Chapter

Best places to buy property in Spain: how to choose

§ 1The honest starting point

Everyone asks for the best place to buy in Spain, and nobody can give an honest ranking. No public body ranks places, and the lists on commercial sites mix taste, commission and old numbers. What can be done is to ask the questions that decide the choice, then use official figures to test each answer. This chapter belongs to the section on where to buy and introduces seven pages, each for a type of buyer. We name no town as the best.

§ 2Question one: what is the home for

A home for living all year, a winter base, a holiday house, a retirement home, a place for the children to grow up and a rental investment lead to different places. A home used four weeks a year can sit far from services. A home you live in must be near a doctor, shops and, perhaps, a school. A rental needs rules that allow your plan. Write down the use first, as the pages on places for expats and places for a holiday home do.

§ 3Question two: which rules apply

The region sets much of the bill and many of the rules. The resale transfer tax is regional: the Ministry of Finance table updated in September 2026 gives 6.5% for the Canary Islands, 9% for Cantabria and 7% for La Rioja, among others, and the costs section explains the rates for the regions we could verify. Tourist-let rules differ too, as the section on renting and investing explains. Choose the region before you fall for a town.

§ 4Question three: who else buys there

The property registrars report that foreigners made up 15.98% of home purchases in the second quarter of 2026, with the highest regional shares in the Balearic Islands at 32.27%, the Valencian Community at 31.03%, the Canary Islands at 29.33%, Murcia at 23.71%, Catalonia at 17.63% and Andalusia at 15.95%. By province, Alicante stood at 46.43% and Málaga at 37.01%. A high foreign share means more English-speaking services and also more competition for the same homes. It says nothing about quality.

§ 5Question four: what does it cost

The registrars report an average price of €2,487 per m² for Spain in the second quarter of 2026, and the figures by region differ widely, from €947 per m² in Extremadura to €4,477 per m² in the Madrid region. Averages hide the differences between towns and streets, and they are prices of registered sales, not asking prices. The page on places for investment explains why we use them with care, and the chapter on affordable places is where cheap homes are discussed.

§ 6Question five: what are the risks

Flood, fire, coastal retreat, heat and damp vary by place. The section on location checks explains how to test a plot, and each regional chapter here names the risks that official bodies have documented. In October 2024 a DANA storm brought 771.8 mm on the calendar day to Turís in Valencia, as the weather agency reported, and the Valencian chapter discusses what that means for buyers.

§ 7Question six: what is daily life like

Healthcare, schools, transport, airports and neighbours decide daily life. The page on places for retirees covers retirees and places for families covers families. The location checks section explains the official services to ask. A weekend visit in August will not show what the town is like in February.

§ 8Buyers from particular countries

British and American buyers face particular questions: the visa and residence route, tax treaties and mortgages. Places for British buyers and places for American buyers explain what is common to each group and point to the nationality section for the rules. The registry reports that British buyers were 6.99% of foreign purchases in the second quarter of 2026.

§ 9How to use the regional chapters

Pick two or three regions and read their chapters side by side. Each gives the tax rates we could verify, the tourist-let regime, the risks, the official figures and a page for each town. Then visit in the off-season, talk to residents and ask a local lawyer to confirm the facts for the specific plot.

§ 10What the figures do not tell you

They are quarterly averages. They do not show quality, they do not forecast, and they do not tell you what you can afford. The registrars’ data also lumps together flats and houses of different sizes. Treat them as a map of the market; we recommend no place.

§ 11The other chapters

For prices, see the chapter on the chapter on affordable places. For setting, see the chapter on coast, village or city.

The Costa del Sol chapter, Costa del Sol property prices, and the Costa Blanca chapter, homes in Costa Blanca, cover the two best-known foreign markets.

§ 12The remaining regional chapters

Homes in Costa Cálida covers the Murcia coast and the Mar Menor. Buying a home in Andalusia covers Andalusia inland and on the Atlantic side.

Property in the Valencian Community covers the Valencian Community. Catalonia property prices covers Catalonia.

Balearic Islands property prices covers the Balearic Islands.

§ 13The islands, the capital and the north

Canary Islands property prices covers the Canary Islands and Madrid property prices covers Madrid.

Northern Spain property prices covers northern Spain and the chapter on inland Spain covers inland Spain.

§ 14Questions to put to the seller

Ask the seller or agent for the registry note, the cadastral reference, the latest property tax receipt, the energy certificate and the community certificate of debts. Ask what the area is like outside the holiday season, who lives there all year and which services stay open. Put the questions in writing and keep the answers. A seller who cannot produce a basic document before a deposit is telling you something about the sale. The legal process section explains each document and who can supply it.

§ 15Costs beyond the price

Budget for the transfer tax, or VAT and stamp duty on a new home, then the notary, the registry, a lawyer and any bank or valuation costs. After the purchase come the annual property tax, community charges, insurance, utilities and maintenance. Distance adds travel costs, so count flights, car hire or fuel for every trip you expect to make. The costs section explains each item without giving a single total, because the total depends on the price, the region and the type of home.

§ 16Visiting in more than one season

Choose the months you will really use the home, and visit then as well as in the quiet months. Go on a weekday and at a weekend, in the morning and at night, and talk to neighbours and local shopkeepers. A viewing arranged by an agent shows the best hour of the best day, so return unannounced if you can. Take photographs of the street, the access and the neighbouring buildings, and compare them with the plans.

§ 17Working with advisers

A lawyer who works for you, and not for the developer or the agent, should check the title, the licences and the charges. A surveyor can check the structure, and a tax adviser can explain your position as a resident or a non-resident. Pick advisers who know the exact area, not only the region. Ask each adviser for a written fee before they start, and keep the fee separate from any commission paid by a seller.

§ 18Deposits and timing

Reservation fees and deposits are common in Spain. Ask what each payment buys, whether it is refundable and under which conditions, and who holds the money. Agree the timetable in writing, because a deposit paid in a hurry in one area is hard to recover. Do not pay a large sum before the checks above are complete, and do not let an agent hurry you with a story of rival buyers. The legal process section explains the private contract, the deposit and the deed.

§ 19If you plan to let the home

Rental income is never certain, and the rules are layered: national, regional and municipal law, plus the statutes of the community. Letting depends on the municipality, the building and the region, so read the rental section before you count on income. Check what the registry and the community allow before you buy, and budget for periods without tenants. The section on renting and investing explains the layers and what we could not read.

§ 20Reading the figures on this page

The figures here come from official sources and describe averages for a region or a period. They do not describe the home in front of you. Use them to set expectations, then compare with recent sales in the exact street. We record the source of each figure in the list at the foot of the page, and we say where we could not read a rule, so that you know what to ask a professional.

General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your own situation with a qualified adviser.