Costa del Sol

This guide covers the Costa del Sol from Málaga west to Sotogrande, near Gibraltar. Málaga is a working city with a port, a university and the region's main airport; west of it comes a near-continuous line of beach towns, golf valleys and gated urbanisations. Retirees, remote workers, families and second-home buyers come from across Europe and beyond: foreigners bought 39% of homes sold in Málaga province in the first half of 2025.

The trade-offs are cost and supply. Asking prices in Málaga province rose about 76% in five years, from €2,454 to €4,317 per m² (September 2021 to September 2026), and asking rents almost doubled, from €9.8 to €18.8 per m² a month. Many flats are let to holidaymakers, so long-term rentals are scarce, and west of Fuengirola you will need a car.

Neighbourhoods

Prices are portal asking averages for September 2026.

On a tighter budget, look east and inland and expect to drive: Rincón de la Victoria averages about €3,600 per m² with rents near €14; Alhaurín de la Torre about €2,700 per m²; and Vélez-Málaga, including Torre del Mar, has rents of about €11 per m².

Renting on the Costa del Sol

Finding a long-term rental is the hardest part of moving here: many owners prefer holiday or seasonal lets, and good flats go quickly. Tourist flats have started to fall (45,176 in Málaga province in May 2026, 6.6% fewer than a year earlier), but supply is still short. Most long-term lets come furnished.

• Long-term home (vivienda habitual). If the flat is your main home, you can renew yearly up to five years (seven if the landlord is a company), whatever the contract says, then up to three more years if nobody gives notice. You can leave after six months with 30 days' notice.
• Seasonal let (alquiler de temporada). For stays tied to work, study or a move, with a two-month deposit and no five-year right. Since 8 October 2026 a decree requires a real reason in writing, generally caps these lets at 12 months and stops landlords chaining more than two.
• Deposit and fees. One month's rent as deposit plus at most two months in extra guarantees. Since 24 January 2026 Andalusian landlords hold the deposit themselves instead of lodging it with the regional agency, so get a receipt. The landlord pays agency and contract fees by law.
• Rent rises. On contracts signed since 26 May 2023, yearly rises cannot exceed the official IRAV index (2.47% for August 2026). Andalucía has declared no "stressed areas", so national rent caps do not apply.
• Documents. Passport and NIE, proof of income (contract, payslips or tax return) and bank statements.

Buying on the Costa del Sol

1. Get your NIE

   You need this tax number to sign and pay tax; apply at a Spanish consulate or a police foreigners' office.

2. Open a Spanish bank account

   For the price, taxes and bills.

3. Hire an independent lawyer

   They check the Land Registry, debts, licences and community fees, and whether country villas were built with permission.

4. Sign the arras contract

   It usually carries a deposit of about 10%: you lose it if you pull out, and a seller who backs out repays double.

5. Complete before a notary

   You sign the deed (escritura) and pay the balance.

6. Pay the tax and register

   Pay the transfer tax within two months (form 600 in Andalucía), then register at the Land Registry.

Notary and registry fees together usually come to well under 1% of the price; try the buying costs calculator.

There are no restrictions on foreigners buying. A tax of up to 100% of the price for non-EU buyers who don't live in Spain was proposed in January 2025 and tabled as a bill in May 2025, but it had not passed when parliament was dissolved in October 2026. The golden visa for property investors closed on 3 April 2025.

Banks lend to non-residents, usually for a smaller share of the price than for residents; around 60–70% is common, but compare offers through a mortgage broker. Expect to show payslips or tax returns and bank statements, and to pay for the bank's valuation (tasación). See the mortgage calculator.

Yearly costs are council tax (IBI), set by each town hall on the cadastral value; community fees, which can be high in urbanisations with pools and security; a rubbish charge in some towns; and, for non-residents, income tax even when the home isn't let. Your lawyer should also check Coastal Law (Ley de Costas) limits on beachfront homes and the restricted AFO planning status of some country villas.

