There is no single best place to buy a villa in Spain. The right answer depends on your budget, how often you will use the house, how easily you need to fly in, and whether you need a mortgage. The Costa del Sol suits buyers who want established luxury and infrastructure. The Costa Blanca suits those who want variety and good flight links. Murcia suits those who want sun at a lower price. This guide compares them with current figures and shows what financing a villa looks like when you live outside Spain.
TL;DR
- Costa del Sol (Marbella, Estepona, Benahavís, Mijas) is the premium choice, with the highest prices per square meter. Costa Blanca is mid-range, and the Murcia region is the most affordable of the big coastal areas.
- Foreign buyers are most concentrated in the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands and Murcia, so you will not be the only international buyer in these markets.
- Budget 10-15% on top of the price for taxes, notary, registration and legal fees.
- Non-residents can get a Spanish mortgage, but typically at a lower loan-to-value than residents, so plan a larger deposit.
Table of Contents
- How to decide what “best” means for you
- Where foreign buyers actually buy
- Costa del Sol: Marbella, Estepona, Benahavís and Mijas
- Costa Blanca: variety and year-round flights
- Murcia and the Costa Cálida: sun at a lower price
- The islands: Balearics and Canaries
- Quick comparison
- What a villa really costs
- Can you get a villa mortgage as a non-resident?
- How we help you finance a villa
- Our perspective: choose the finance first, then the town
- FAQ
- Sources
How to decide what “best” means for you
One Spanish advisory firm lists five factors that define the best area for a non-resident buyer: lifestyle, budget, accessibility, resale strength, and legal or planning risk. That is a useful checklist, and we would add one more question first: will you finance the purchase?
The same source makes a point worth remembering. Transaction costs, maintenance, tax exposure and renovation needs can make a cheap property in a poorly chosen location more expensive over time than a pricier home in a stronger market. Start with the total cost of ownership, not the asking price.
A quick way to sort yourself:
- Lifestyle buyer: you want golf, restaurants, international schools and services within a short drive. Look at the Costa del Sol.
- Value buyer: you want space and a pool without a seven-figure budget. Look at inland Costa Blanca, Murcia and the Costa Cálida.
- Investor: you want rental demand and resale liquidity. Look at areas with established foreign demand and year-round access.
- Relocator or digital nomad: you want a villa you will actually live in. Prioritize hospitals, fiber internet, airports and a town that stays alive in winter.
Where foreign buyers actually buy
Spain’s property registrars report that in 2025 foreign buyers accounted for 13.82% of all purchases, roughly 97,480 transactions. The share varies sharply by region, according to the same registrars’ yearbook:
| Region | Foreign buyers’ share of purchases, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Balearic Islands | 29.86% |
| Valencian Community | 27.65% |
| Canary Islands | 25.65% |
| Murcia Region | 21.42% |
| Catalonia | 15.57% |
| Andalusia | 13.34% |
A high share means an established market with agents, lawyers and banks used to international clients. Andalusia’s lower share partly reflects its size, as it also has a large domestic market.
Costa del Sol: Marbella, Estepona, Benahavís and Mijas
A regional guide for overseas buyers points to frequent flights into Málaga, more than 70 golf courses and a higher-end property market. That combination explains why most international villa shoppers look here first.
Prices differ a lot between towns, and between sources. In September 2026, average asking prices were €4,104/m² in Mijas, €4,487/m² in Estepona and €5,039/m² in Marbella. A separate mid-year 2026 snapshot puts Marbella at €6,000-€6,800/m² and Benahavís at €4,500-€5,500/m². The gap comes from what is measured (asking versus transaction prices, apartments versus villas), so treat every figure as a range and ask for recent comparable sales of villas on the street you like.
How the towns differ in practice:
- Marbella: the established luxury address, with the deepest services and resale market. The municipality publishes its official information at marbella.es. At the top end, the Costa del Sol is one of the places serving the ultra-prime market with trophy villas.
- Estepona: described as a rising star, with 14-16% year-on-year price growth and €4,200-€5,000/m² in that mid-2026 snapshot. Fast growth can mean opportunity, but it also means you are buying after much of the early gain. The town hall is at estepona.es.
