Guides to buying property on the Costa del Sol.
The honest, dated explainers I wish I’d had as a foreign buyer myself — costs, taxes, the process, and the stay-and-residency facts as they actually stand. No hype, no hard sell. In a hurry? The short answers are on the FAQ page. Buying from the UK? Start with the UK page.
Costs & money · 8 min
Is now a good time to buy on the Costa del Sol? What the 2026 figures say
Prices, sales, foreign demand and mortgage rates on the Costa del Sol in 2026, from the official figures, and how to read them if you are deciding to buy.
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The process · 7 min
Why the same Costa del Sol home is listed by several agents at different prices, and which price is real
Most Costa del Sol homes are listed by many agencies through one shared database, so prices and sizes differ. How it works and which price is real.
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Costs & money · 8 min
Getting your money to Spain: what a bad exchange rate costs on a €400,000 purchase
How to transfer money to Spain for a property purchase. What a 2% bank margin costs on €400,000, how currency specialists compare, and forward contracts.
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Costs & money · 10 min
Do you need a Spanish bank account to buy property in Spain? How a non-resident opens one, and what it is for
How a non-resident opens a Spanish bank account online by video call, at a branch or through a lawyer. The documents, the NIE question and the fees.
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Living in Spain · 9 min
Squatters in Spain: what the law says in 2026, and what an owner actually does
There is no 48-hour rule in Spain. When the police can act at once, the fast-track eviction route since 2025, how common squatting is, and what owners do.
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The process · 9 min
The energy certificate on a Spanish home: what the letter means, what changes in 2030, and how to use it when you negotiate
Spanish energy certificates explained: what the letter means, how to check it is registered, what changes in 2030 and how to use it when you negotiate.
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Living in Spain · 10 min
Tourist licence in Andalucía: how to get one, where you can, and the rules in 2026
Tourist licence rules on the Costa del Sol in 2026: Andalucía's standards, the community vote, Málaga's freeze, the annulled national number and the tax.
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The process · 9 min
Buying off-plan in Spain: the bank guarantee, the stage payments and the licence of first occupation
Buying off-plan in Spain: how the bank guarantee covers every stage payment, the special account, a late delivery and the licence of first occupation.
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The process · 8 min
Do you need a survey when buying a property in Spain? What the system checks, what it does not, and what I do
Do you need a survey when buying in Spain? What the notary and registry check, what nobody inspects unless you arrange it, and when a surveyor is worth it.
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Living in Spain · 12 min
International schools on the Costa del Sol: a buyer's guide to choosing the school before the home
International school fees in Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Málaga, with each school's curriculum, ages and how admissions work.
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Areas · 6 min
Where to buy on the Costa del Sol: the six stretches compared
Six stretches from Estepona to Nerja compared on 2026 price per m², the drive from Málaga airport, character and who each suits. East, west or the city.
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Costs & money · 6 min
What a €350,000 Costa del Sol apartment really costs
Tax and fees on a €350,000 resale come to about €30,800, and I tell buyers to budget 10 to 11%. A new build pays 10% VAT and 1.2% stamp duty instead.
Read →Costs & money · 7 min
What you need to buy on the Costa del Sol, area by area
Four budgets from €350,000 to €1,100,000, worked against 2026 €/m² prices town by town, with the buying costs on top. Plain numbers for British buyers.
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Costs & money · 7 min
Mortgage in Spain for non-residents: the deposit, the rate and what the bank asks for
Non-resident mortgage in Spain, explained: how much a bank lends a foreign buyer, the deposit you need, how the rate is set, the documents and the steps.
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Costs & money · 6 min
New build or resale on the Costa del Sol: the honest comparison
New build or resale in Spain: the tax on each worked on €350,000, which costs more, how off-plan payments are protected and the checks before the keys.
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Costs & money · 5 min
Andalucía’s transfer tax cut for 2027: buy now or wait?
Andalucía plans to cut transfer tax on resale homes from 7% to 6.75% in 2027. What it saves at each price, who gains most, and whether waiting pays.