Schools

International schools on the coast mostly teach the British curriculum (IGCSE and A levels), and several also offer the International Baccalaureate; others follow different national systems. Fees, waiting lists and transport vary, so visit, ask about inspection or accreditation, and check how diplomas are recognised for university entry. Popular schools fill up early.

State schools are free and teach in Spanish, some with bilingual programmes. Places depend partly on where you live, so register on the padrón first. Andalucía's main admissions round is in spring for the following September; for mid-year arrivals, ask the town hall's education office.

Supermarkets and everyday shopping

• Budget: Lidl and Aldi.
• Mid-range: Mercadona, Carrefour and Covirán, a cooperative of neighbourhood shops.
• Premium: the supermarkets inside El Corte Inglés department stores.

Málaga's central market, the Mercado de Atarazanas, sells fish, meat and produce, and most towns hold a weekly street market (mercadillo). The expat towns also have shops selling British, Nordic and other imported food at a premium. Large supermarkets usually close on Sundays and public holidays, apart from a set number of authorised dates and in designated tourist areas; smaller shops have more freedom. Most big chains deliver online orders. Housing is the cost that stands out, so budget for it first.

Getting around

Málaga airport (AGP) has flights across Europe. The C1 commuter train runs from Málaga Centro-Alameda through the airport, Torremolinos and Benalmádena to Fuengirola, and Málaga has a metro. There is no train further west; a coastal line to Marbella and Estepona has been discussed for years, so don't buy on the strength of it. Buses link the coastal towns and the airport.

West of Fuengirola most people drive. The free A-7 coast road is slow at peak times; the parallel AP-7 toll motorway is quicker. Parking is hard in Málaga centre and Marbella's old town, so check whether a flat has a garage space. Sotogrande and Manilva are a short drive from Gibraltar.

Tax in brief

• Tax residence: spending more than 183 days a year in Spain, or having your main economic interests here, makes you taxable on worldwide income at progressive rates.
• Owning without letting (non-residents): tax on a notional 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value, at 19% for EU, Icelandic, Norwegian and Liechtenstein residents and 24% for others.
• Letting (non-residents): 19% for EU/EEA residents, who can deduct expenses; 24% of gross rent for others, though a 2025 National Court ruling found the blanket ban on their deducting costs unlawful.
• Selling (non-residents): 19% on the gain; the buyer withholds 3% of the price for the tax office. The seller pays the town hall's tax on the rise in land value (plusvalía municipal).
• Wealth tax: Andalucía applies a 100% relief; ask an adviser whether it covers you as a non-resident, and about the national solidarity tax on very large fortunes.
• Moving for work: the "Beckham law" lets qualifying newcomers be taxed under non-resident rules for the year of arrival and the next five; you opt in with form 149.

Moving here

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can live and work here freely. If you stay more than three months, register at the foreigners' office or police for a registration certificate, showing a job, self-employment or enough money and health cover.

Everyone else, including British citizens since Brexit, needs a visa first: the non-lucrative visa (no work; about €2,400 a month of income or savings for one person in 2026), the digital nomad route for remote workers (about €2,450 a month) or a work permit through an employer. You then collect a foreigner's identity card (TIE). Check current figures with the consulate or an immigration lawyer.

In your first weeks, register on the padrón at the town hall, get your NIE, open a bank account and get a Spanish phone number. Health care comes through social security if you work here, an S1 form if you are an EU or UK pensioner, or private insurance. Appointments at foreigners' offices can take weeks, so book early.

Questions people ask

Rents and prices are asking prices from public reports and portals, checked October 2026. Sources: idealista, sale price report, Málaga province by municipality, September 2026; idealista, rental price report, Málaga province by municipality, September 2026; idealista, sale and rent reports, Málaga city districts and Este barrios, September 2026; idealista, sale and rent reports, Marbella zones, September 2026; idealista, sale and rent reports, Mijas, Estepona, Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Torremolinos zones, September 2026; idealista, sale and rent reports, Cádiz province (Sotogrande, San Roque), September 2026