- Benahavís: a quieter, villa-heavy municipality inland from the coast, popular with buyers who value privacy and space.
- Mijas: the most accessible of the four on price per square meter in the September 2026 figures above, with a broad mix of villas and townhouses.
Costa Blanca: variety and year-round flights
The Costa Blanca covers everything from busy resort towns to quiet inland villages. The regional guide cited above notes varied property types and year-round flights from the UK. Average asking prices in Alicante province were €3,167/m² in September 2026, well below Málaga province at €4,118/m².
The north of the Costa Blanca is the premium end. One 2026 buyer’s guide puts Mediterranean villas there at €700,000 to €1.8 million, with trophy positions at €2 million to €4 million. If your budget is smaller, look further south or a few kilometers inland, where plots are bigger and prices fall.
Murcia and the Costa Cálida: sun at a lower price
The Costa Cálida is described as offering reliable sun and lower prices than its neighbors. The numbers back it up: Murcia’s average asking price was €2,215/m² in September 2026, roughly half of what Marbella shows in the same data. With foreign buyers at 21.42% of purchases, it is a market used to international buyers.
If you plan to finance a villa in this region, see our page on non-resident mortgages in Murcia.
The islands: Balearics and Canaries
The Balearic Islands have the highest foreign share of any region and the highest average asking price of the areas above, at €4,451/m² in September 2026. Mallorca’s best-known villa areas, such as Andratx and Deià, are among the places serving the ultra-prime end of the market. The Canary Islands suit buyers who want a mild climate in winter, though flights and shipping add logistics to renovation and furnishing.
Quick comparison
| Area | Best for | Price signal (September 2026 asking, per m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Costa del Sol | Lifestyle, services, golf, resale | €4,104 (Mijas) to €5,039 (Marbella) |
| Costa Blanca | Variety, flights, mid-range budgets | €3,167 (Alicante province) |
| Murcia region | Value, space, sun | €2,215 |
| Balearic Islands | Premium island lifestyle | €4,451 |
All figures come from the September 2026 price guide. They are averages across all property types, so villas in the best streets will sit above them.
Prices are rising nationally too: Spain’s statistics office reported that housing prices rose 12.9% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025. That is a reason to run your numbers on today’s prices, not last year’s.
What a villa really costs
Budget an additional 10-15% for taxes, notary, registration and legal fees on top of the price. Then add the running costs of a villa: pool maintenance, garden, community or urbanization fees, insurance, local property tax and, for some owners, wealth tax. Our guide to Spanish wealth tax and mortgages explains how that last one can interact with a loan, and our article on Spanish property deposits and costs breaks down what to have in cash.
Here is a worked example, using our own arithmetic on typical rules. For a €500,000 villa with a 70% loan:
- Loan: €350,000
- Deposit: €150,000
- Taxes and fees at 10-15%: €50,000 to €75,000
- Cash needed at completion: roughly €200,000 to €225,000
You can test your own figures with our Spanish mortgage calculator.
Can you get a villa mortgage as a non-resident?
Yes. Non-residents can borrow in Spain, but conditions are tighter. A 2026 Costa del Sol market report says loan-to-value is typically limited to 70%, against 80% for residents, with debt-to-income capped around 35% of net monthly income and terms commonly up to 20 years. Individual banks set their own limits, so these are starting points, not promises.
The reason is risk. One major Spanish bank explains that conditions are stricter for non-residents because possible non-payment is harder to pursue, and that many foreign buyers borrow in their home country instead. Comparing a Spanish loan with a home-country loan is worth doing. For the basics, read what a hipoteca is, and for the criteria banks use, see our guide to mortgage eligibility for non-residents. If you are weighing rate types, our comparison of fixed and variable Spanish mortgages helps.
Documents to prepare
The same bank lists what foreign applicants typically need:
- Passport or NIE (the Spanish foreigner identification number)
- Tax-residence certificate
- Employment contract and last three payslips
- Last fiscal year’s tax return
- A year of bank-account activity
- Receipts for outstanding debts and an asset register
- A credit-risk report
- The property’s registry extract and the sale or reservation contract
The bank also says documents must be sworn-translated at the applicant’s cost. Our article on the NIE and mortgage documents covers each item in more detail.
