Monthly rentals in Madeirawhere to look, what it costs and the contract you sign

Researched on 10 October 2026 from the platforms’ own pages, idealista’s rent reports and the Portuguese law texts. We haven’t rented a flat in Madeira ourselves.

The short answer: for a month, search Flatio and Airbnb first, then HousingAnywhere; for three months or more, add idealista. Funchal has by far the most listings on every platform we checked [3][4][5]. Furnished monthly lets are a separate market from idealista’s asking rents for ordinary leases, which were €16.8 per m² in Funchal in September 2026 [1]. In Portugal a genuinely temporary lease can be shorter than a year, and the contract must record its purpose, such as work or tourism [8], and the deposit on an ordinary lease is capped at two months’ rent [9].

Where to look

Platform	Funchal listings (10 Oct 2026)	Good for	Watch out for
Flatio	125 (182 on the island) [3]	Furnished flats by the month; listings show Wi-Fi speed	Mixes nightly and monthly offers; check the 30-day price
HousingAnywhere	89 [4]	Rooms and studios, mid-term	Fewer whole flats outside Funchal
Spotahome	11 [5]	A handful of flats	Thin supply
Uniplaces	3 [6]	Students	Almost nothing here
Airbnb	not counted	Any town, including the west coast	Monthly discount set by each host [7]
idealista	not counted	Ordinary leases from local landlords	Check the minimum term in each ad

How payment works matters as much as the price. On Flatio you pay the first rent and a service fee by card; any deposit the host asks for is due by move-in day at the latest; check the payment schedule of your booking [3]. On Airbnb a stay of 28 nights or more is charged as a first-month payment up front, released to the host 24 hours after check-in, then monthly instalments [7].

Outside Funchal the choice drops fast. Flatio had no separate results page for Ponta do Sol when we checked [3]. For the west coast, Airbnb and local agencies are the realistic route.

What a month costs

• Ordinary leases (idealista asking rents, September 2026): Madeira island €15.9 per m², up 7.8% year on year; Funchal €16.8, up 7.4%; within Funchal, São Martinho €16.9 and Sé €18.5 [1][2]. A 50 m² flat at the Funchal average lists at about €840 a month before bills.
• Crowd-sourced: Numbeo’s one-bedroom is €1,335.71 in the centre and €1,098.43 outside (26 contributors, 2 October 2026) [15].
• Furnished monthly lets: we couldn’t find reliable figures. Flatio shows its own “average price per 30 days” on each listing [3]; compare several for your exact dates rather than trusting any single average.
• Tourist tax: if the flat is a licensed holiday let (alojamento local), Funchal charges €2 per person per night for the first 7 nights only, and children aged 12 and under don’t pay [13]: at most €14 per paying guest on a month’s stay. Ponta do Sol and the mainland towns: tourist tax in Portugal.

idealista publishes no rent index for Ponta do Sol, Calheta or Machico (too few listings) [2].

The contract: what Portuguese law allows

Most Portuguese leases have a one-year minimum. Article 1095 of the Civil Code makes an exception for non-permanent housing or “special transitory purposes”, such as work, study or tourism, and the contract must say which [8][10][17]. For a genuinely temporary stay, this is the lease to ask about; it can be shorter than a year.

Three things follow from it:

• The reason goes in writing. “Remote work” or “tourism” belongs in the contract; a lawyer’s summary notes the contract must state the reason for the temporary stay [10].
• No automatic renewal unless the contract says so [10].
• One tourism-purpose lease per flat per calendar year. A recent amendment that stops a flat from being let as a string of “tourist” leases [8]. Leases for work or study are not limited this way [10].

The alternative is a licensed holiday let (alojamento local), where you are a guest, not a tenant. Funchal stopped new registrations in the Sé parish from June 2026, but existing licences carry on [11]. A licensed flat has a registration number you can look up in the national register [12].

Deposits and payments

• Portuguese leases: the guarantee is capped at two months’ rent, and rent paid in advance at two months (Civil Code article 1076, as amended in 2022) [9]. Ask for a written breakdown of everything due before move-in.
• Platforms: the platform’s rules apply on top. Flatio collects any deposit by move-in day at the latest [3]; Airbnb holds the first month until 24 hours after check-in [7].
• Paying from abroad: card or bank transfer, and which currency to choose: paying in Portugal.
• Get the inventory in writing with photos on day one, so the deposit comes back.

When to book

Book the busiest dates first: the Christmas lights (1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027) and New Year’s Eve, the Flower Festival (29 April to 30 May 2027), the Atlantic Festival (4 to 27 June 2027) and the Wine Festival (22 August to 12 September 2027), all “subject to change” in the regional calendar [16]. Funchal and the south coast are warm enough for a winter month; details by month in the best time to visit Madeira and Madeira weather by month.

We found no dated source on how far ahead people book monthly lets in Madeira, so we’re not giving a number.

Where to base yourself for a month

With kids: the Lido and São Martinho area of Funchal is flatter than most of the city, next to the Lido pool complex, and on the city buses. With a car, Caniço is quieter, and Calheta has a sandy beach at Praia da Calheta. More in Madeira with kids.

For work: central Funchal for coworking (for example Sangha Cowork and Cowork Funchal) and the airport bus; Ponta do Sol for the free Nomad Village workspace, with fewer rentals and sparse buses. Compared in Funchal or Ponta do Sol as a base and working remotely from Madeira.

Without a car: stay in Funchal. Buses to the west and north are much less frequent, so check the timetable for the exact address before you book; see Madeira without a car. Area by area: where to stay in Madeira.

Rental scams and how to spot them

Fake rentals are common enough in Portugal that the police publish figures: the PSP recorded 3,801 fake holiday-rental cases between 2023 and June 2025, and the GNR 436 rental-fraud crimes [14]. The GNR’s advice [14], with what it means for a month in Madeira:

• A price far below similar flats nearby. Compare with the averages above and with a few listings on two platforms.
• Pressure to pay a “sinal” (reservation deposit) because “many people are interested”. On a platform, never pay outside it; the platform’s protection ends the moment you do.
• The same photos in other listings, especially under a different address or owner name. Reverse-search one photo.
• No name or contact for the owner. Ask for the landlord’s name and, for a holiday let, the registration number, then check it in the national register [12].
• Nothing in writing. Off-platform, ask for a written lease stating the temporary purpose [8], or for a holiday let a written booking confirmation with the price, cancellation terms, the operator’s name and the registration number.

Staying longer than a tourist can? Count your days with the Schengen 90/180 rule, then read the Portugal digital nomad visa and digital nomad insurance in Portugal.

Sources

Listed in the source list on this page, numbered in the order of the [n] references above. Read on 9–10 October 2026. Listing counts change daily; rents are asking prices, not signed contracts.