another 1,885 are financial, insurance, business services and rentals.

Wrought-iron balcony on a historic apartment building on Calle Ruzafa.
A wrought-iron balcony on an older building on Calle Ruzafa.

Tourist-flat caps in Russafa

On 31 March 2026 the city council approved the new tourist-apartment regulation. It applies in each barrio and district. Total tourist places may not exceed 8% of registered inhabitants. At most 2% of dwellings may be tourist use.

Tourist dwellings may only sit on ground or first floors of mixed-use buildings, with no homes on the same landing and separate street access. Ground floors carry a 15% cap per block.

For Russafa the base is 25,514 residents and 14,462 dwellings. Ask the landlord whether the building has tourist flats before you sign.

Narrow central street in Valencia lined with apartment buildings and shopfronts.
A central residential street in Valencia.

Before you rent in Russafa

Read the lease terms first; the parties agree the term freely. A shorter term extends in annual terms until it reaches five years, or seven with a company landlord.

The deposit is one month’s rent. The landlord deposits it with the Generalitat, within one month of signing. For the forms, see the rental deposit guide.

Official rent figures exist for the district, not the barrio. L’Eixample district (which includes Russafa) has a median rent of about €824 a month, or €9.5 per square metre. The middle half of rents sits between €633 and €1,145 a month.

Those figures are the Ministry of Housing’s SERPAVI index for 2024: rents declared in tax returns for collective housing (flats in multi-home buildings) let as a main residence. Compare them with current listings. For every district, see the neighbourhoods guide.

València is not on the latest quarterly list of tensioned zones. The renting guide covers the full process.

BOE text of the Urban Leases Act article on the rental deposit.
The deposit article of the Urban Leases Act as published on the BOE site. Source: BOE, Ley 29/1994, art. 36 (opens in a new tab), captured 14 October 2026

Register on the padrón after you move in

After moving in, register at the Junta Municipal de Russafa or another padrón office. Anyone who lives in València and is not registered can ask for an alta. Padrón procedures are free.

Book a cita previa on the city website or phone 010, and bring originals. Identity documents must be valid. Non-EU nationals show a residence card or passport.

The home document must show the cadastral reference of the dwelling. The maximum resolution period is three months.

Tall buildings and parked bicycles on a sunny street beside the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
A street beside the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, near the town hall offices.
Photo credits

↑ Contents

Step by step

  1. Check the barrio dataRussafa has 25,514 registered residents and 20.4% are foreign nationals.
  2. Check the building62.46% of dwellings are in the four oldest cadastral age bands.
  3. Check the tourist-flat capsCaps apply per barrio: 8% of inhabitants and 2% of dwellings.
  4. Check the lease and depositThe deposit is one month's rent.
  5. Register on the padrónBook a cita previa and bring originals.

Not confirmed: Rent in Russafa itself: official rent figures stop at district level, and advertised rents differ, so compare current listings. Whether your building holds tourist flats: ask the landlord and the community of owners.

Common questions

Will I find other expats in Russafa?

Yes: 20.4% of Russafa's residents are foreign nationals, above the city's 19.7%. One-person households are 43.27% of family households.

How many people live in Russafa?

The barrio had 25,514 registered residents on 1 January 2025. It is the largest barrio of l'Eixample district.

Is Ruzafa the same as Russafa?

They are the same barrio. Russafa is the Valencian name and Ruzafa the Spanish one. The Ajuntament files use Russafa.

Do tourist-flat caps apply in Russafa?

Yes. The 2026 regulation caps tourist places at 8% of inhabitants and tourist dwellings at 2% of dwellings in each barrio, and Russafa is not excluded. Ciutat Vella is outside them.

Are Russafa flats small?

Mostly not: dwellings of 60 square metres or less are 6.82% of the total. The largest band is 81-100 square metres, with 3,171 dwellings.

Where do I register on the padrón in Russafa?

The Junta Municipal de Russafa handles padrón procedures at C/ Maties Perelló, 5, Monday to Friday 8.30 to 14.00. Book a cita previa online or phone 010.

Places in this guide

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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