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If you look at the property market on the Costa Blanca at the moment, you won't see a slump. But neither is it a market that is continuing unabated as in the particularly dynamic years before. The figures for the first quarter of 2026 show a differentiated picture: Fewer properties were sold in the province of Alicante, while prices continued to rise at the same time. This means more pressure for buyers. For owners, the market remains stable. For the region, the question increasingly arises as to how long supply, international demand and local purchasing power will continue to match.
Official statistics do not show the Costa Blanca as a separate market region. The development can therefore be reliably analysed primarily via the Province of Alicante map. It covers the core of the property market on the Costa Blanca - from Dénia, Jávea/Xàbia, Calpe, Altea and Benidorm via Alicante, Elche, Santa Pola and Guardamar to Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Pilar de la Horadada.
According to the Spanish land registry registrars, in the first quarter of 2026 12,614 residential properties sold. This means that Alicante remains one of the most important property markets in Spain. At the same time, the number of sales fell. Between January and March, the Comunitat Valenciana recorded 26,627 transactions, a minus of 1.8 per cent compared to the previous quarter. Alicante was the third strongest province in Spain with 12,614 sales.
While sales figures are falling, prices are continuing to rise. It is precisely this combination that characterises the market on the Costa Blanca in spring 2026. According to the Registradores analysis, the price per square metre in the province of Alicante in the first quarter was 2,214 euros per square metre, a plus of 1.5 per cent compared to the previous quarter. In the Comunitat Valenciana as a whole, the figure rose to 1,963 euros per square metre.
Other data sources also confirm the price pressure, albeit using different measurement methods. Tinsa shows an average value for the city of Alicante in the first quarter of 2026 of 2,159 euros per square metre out. This corresponds to an annual increase of 15.62 per cent. According to this calculation, a 90-square-metre flat in Alicante averages around 194,327 Euro.
Idealista's asking prices for the province of Alicante in April 2026 are as high as 2,764 euros per square metre. These are 12.2 per cent more than a year earlier and 2.1 per cent more than in January 2026. For the city of Alicante, Idealista cites 2,549 euros per square metre.
The distinction is important: Registradores work with registered sales, Tinsa with valuation data, Idealista with offer prices. All three values are interesting for buyers, but they explain different sides of the market. The asking price shows what sellers are asking. The register value shows what is actually visible in notarised transactions.
The Costa Blanca is not a uniform property market. There are clear differences between a flat in Alicante, a villa in Altea, a terraced house in Torrevieja or a property in the hinterland. Offer prices remain high, particularly in the well-known coastal towns.
According to Idealista, the offer prices in April 2026 included
Place / area | Offer price April 2026 |
Province of Alicante | 2.764 €/m² |
Alicante City | 2.549 €/m² |
Altea | 3.464 €/m² |
Benidorm | 3.610 €/m² |
Calpe | 3.519 €/m² |
Alfaz del Pi | 3.049 €/m² |
Ciudad Quesada | 3.022 €/m² |
Benissa | 3.580 €/m² |
These figures show how much the property market on the Costa Blanca depends on the location. In sought-after coastal locations, prices are well above the provincial average. The price level is lower inland or in communities with a less international flavour, although some strong increases can be seen there too.
International demand remains a key feature of the property market on the Costa Blanca.
In the first quarter of 2026, Spain 13.92 per cent of residential property was purchased by foreign buyers. In the Comunitat Valenciana, the proportion was 28.16 per cent.
The province of Alicante stands out even more: Here 44.65 per cent of flats and houses sold to foreign buyers. This puts Alicante clearly at the top of the Spanish provincial rankings. In comparison: Málaga came in at 34.3 per cent and the Balearic Islands at 28.89 per cent.
This has noticeable consequences for the market. International buyers often have different budgets to local households. In many coastal towns, residents, second-home buyers, investors and local families compete for a limited supply. This keeps prices high - even when the number of sales is no longer increasing.
At first glance, it sounds contradictory: fewer sales but higher prices. In fact, this development is in line with the current situation. The market is not cooling down because there is suddenly no more demand. Rather, it is reaching its limits.
On the one hand, supply in good locations is scarce. Secondly, the price increases of recent years have made many buyers more cautious. Anyone looking to buy a property on the Costa Blanca is checking more carefully, making longer comparisons and paying closer attention to ancillary costs, financing, energy status and location quality.
The Registradores show the following for Spain in the first quarter of 2026 133,618 Residential mortgages out. This was the highest quarterly figure since the first quarter of 2011. 75 per cent of residential sales are financed with a mortgage. In the Comunitat Valenciana, the number of mortgages was 15.640.
This shows that Financing is playing a greater role again. Falling or more stable interest rates can make purchases easier, but they do not solve the basic problem of high prices. On the Costa Blanca in particular, it is increasingly not only the desired location that is decisive, but also the question of which property will remain affordable in the long term.
Anyone looking for property on the Costa Blanca in 2026 should not only evaluate the market based on the price per square metre. The decisive factor is how realistic the asking price is in the respective location. Especially for properties near the coast, it is worth comparing actual sales prices, not just advertisements.
Also important are:
Particularly in the case of older houses or flats in urbanisations, the purchase price can only be part of the bill. Renovation, energy improvements, pool technology, community costs or necessary modernisation work can significantly change the actual investment.
For property owners, the situation remains fundamentally positive. Demand for property on the Costa Blanca remains high, particularly in locations with good infrastructure, an international community, sea connections and good accessibility via Alicante or Valencia.
Nevertheless, the market is becoming more selective. Excessive asking prices remain visible for longer. Buyers compare more closely and react more sensitively to defects. If you want to sell, you should therefore base your price not only on the neighbouring advertisement, but also on realistic comparative values, condition and micro-location.
Properties that can be used without a great deal of additional effort remain particularly popular: well-maintained flats, houses with clear documentation, good energy performance certificates, modern building technology and transparent running costs. In a market that has become more expensive, transparency is gaining in value.
The development in the first quarter of 2026 does not indicate an abrupt turnaround. The Costa Blanca remains one of the strongest property markets in Spain. At the same time, the market is becoming more demanding. Fewer sales and rising prices show that the pain threshold is approaching for many buyers.
Whether supply improves and how financing costs, income and international demand develop are likely to be decisive factors in the coming months. As long as demand remains high and good locations are scarce, there is little to suggest that prices will fall significantly. It is more likely that the market will remain active, but will differentiate more strongly between top locations, average properties and properties in need of refurbishment.
The short formula for the property market on the Costa Blanca in spring 2026 is therefore: less movement, higher prices, more testing before purchase.
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