Read →Costs & money · 6 min
What it costs to own a home in Spain each year, for UK owners
IBI, the refuse charge, community fees, insurance, utilities and the Modelo 210 non-resident tax. What a Spanish home costs UK owners each year, sourced.
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Costs & money · 9 min
Wealth tax in Spain for property owners, and why Andalucía is different
Spain's wealth tax for property owners in 2026: the 700,000 euro allowance, the rates, Andalucía's 100% rebate and the solidarity tax above 3.7 million.
Read →Costs & money · 7 min
Modelo 210: the Spanish tax every non-resident owner pays, even on a home that is never let
Modelo 210: the tax Spain charges non-resident owners on a home they never let, the 19% and 24% rates, the rental version, deadlines and a worked example.
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Costs & money · 6 min
What your money buys, town by town
Plain 2026 €/m² prices across the Costa del Sol, Nerja to Estepona: where your budget stretches furthest and where the famous names cost you.
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The process · 6 min
What a buyer’s agent does in Spain
What a buying agent, or buyer’s agent, does on a Costa del Sol purchase, how it differs from the estate agent selling the property, and what to ask first.
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The process · 10 min
Selling property in Spain as a non-resident: the 3% retention, capital gains, plusvalía and the documents
Selling a home in Spain as a non-resident in 2026: the 3% retention, 19% capital gains, the plusvalía, the documents to gather, the costs and the timeline.
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The process · 8 min
The legal checks before you buy a home in Spain
What a lawyer checks before you commit to a home on the Costa del Sol: nota simple, catastro, licences, community debts, IBI and the energy certificate.
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The process · 6 min
How to get a NIE number in Spain from the UK: the two routes
What the NIE is, why a buyer needs one before the deed, the consulate route in the UK and the police route in Spain, the forms, and the published timing.
Read →The process · 7 min
NIE, arras, escritura: the Spanish buying process in plain English
The Spanish buying process for non-resident buyers: the NIE, an independent lawyer, reserva and arras, the notary and escritura, and how long it takes.
Read →The process · 5 min
The arras contract in Spain: what it is and how it works
The contrato de arras explained: the usual 10% deposit, the three kinds of arras, what happens if either side pulls out, and what to check before you sign.
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Living in Spain · 6 min
The 90/180-day rule, explained without the panic
UK, US and other non-EU citizens get 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. How the count works, border logging since April 2026, and why a home adds none.
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Living in Spain · 8 min
Retiring to the Costa del Sol: residency, healthcare, your pension and the home, in order
Retiring to the Costa del Sol: the visa route, the 183-day rule, healthcare through the S1 or the state scheme, how your pension is taxed, and the home.
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Living in Spain · 10 min
Spain's digital nomad visa: the 2026 requirements, the tax option and settling on the Costa del Sol
Spain's digital nomad visa in 2026: who qualifies, the income test at 200% of the minimum wage, the two ways to apply, the 24% tax option, where to live.
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Living in Spain · 6 min
Spain's non-lucrative visa: the 2026 requirements for UK citizens
Spain's non-lucrative visa for UK citizens in 2026: the income test at 400% of IPREM, insurance, certificates, where to apply and the 183-day tax point.
Read →Living in Spain · 8 min
Wills and inheritance for a Spanish home: whether you need a Spanish will, and what Andalucía's 99% relief means
What heirs pay on a home in Andalucía: the €1m reduction per close heir, 99% relief on a main home, the six-month deadline, and whether you need a will.
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Living in Spain · 5 min
The golden visa is gone. The routes to Spain that aren't.
Spain scrapped the golden visa in April 2025. Buying a home no longer buys residency, but these routes still let non-EU citizens live in Spain.
Read →Living in Spain · 5 min
The '100% tax on foreign buyers': what's actually true
Where Spain's proposed 100% tax on non-EU buyers stands in September 2026, what would have to happen before it applied, and what British buyers pay today.
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The process · 6 min
Five checks to make before you buy on the Costa del Sol
Five checks to make before you buy on the Costa del Sol: your own lawyer, the full cost, the area off-season, what comes with the home, and the pace.
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When you’re ready to turn the research into a plan, the first call is free and about thirty minutes.
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