Journal
Alicante Leads Spain's Foreign Property Map: Why the Costa Blanca Tops Every Province in 2026
By Elia Living ·
Every year, the Colegio de Registradores — Spain's association of property registrars — publishes a province-by-province breakdown of who is buying Spanish real estate. The 2025 annual figures, confirmed by Q1 2026 data, tell a striking story: Alicante province is not merely popular with foreign buyers, it is the undisputed number one destination in the entire country, and by a very wide margin.
One province, nearly half a market
In 2025, foreign nationals accounted for 43.29% of all property transactions in Alicante province. The national average for the same period was 13.8%. In other words, in Alicante, foreigners buy homes at more than three times the rate they do across Spain as a whole.
The nearest competitors — Málaga (32.80%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (30.04%) and the Balearic Islands (29.86%) — are significant markets in their own right, yet each falls ten or more percentage points behind Alicante. For any province to see foreigners account for nearly half of all its property sales is remarkable; for Alicante to hold that position year after year reflects something deeper than coincidence.
| Province | Foreign buyer share |
|---|---|
| Alicante | 43.29% |
| Málaga | 32.80% |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 30.04% |
| Balearic Islands | 29.86% |
| Girona | 25.00% |
| Las Palmas | 21.72% |
| Murcia | 21.42% |
| Spain (national average) | 13.8% |
Source: Colegio de Registradores, 2025 annual data / Q1 2026
Across all of Spain, foreign buyers completed almost 97,500 transactions in 2025 — close to 100,000 purchases in a single year, a record high. Alicante's share of that total is roughly one in every four foreign purchases made in the country.
Who is buying — and how the landscape is shifting
Nationally, British buyers remain the single largest foreign nationality at 7.97% of all foreign transactions, followed by Germans at 6.52% and Dutch at 6.30%. But the composition of the market has shifted meaningfully over the past decade.
In 2016, British buyers accounted for nearly 22% of all foreign property purchases in Spain. By 2026 that figure had fallen to under 7% — a consequence of post-Brexit complexity and currency headwinds — though British interest in the Costa Blanca North has remained resilient. Meanwhile, buyers from the Netherlands have grown by almost 50% between 2023 and 2025 alone, making them one of the most dynamic segments in the market. Dutch buyers are particularly concentrated on the northern Costa Blanca: Jávea and Altea feature prominently in their preferred micro-destinations, alongside Girona's Costa Brava.
The typical Dutch buyer on the Costa Blanca North is aged 45–60, drawn by lifestyle and retirement considerations — a profile that mirrors the area's established appeal for quality-of-life purchasers rather than short-term speculators. Dutch buyers favour villas (51.6% of their purchases) over apartments, a preference that sits well with Jávea's hillside and sea-view villa market.
Polish buyers are another fast-growing cohort. Nationally, their share of foreign purchases has risen from 1.22% in 2016 to 4.61% by 2026, making them one of the fastest-growing buyer nationalities in Spain. Alicante province, with its established communities and direct flight connections from Warsaw and Kraków, is a natural focus for many.
Why the Costa Blanca — and the North in particular?
The reasons Alicante dominates the foreign buyer map are well-documented: over 300 days of sunshine a year, excellent air connectivity to northern Europe, a mature community of long-term foreign residents, and a breadth of property types ranging from beachside apartments to hilltop villas in the Montgó natural park. The province also offers genuine value compared with equivalent lifestyle destinations in France or Italy.
Within Alicante province, the northern Costa Blanca — centred on Jávea (Xàbia), Moraira, Dénia and Altea — draws buyers seeking a quieter, greener character than the urbanised southern coast. The landscape is more rugged, the microclimate exceptionally mild (sheltered by the Montgó and the Bernia ridge), and the communities a blend of long-established expat families and newcomers from across Europe.
What buyers are paying: a quality signal
Research by BBVA and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie) has analysed the spending patterns of different buyer groups in Alicante province. Their findings are instructive: foreign non-residents spend approximately 60% more per property than Spanish buyers, with average prices exceeding €2,900/m² across the province and topping €4,000/m² in coastal zones.
That premium is not simply about greater spending power. It reflects the fact that foreign buyers — particularly lifestyle and retirement purchasers — typically seek larger, better-specified homes in prime coastal locations, often buying with minimal mortgage requirements. They are quality buyers, and the Alicante market has structured itself, over many decades, to serve them well.
What this means if you are considering a purchase
Alicante's dominance of Spain's foreign buyer market is not a passing trend. The Registradores data, the BBVA/Ivie research and the Q1 2026 figures all point to a market with long structural tailwinds: demographics in northern Europe favour retirement migration southwards; air connectivity is improving; and the Valencian Community's June 2026 reduction in property transfer tax (ITP) from 10% to 9% has made buying slightly more affordable for everyone.
For prospective buyers, the practical implication is straightforward: you will be joining a market that is well-practised at welcoming international purchasers, with established legal, fiscal and administrative processes. The key steps — NIE, Spanish bank account, due diligence, notary — are familiar territory for experienced local buyer's agents, solicitors and tax advisers on the Costa Blanca North.
The data makes one thing clear: when buyers from Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and beyond look for somewhere to buy in Spain, they choose Alicante more than anywhere else. The Costa Blanca North's towns — Jávea especially — are a significant part of the reason why.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish province attracts the most foreign property buyers? Alicante, where foreigners accounted for 43.29% of all property transactions in 2025 — more than three times the national average of 13.8%, and well ahead of second-placed Málaga at 32.80%.
What nationalities are buying in Jávea and the Costa Blanca North? British buyers lead overall in Alicante province, followed by Germans and Dutch. Dutch buyer activity on the Costa Blanca North — particularly in Jávea and Altea — grew by nearly 50% between 2023 and 2025, with villas the preferred property type.
Are Polish buyers active in Alicante? Yes. Polish buyers have grown from 1.22% of all foreign purchases in Spain in 2016 to 4.61% by 2026, one of the fastest-growing buyer nationalities nationally, with Alicante province among their preferred destinations.
Do foreign buyers pay more than Spaniards for property in Alicante? Yes. Foreign non-residents spend around 60% more per property than Spanish buyers in Alicante province (BBVA/Ivie data), with average prices exceeding €2,900/m² and topping €4,000/m² in coastal zones.
How many foreign property purchases happened in Spain in 2025? Almost 97,500 homes were purchased by foreign nationals across Spain in 2025 — close to a record 100,000 transactions in a single year, according to Registradores data.
How do I get started buying property in Jávea as a foreign buyer? The first step is obtaining your NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero), followed by a Spanish bank account. A local buyer's agent covers the full purchase process — property search, due diligence, offer strategy, legal coordination and notary — and will guide you through costs including ITP transfer tax (now 9% in the Valencian Community from June 2026).