Costa del Sol Property Market in 2026 – Prices and Key Trends

Property prices – where is the Costa del Sol most expensive?

There are significant price differences between individual locations across the Costa del Sol.

Source: idealista/data, August 2026. Figures represent asking prices rather than final transaction prices. Sotogrande is administratively located in the province of Cádiz.

Marbella remains the most expensive of the region’s major property markets, but Estepona recorded the strongest growth over the previous 12 months. The average asking price in Estepona increased by 17.4% year on year, reaching €4,961/m² in August 2026.

By comparison, Marbella recorded annual growth of 4.0%, while prices in Benahavís increased by 7.1%. Mijas saw growth of 8.9%, while Sotogrande recorded an increase of 11.6%.

Prime locations exceed €8,000/m²

Average prices across entire municipalities do not tell the full story. In the most prestigious areas, asking prices are significantly higher.

In August 2026, the average asking price on Marbella’s Golden Mile reached €8,336/m².

In Benahavís, average asking prices stood at approximately €8,040/m² in La Zagaleta and €6,126/m² in La Quinta.

Significant differences can also be seen elsewhere on the Costa del Sol. In La Cala de Mijas, for example, the average asking price in August was €4,593/m², compared with €3,711/m² across Mijas as a whole.

This illustrates why looking only at the name of a town is often not enough when assessing the market. A specific neighborhood or residential community can mean a difference of several thousand euros per square meter.

International buyers account for 37% of transactions in Málaga province

International demand remains one of the key forces shaping the Costa del Sol property market.

According to the Colegio de Registradores, foreign buyers accounted for 37.01% of all residential property purchases in Málaga province in the second quarter of 2026.

This was the second-highest share in Spain, behind Alicante, where international buyers represented 46.43% of transactions.

For comparison, foreign buyers accounted for 34.30% of residential purchases in Málaga province in the first quarter of 2026. This represents an increase of 2.71 percentage points in a single quarter.

Across Spain as a whole, British, Dutch and German buyers were the largest groups of international purchasers in the second quarter of 2026.

Polish buyers accounted for 4.33% of all purchases made by foreign nationals, while EU citizens collectively represented 57.39% of international buyers.

Málaga remains one of Spain’s most active property markets

In the second quarter of 2026, 9,387 residential property transactions were registered in Málaga province.

Only Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and Valencia recorded higher transaction volumes.

This is particularly notable when compared with the wider Spanish market. In the second quarter, residential property transactions across Spain fell by 5.7% compared with the previous quarter and by 2.3% year on year, with a total of 167,934 transactions registered.

Málaga province therefore remains one of Spain’s largest residential property markets, both in terms of transaction volume and the share of international buyers.

What do the 2026 figures tell us?

Data from the first months of 2026 point to three key trends.

First – prices are still rising, but growth varies considerably by location. Marbella remains one of the most expensive markets on the Costa del Sol, while stronger price growth is currently being seen in areas such as Estepona, Sotogrande and Mijas.

Second – international demand continues to play a major role. In the second quarter of 2026, more than one in three residential properties sold in Málaga province was purchased by a foreign buyer.

Third – the Costa del Sol is not a single, uniform market. Price differences between towns, neighborhoods and residential communities can be substantial, which means regional averages should be treated only as a general reference point.

Sources

• Colegio de Registradores de España – Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria, Segundo trimestre 2026
• Colegio de Registradores de España – Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria, Primer trimestre 2026
• idealista/data – Evolución del precio de la vivienda en venta, August 2026 data for Málaga, Marbella, Estepona, Benahavís, Mijas, Fuengirola and Sotogrande