Knowledge base
Background articles on buying, letting, taxes and areas on the Costa del Sol, written for buyers and investors from Northern Europe.
Bank valuation, market value and cadastral value in Spain: what is the difference?
A single Spanish property can carry three different values, and all three may be correct. The bank relies on the official valuation, the market on comparable sales and t…
Read more →Buying a home in Spain as a foreigner: how it works
Yes, any foreigner can buy a home in Spain, resident or not, from inside or outside the EU, on the same terms as a Spanish national. You need an NIE, and an independent …
Read more →Buying a property in Spain remotely: NIE, power of attorney and signing
You can buy a property in Spain without travelling there yourself. The key is a special notarial power of attorney (poder notarial) granted to, for example, your lawyer …
Read more →Buying off-plan on the Costa del Sol: how it works
Buying off-plan means acquiring a home before or during construction and paying in stages until you receive the keys. Your main protection is statutory: the developer mu…
Read more →Renovating on the Costa del Sol: costs, permits and what pays back
Renovating on the Costa del Sol costs an indicative 250 to 450 euros per m² for a refresh and 1,000 to 1,300 euros per m² for a full renovation. Most interior work needs…
Read more →What does €300,000 buy on the Costa del Sol?
On the Costa del Sol, €300,000 buys indicatively around 100 m² in Manilva but only about 49 m² in Nueva Andalucía. And because purchase costs come on top of the price, a…
Read more →Golf property on the Costa del Sol: where to buy, what to buy and what it costs
The Costa del Sol has more than seventy golf courses and a climate that allows play all year round. The right area depends on your objective: prestige, value for money o…
Read more →Rental yield by area on the Costa del Sol: from gross to net
According to estimates from our local partners, gross rental yields on the Costa del Sol range from around 7.5% in Manilva to 4.5% in Nueva Andalucía. But the gross figu…
Read more →Speed of sale by area: how easily could you sell later?
Buyers rarely think about selling, yet the ease of exit is part of what makes an investment safe. According to our local partners' estimates, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, …
Read more →Where did Costa del Sol house prices rise most in 2026?
Not Marbella but Estepona recorded the strongest annual price growth on the Costa del Sol up to mid-2026: an indicative 11.6 per cent. In second place is Rincón de la Vi…
Read more →Why the two-bedroom flat is the easiest property to sell
According to estimates from our local partners, 36.2% of the homes for sale on the Costa del Sol are two-bedroom flats, and in nine of the twelve areas tracked they form…
Read more →Holiday letting or long-term rental on the Costa del Sol: which earns more net?
On paper, holiday letting wins comfortably: 8.8 per cent gross in our worked example against 5.1 per cent for a long-term let. After operating costs and tax, only a few …
Read more →Long-term letting on the Costa del Sol: contract, deposit and tenancy law
If you let a home on the Costa del Sol on a long-term basis, Spain's Urban Leases Act (LAU) applies. A tenancy for a main residence commits a private landlord to five ye…
Read more →Property management on the Costa del Sol: what a manager does and does not do
On the Costa del Sol, four quite different services are sold under the name property management, with fees ranging indicatively from 5% to 30%. What you actually buy is …
Read more →Tourist licence on the Costa del Sol: buying for holiday lets in 2026
Across much of the Costa del Sol you can still buy to run a holiday let, but the licence is no longer a formality after completion: it belongs in the purchase decision. …
Read more →Capital gains tax for non-residents selling in Spain: 19% and how it is calculated
If you sell a home in Spain as a non-resident, you pay 19% tax on the capital gain as of 2026, whether you live in the EU or elsewhere. The rate is fixed. The amount on …
Read more →Inheritance tax in Andalusia for foreign owners
As of 2026, spouses, children and parents in Andalusia pay little or no inheritance tax on a Spanish property in practice, thanks to a reduction of the taxable base of u…
Read more →The 3% withholding when selling as a non-resident: how to get it back
If you sell a home in Spain as a non-resident, the buyer withholds 3% of the price and pays it to the Spanish tax office. This is not a tax but an advance payment toward…
Read more →Emerging areas on the Costa del Sol where prices are still reasonable
An emerging area is not the same as a cheap area. What matters is where a clear price gap with an established neighbouring area, new infrastructure and growing demand co…
Read more →Investing around Málaga in 2026: which area suits which objective
No single area wins on every count. Compare the twelve main areas around Málaga on rental yield, price trend, speed of sale and entry capital, and each criterion puts a …
Read more →Cost of living on the Costa del Sol in 2026
A single person who rents should budget roughly €1,600 to €2,200 a month; a couple renting €2,200 to €3,000, and a couple who own their home €1,300 to €1,800. Housing ma…
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