Costa Blanca Property Guide 2026: Xàbia Sets the Highest Prices as Torrevieja Leads Foreign Buyer Sales
Costa Blanca property is once again at the centre of Spain’s real estate map. The close of 2025 leaves a clear picture: high activity, prices at historic highs, and a market deeply shaped by international demand. Within this landscape, two municipalities capture two very different realities of Costa Blanca property: Xàbia, which sets the price ceiling, and Torrevieja, which leads sales volume, particularly among foreign buyers. This is reflected in the Eurojavea Report on the Costa Blanca Property Market 2026, produced by Eurojavea.
For anyone considering Costa Blanca property as a foreign buyer, understanding this two-speed market is essential before choosing an area: looking for exclusivity in the north is a very different proposition from seeking more square metres for the same budget in the south.
The Costa Blanca Property Market Keeps Growing, Though at a Slower Pace
The province of Alicante recorded 53,385 home sales during the year, up 2.9% on 2024, making it the third most active province in Spain. Resale properties accounted for 81.5% of transactions (43,525), against 18.5% for new-build homes (9,860).
In the last quarter, Costa Blanca municipalities registered 9,261 property transactions, down 6.6% year-on-year, though still 35.1% above levels seen five years ago. The Costa Blanca property market is easing its pace, but remains at historically high levels.
Torrevieja, Alicante and Orihuela: the Volume Triangle
The bulk of Costa Blanca property activity is concentrated in a small number of municipalities, particularly in the south of the province. Torrevieja continues to act as the market’s main engine, with 1,780 transactions in the fourth quarter, ranking among the most active municipalities in the whole of Spain. It is followed by Alicante city, with 1,601 transactions, and Orihuela, with 1,244.
Further behind come Elche (813 transactions), Dénia (480), Santa Pola (471), Guardamar del Segura (349), Pilar de la Horadada (305), Jávea (289), Villajoyosa (287) and Calp (253). This distribution reveals two realities: the Vega Baja concentrates the volume, while the Marina Alta and Marina Baixa combine activity with higher price levels.
Costa Blanca Property Prices: Xàbia Leads a Widespread Rally
If the south drives volume, the north sets the pace on price. Xàbia stands as the most expensive municipality in the entire Valencian Community, at 3,436 euros per square metre, after rising 13.3% year-on-year. This is not an isolated case: Xàbia is followed by Calp, at 3,042 euros per square metre (+18.3%); Dénia, at 2,676 euros per square metre (+14.2%); Santa Pola, at 2,323 euros per square metre (+19.7%); Alicante, at 2,205 euros per square metre (+17.1%); and Torrevieja, at 2,132 euros per square metre (+17.6%).
A second tier includes Villajoyosa, at 2,039 euros per square metre (+17.1%); Orihuela, at 1,893 euros per square metre (+15.3%); and Elche, at 1,548 euros per square metre (+18.4%). Every major municipality in Alicante is posting double-digit growth in Costa Blanca property prices, in many cases record highs. Provincially, the average price stands at 2,074 euros per square metre, up 11.7%, continuing an upward trend sustained since 2014 that has intensified in recent quarters.
Resale Homes Dominate, New Build Stays Localised
The Costa Blanca property market remains clearly dominated by resale homes, with transactions concentrated in Torrevieja (1,557), Alicante (1,533) and Orihuela (1,006), followed by Elche, Santa Pola, Dénia and Guardamar del Segura. New-build homes, far more limited in supply, are concentrated in specific spots: Orihuela leads with 238 transactions, followed by Torrevieja (223) and Dénia (124). This pattern underlines a market where the replacement of new stock remains insufficient to meet demand, something buyers considering an off-plan purchase should factor in when reserving early.
Foreign Buyers Drive the Costa Blanca Property Market
The other major lever behind the Costa Blanca property market is international demand. Alicante leads Spain with 43.3% of purchases made by foreign buyers out of the provincial total, and accounts for 23.7% of all such transactions nationwide.
At municipal level, this weight is especially visible in the south. Torrevieja recorded 1,529 transactions by foreign buyers, followed by Orihuela (1,106) and Alicante (683). Santa Pola, Guardamar del Segura, Dénia, Elche and Calp also stand out, along with Jávea and Villajoyosa. Foreign buyers also show greater purchasing power, with an average transaction value of 218,574 euros, compared with 143,160 euros for domestic buyers.
By nationality, Dutch buyers lead with 1,004 transactions, followed by British buyers (831), Belgians (740), Poles (643) and Germans (548), confirming a diversified European buyer profile behind Costa Blanca property demand.
A Two-Speed Market: Expensive North, Dynamic South
The analysis confirms a clearly defined territorial pattern in the Costa Blanca property market. The Marina Alta, with municipalities such as Jávea, Dénia and Calp, leads on price and concentrates the most exclusive segment. The Vega Baja, with Torrevieja, Orihuela, Guardamar and Pilar de la Horadada, gathers the largest sales volume, with a more dynamic and accessible profile. Between the two poles, the urban area formed by Alicante, Elche and Santa Pola acts as a balancing space, combining domestic and international demand while also posting significant price increases.
Choosing Where to Buy Costa Blanca Property
For anyone weighing up Costa Blanca property as a foreign buyer, this snapshot is useful when deciding where to look: the north offers exclusivity and sustained value growth, while the south allows buyers to access more space for the same budget, within a more liquid market and an already well-established international community. In either case, relying on local advice and verifying the legal security of each transaction remains the essential step before signing.