The buying process, step by step
- Shortlist areas and visit.
- Get an NIE and open a Spanish bank account.
- Reserve the villa and pay the deposit.
- Run due diligence (planning, licenses, debts on the title) and sign the private contract.
- Get mortgage approval if you need one.
- Complete at the notary.
- Register the property.
This sequence follows a regional buying guide. Get pre-approval before you reserve, so you know your budget is real. For one mortgage-specific safeguard: after you receive the bank’s standard information sheet (the FEIN) and its annexes, borrowers have 10 calendar days (14 in Catalonia) to review the conditions before signing at the notary. Our Spanish mortgage process timeline shows how the stages fit together.
How we help you finance a villa
We are a mortgage broker for non-residents. We work with several Spanish banks that lend to international buyers, so you compare options instead of relying on one lender. Our average pre-approval timeframe is 14 days, and you receive it in writing. Our fees are published: a one-off sign-up fee of €795, refundable if pre-approval is not secured, and a success fee of 0.70% on a successfully arranged mortgage. The assessment is free. See the details on our fees page or our purchase mortgage, refinancing and construction finance options.
If you are still choosing between regions, start with a free assessment. It tells you what you can borrow before you fall in love with a villa you cannot finance. You can also browse our mortgage guides or read the full non-resident mortgage guide.
Our perspective: choose the finance first, then the town
Most buyers pick the town, then look for the money. We see the better outcomes the other way round. When you know your borrowing limit, your required deposit and the monthly payment you are comfortable with, the map narrows quickly. A villa that looked affordable at the asking price can need €50,000 or more in extra cash once taxes and fees are added, and non-resident loan limits mean the deposit is a larger share than many buyers expect.
We also advise against choosing purely on the lowest price per square meter. A villa in a less liquid area can be harder to sell, to rent or to insure. A smaller, well-located house in an area with strong foreign demand and good transport often serves you better, whether you plan to live there or rent it out.
Our approach is built on clarity, choice and care: several banks instead of one, written pre-approval, multilingual support, and fees you can read before you commit. If a Spanish mortgage is not right for your situation, we would rather tell you early.
— Mirelle Leguia
FAQ
Which is the best region for a villa if my budget is under €500,000?
Murcia and the inland Costa Blanca generally offer the most space for the money. Murcia’s average asking price in September 2026 was €2,215/m², against €5,039/m² in Marbella. Budgets change what “average” means, so check recent villa sales in each town.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage for a villa in Spain?
Yes. Loan-to-value is typically capped at around 70% for non-residents, so expect to fund at least 30% yourself plus 10-15% in costs. Each bank sets its own criteria, and our team can show you which lenders suit your profile.
How much does it cost to buy a villa on top of the price?
Plan for 10-15% of the price for taxes, notary, registration and legal fees. If you take a mortgage, also allow for the bank valuation and related mortgage costs. Our deposit and costs guide gives a fuller breakdown.
How long does it take to get a mortgage approved?
Our average pre-approval timeframe is 14 days. After the bank issues its offer, you have a legal review period of 10 calendar days (14 in Catalonia) before signing at the notary. Completion timing then depends on your purchase contract.
Sources
- Anuario 2025, Colegio de Registradores de España
- Where to buy property in Spain: a regional guide
- Where to Buy Property in Spain: Towns by Budget
- Costa del Sol Property Prices 2026
- Luxury Real Estate in Spain: 2026 Buyer’s Guide
- Best Area to Buy Property in Spain?
- Costa del Sol Market Report, June 2026
- Mortgages for foreigners and non-residents, Bankinter
- Home guide, CaixaBank
- Housing Price Index, fourth quarter 2025, INE
- Marbella municipal website
- Estepona municipal website
Recommended
- Non-Resident Mortgage Guide 2026
- Mortgage Eligibility in Spain: Can You Qualify as a Non-Resident?
- Spanish Property Deposits & Costs
- Spanish Mortgage Process Timeline
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy by Mirelle Leguia, and expert in the Spanish mortgage space.